|
Flyball Jumps
2008-08-25 07:43:00 By Blake MeadThe jumps used for flyball are very basic structures. Flyball jumps can be bought from several online sources or can be easily made with very few tools and minimal material.The only material you need to make your own set of flyball jumps is a single 4 foot by 8 foot sheet of 1/2" plywood. No glue, nails, or any other fasteners are required!Each flyball lane requires a set of four jumps. Each jump consists of two uprights and a set of jump boards that fit in between the uprights.The uprights can be any color. They must be at least 24 inches high, but no more that 36 inches high. A slot must be cut in the center of each upright to accommodate the jump boards. The slot should be slightly wider than the jump board material (1/2") and should start at 4 inches from the base and go up to a height of 16.5 inches above the base.The jumps must be 24 inches between uprights, so the jump boards should be cut about 32 inches to span the uprights and provide some stability to both si...
Flyball Demo Today
2008-06-01 03:07:00 Today Chase, Tatum and I went and did a flyball demo with the Thunder Paws, our flyball team here in Utah. It was a lot of fun! Chase did a great job, and we even recruited someone to take some pictures while Chase was running! I usually am taking the pictures and ...
Chase in Course A? Lure
2008-05-31 23:16:00 We went to do a flyball demo today at Strut Your Mutt, the local big huge dog walk for raising funds for No More Homeless Pets in Utah. Our flyball team, Thunder Paws, had fun and everyone did great! Chase had a good time, too. Chase got to do Course A’ Lure as well, ...
Flyball Training - It's All About The Treat
2008-04-21 15:02:00 By Blake MeadWhat motivates your dog? You must know this to successfully train your dog to be a flyball dog.Is what motivates your dog a treat? If so, what kind? Is it a toy? If so, which one? Maybe it's a game of tug o' war or a wrestling match. Whatever it is, you must use what motivates your dog as the treat that awaits your dog after each new learned behavior.It's also very important that your dog knows what the reward is. The treat, or the toy, or the game must be there each and every time for your dog. The treat is the target. If you train without a target, your dog will not be focused. Training will not be effective and your dog will be unmotivated.Your dog needs the treat as a target to focus on during each stage of training.In the beginning, when your dog is learning the basics, a treat must be waiting after each behavior in the chain. Your dog needs to have a reason to perform each behavior. That reason is the treat.Once your dog has learned all the behaviors in the cha...
Four Very Tired Dogs
2008-04-07 03:03:00 Yes… three dogs and one human do fit on a couch. Although barely! Today I took four of our six dogs to flyball practice. It was fun. Chase already knows it and does a great job. Levi.. I’m going to train him up, because he would have fun even if he isn’t fast. ...
My Car at the Flyball Tournament Parking Lot
2008-04-05 00:04:00 When I was at the flyball tournament in St George last weekend this is what happened to my poor car in the parking lot. No garden decor is going to hide that darn dent. Gonna cost $2700 to fix it… fortunately my insurance deductible is only $500. But still. Not like I have ...
A Sad Thing from the Flyball Tournament
2008-04-02 01:05:00 I just have to post, briefly, about a sad thing that happened at the flyball tournament this past weekend. We love our dogs… and we know (I’d say all of us, but I guess I have to say most of us) that our dogs perform their best when they are happy and when they trust ...
We Three are Tired
2008-03-31 05:31:00 Oh boy.. the tournement is over. We had an awesome time. Chase did great, as usual. He ran fast and clean and got more points. His team broke out twice.. which is really cool and I’ll explain it later. Okay maybe it’s not that cool because we don’t get points for that run, ...
Good, Tiring Day
2008-03-30 06:26:00 Oh boy.. just got back to the motel. What a day. It was a ton of fun. Chase ran in singles and doubles, in addition to his regular teams. He ran a lot. He needs to be in better shape, as do I, as I say way too often. I wish my back felt ...
In St. George
2008-03-29 05:19:00 Well… Chase, Tatum and me are in St. George. The internet connection here at the Red Cliffs Inn is not too good… but it looks like my two pictures are going to Flickr now. Hopefully they went… and then I’ll include them here in this post. I’m blogging from my desktop, using BlogDesk. Hopefully ...
Wish Us Luck
2008-03-27 23:41:00 Tomorrow I’m leaving for a flyball tournament in St. George, Utah. I’m excited… and really, a part of me wishes I could just lie in bed all weekend and let my back get better. Alas… the dogs and the dog sports shall not wait for the measly pain a human, an old human… ...
Too Busy to Rest
2008-03-25 22:18:00 I was just looking at my calendar and realized that yes, I am going to be much too busy this spring. As usual, I guess. Lots of dog sports going on. And my Husband wants to squeeze a camping trip in there too… we didn’t go camping at all last year, and we both missed ...
