Entries from August 2008 ↓

You see it all the time, Great Flyball Prospect in need of home.  So what is a Great Flyball Prospect?  Just recently on the Flyball Forum there was an excellent discussion about this very topic.  The initial questions were related to how someone working in a shelter would know a good Flyball prospect if they saw one and what shelters/rescuers can do to help place dogs that may do better in a Flyball homes.   What followed were some great answers and I just touch on them here but I invite you to the Flyball Forum to see the complete topic.

Most people outside of Flyball have the mistaken attitude that Flyball is “not exactly a challenge for the dog” and many hyper dogs that are not good enough for anything else get labeled as a “Flyball prospect.”

New people and other outsiders think that Flyball is easy.  After all, all the dogs need to do is like tennis balls, run over a few jumps, and retrieve a ball.  How hard can that be?  This is one that I encounter all the time.  Others think that just because the dog is hyper they will do well in Flyball.  Well, some do and some don’t.  I think Laura from Heads or Tails hit it right on the nose when she said, “I truly believe that the best Flyball candidate is not so much the dog as the owner.”  I couldn’t agree more.

I invite you all to the Flyball Forum and welcome your views on this intriguing topic.  You will find it under Flyball in the Flyball Forum section.

Larry

Can Open class (NAFA) and Pickup teams (U-FLI) cause some unintended consequences?   Do these types of these entries cause the waiting period for changing teams to become a rule that’s no longer required?  I would like to explore these questions and ask you for your thoughts.

Open and Pickup

The first time I was exposed to this type of entry was at a U-FLI tournament and I thought it was great.  I had a young dog that was very close to running and I wanted to do some run backs with her.  Unfortunately at the time, I had a very small team and had no place for her to run.  I guess I could have had someone hold the dog I’d be running while I did a couple warm up runs with my new dog, but that is always difficult.  So the Pickup team was just what I needed.  I could run my new dog on a Pickup team and not have to worry about switching teams or a waiting period.  My new dog even got a chance to run in a few heats so her first time running was on a Pickup team.

This experience made me a believer of the Pickup team concept and I was a real proponent for NAFA to put this concept into practice also.  Since NAFA started the Open class during a trial period, I have run my dogs many times in that class and on Pickup teams and still do.

Unintended Consequences

Before these types of entries were created, if there were problems on the team like an argument or disagreement, the majority of the time it was worked out and the team stayed together.  Granted, at times, working out a difficult argument or disagreement may not have been possible but from my experience you were more likely to stick it out and try to get over the problem.  After all, most people would try to avoid the waiting time required to run on a new team so they were more likely to give it one or more chances before switching teams.

The unintended consequences of these new entries are to allow people to jump ship at any time.  If you have a problem, there is no need to work it out, just switch teams by running in Open class or a Pickup team.  If you have enough people willing to jump ship, just create a new team and enter your new team in Open class or run as a Pickup team and there’s no wait required.

Why Have a Waiting Rule?

I really have no answers because I’m torn between my likes and dislikes.  I like being able to run dogs from other teams together but I also hate the fact that my whole team can dessert me over a minor disagreement.

In October, one of my dogs will be running in Memphis on a Pickup team with her littermates (all from other teams) and her sire.  How neat is that?  Without a Pickup team or Open class this would not be possible.  However, having six people just leave your team over a stupid disagreement, not even try to work out a compromise, and be running the next weekend is hurtful!  Why have a waiting rule at all?

I would like to hear what you all think of this?  Do you have any solutions?  Should we just press on from here and do away with the waiting rule?

Larry

Based on the usage of the Flyball Forum I can only conclude that Flyballers prefer email lists to forums.  It’s very strange indeed because I’ve visited Agility forums and Pet and Dog related forums and they are all very active.  I certainly would like to hear your pros and cons to each.  I’ve tried to come up with a list on my own.

Pros of a Forum

• Can be viewed on your schedule
• More permanent than some email list unless you save each email
• You can send private messages
• You can post attachments i.e. photos, tournament schedules, etc
• Little or no annoying email clogging up your email application
• Real time discussion

Cons of a Forum

• It can be viewed by everyone

Pros of Email List

• Private and closed

Cons of Email List

• Closed and private
• Messages are not permanent unless saved privately
• Same questions are asked again and again
• Most do not allow attachments
• Email traffic builds up in your email account unless you are on digest
• If you are on digest you sometimes miss important discussions when they are happening

So what are your thoughts on this subject?  Why do most prefer email over forums?  Why are Flyballers different than all of the other canine activities that have forums?   I can see no good reason to continue maintaining a forum that very few people are using.

Please pass the word to your friends and teammates about the Flyball Forum.  I’m sure that we Flyballers can do better.

Larry