Flyball Tourney
2008-03-25 21:25:00 Well, this weekend Chase, Tatum and me are going to St. George Utah for a U-FLI Flyball tournament. Should be fun… going to be a lot of work with long days, but it’s a blast and Chase loves it. He’s even running in singles and doubles as well as teams, to see how he does. Tatum ...
More Flyball
2008-03-23 01:14:00 Yeah yeah, can’t get enough of this new camera. This is Tonks… now that is a HIGH box! LOL… a bit too high, I’d say. They moved the prop way out and she did better (yup, Tonks as in Nymphadora from Harry Potter, I love her name!) She won’t need any ...
Flyball Practice Pics
2008-03-23 00:53:00 Here’s a crowd of dogs at flyball practice… you can see Chase and Tatum in the background in their x-pen. And Muffit in his crate. I had him in the pen but… silly boy jumped out, he was too excited. So he got the crate (did I mention I got that crate for free? ...
Muffit at Flyball Practice
2008-03-23 00:11:00 Well, I took Muffit, Tatum and Chase to flyball practice again today. Muffit is very over stimulated there. He barks just about constantly. He’s going to take longer, unfortunately, than I had thought for him to adjust to the whole flyball and dog show environment thing. That’s okay. He’s a doll, and he takes as ...
Aggressive dogs in flyball
2008-03-20 03:29:00 You have a devoted owner who wants to do whatever they can to help their dog find a job. You know this owner is pretty good about managing their dog’s aggression per others that know the owner. Flyball has rules about aggression. Putting an aggressive dog on lanes could be a liability to the ...
By: The Flyball Blog
Overcoming Fears in Dogs and When to Say When
2008-03-15 16:49:00 First, let me say thank you to Larry for giving me access to post topics. I will start off by a less controversial topic as this is my first ever blog entry as the topic starter. Down the road I promise to think of something that will get the juices flowing. Shoot, ...
By: The Flyball Blog
Weather for Dog Sports
2008-03-14 17:10:00 Hrmph.. the weather isn’t looking very good for outdoor dog sports this weekend. I am so ready for spring! I love the spring! It’s cool enough for the dogs, and warm enough for us humans. This is a wee pic of Chase Me doing flyball in Vegas! Where it was warm! Tags: ...
Flyball Practice
2008-03-11 23:02:00 Sunday Chase, Tatum, Muffit and Me went to flyball practice. It’s the first we’ve had since, probably, November of 2007. It was so nice to get out. It was warm enough for a T-Shirt, and it was fun to run around a bit! Chase did great, as per usual. I’m thinking that I think ...
Bouncing Off the Wall - Flyball Box Training
2008-03-09 19:41:00 Okay so Chase and I went outside today to see about teaching him to bounce off the wall. This is how Touch n Go recommended box training.. After, of course, doing some jump training first. So out we go, I have him put his front feet on the wall and measure out where he should ...
Angel and Tatum
2008-03-09 17:27:00 Is this the cutest picture or what? Okay maybe not in the whole entire world, but still I love it. Tatum loves to play. Angel loves to play too, but since she’s been getting older she’s been slowing down so she doesn’t run around like she used to. But she still likes to play ...
Settling Back Into Home
2008-03-06 01:19:00 Well, being home is nice. Believe you me. I do love trips, and sometimes one the way home I don’t want the trip to end.. but now that I am here at home on the couch with my regular pack, I am very happy to be home and to be relaxing. We made it home pretty ...
What?s the Point
2008-03-05 22:09:00 Every now and then, someone comes up with a good suggestion only to have it ignored or shot down without a thought. Lori Whitney, Rapids Intens-A-Flyrs flyball team had a good suggestion about changes to the NAFA point system but it doesn’t look like the NAFA Board of Directors even gave it a thought, ...
By: The Flyball Blog
Back from the Flyball Seminar
2008-03-04 18:48:00 Oh my gosh. Did I say, in my last post, that I had a great time at the Flyball Seminar given by Touch n Go? Well, it was beyond great. The seminar was wonderful. The Team Members that gave the seminar were phenomenal. They were all friendly and supportive and very tactful. I ...
Playing ?The Ultimate Dogsport for Family and Fun?
2008-03-03 20:34:00 U-FLI’s tag line is “The Ultimate Dogsport for Family and Fun,” but what is it like to play the game when you have children along. It takes a great amount of organizing to get your self, the dogs, and the equipment to a tournament, add little kids and all their stuff and well, Whew! ...
By: The Flyball Blog
Flyball Seminar is Fun!
2008-03-02 05:48:00 Today we had an awesome day at the flyball seminar. Touch n Go are great, they really know their stuff, and they are also very personable and easy to talk to and work with. They give us great advice and are very tactful. Even when they tell us our dogs are overweight! ...
At the Flyball Seminar
2008-03-01 04:12:00 I am at the flyball seminar! The puppy and green dog part was pretty good. A lot was basic puppy training that I already am familiar with, but it was good foundation information for new dogs and new green handlers, too. Tatum didn’t do very much because she is being pretty nervous. I pulled ...
Touch n Go Flyball Seminar in Vegas!
2008-02-27 20:47:00 Well, we leave tomorrow! Yay! I am so excited. Chase is too.. it’s been too long since he’s done flyball. Too much snow on the ground around here. And Tatum.. well, she’s going to the Green Dog portion and hopefully she will have fun, too. She may be nervous for a while but ...
In Praise of the Well Trained Flyball Dog
2008-02-22 16:42:00 They are a sight to behold and a joy to handle. Some of them are not the fastest out there but they are amazing in their own right. They are the dogs that can run the flyball race themselves… they only have a handler out there because that’s the rules.They are the dogs that you ...
By: The Flyball Blog
Clicking that Rear End
2008-02-22 16:08:00 In my continuing pursuit of finding a reliable, solid, positive way to clicker train the flyball box, Tatum is being my experimental dog. She is so smart. She is doing great with her mat. I’ve changed the criteria so now she has to lie down on the mat, as I want that to ...
Flyball Seminar Coming Up!
2008-02-22 00:17:00 Woo Hoo I am so excited! I’ve been sleepy today but then I got my confirmation papers (email) for the Touch n Go Flyball Seminar in Last Vegas in.. in only a week! Three days. Well, Friday will be for Tatum, and Saturday and Sunday will be for Chase. Looks like our team, Thunder Paws ...
Organizing a Practice
2008-02-20 05:24:00 A flyball practice can look like total chaos to the uninitiated. The energy level is so high that it rattles some folks… others thrive in it. For me I just love seeing happy dogs using their minds and physicality … being allowed to be rowdy, loud and strong. I love to see all that ...
By: The Flyball Blog
Hooked on Flyball
2008-02-15 21:02:00 How to know when you are hooked on Flyball You call and email friends and family to let them know how your dog did at their first tournament. You are thrilled to get photos from your teammates of your dog in action ...
By: The Flyball Blog
How to Develop a Curious Dog Owner Into a Flyball Playing Teammate
2008-02-14 04:57:00 So they show up with their beloved dog who is “just ball crazy”. If you have had a chance to communicate with them prior then they have a crate and a dog toy, hopefully some water and a leash. The dog is probably 5 Lbs overweight and both are totally overwhelmed with all the barking ...
By: The Flyball Blog
Thunder Paws Flyball!
2008-02-12 00:51:00 Here is a very cute video of our flyball practice. We are the Thunder Paws, in Utah, and we do have a good time.
Recruiting Teammates
2008-02-10 07:19:00 As previously mentioned in this blog the greatest thing and the worst thing about flyball is that it is a team sport. There is no playing flyball unless you have a team. On occasion you can trip through a tournament with a few borrowed handlers and a boxloader, but really to function you need ...
By: The Flyball Blog
Green Dog Seminar!
2008-01-29 02:18:00 Touch n Go, the flyball club in Las Vegas giving the seminar in March, just announced they are also having a Puppy / Green Dog seminar on the Friday before! Yay! I sent in my entry fees and I’m going to bring Tatum. Woo Hoo. I’m excited. Not only will Chase get some ...
I Got In!
2008-01-28 03:20:00 Woo Hoo I got into the flyball seminar! I’m so excited. My flyball caption, of Thunderpaws here in Utah, is also sending off her entry. I hope she gets in, too. If she does we’ll drive down together.. such a saver on gas. And share a hotel room. I wish I could bring Tatum… but I ...
Dreaming of a Flyball Seminar
2008-01-24 23:42:00 So yesterday I got the wind about a flyball seminar that’ll be happening in Las Vegas in March. I quickly got my forms together, wrote my check, and sent it off in the mail. It’s by Touch n Go, one of the best flyball teams in U-FLI in the country. So, I hope to bring ...
Flyball Seminar
2008-01-24 03:32:00 So.. there is a flyball seminar in Las Vegas in March. March 1, 2, 2008. I really want to go. I hear they are only about half full, so I sent my entrance fee for a working slot in today. Hopefully I’ll get one. I hope some of the other members of my club, the Thunder Paws, come too. Instead of going to mover NYC, I’ll be going to Las Vegas.. yet again. Man, that city just calls to me all the dang time. I am going there so very often! But it’ll be fun. I really want to see how I can get a better box turn on Chase. More reliable in competition. And how to maybe speed him up a little bit. His fastest time was 4.7 seconds. And I would love to see him at 4.5 or maybe even below. I believe he is capable of it! He is a very fast boy. It’s the box turn that slows him down, I think. The seminar is being given by Touch n Go. They keep winning the U-FLI nationals, and they have, I believe, the fastest U-FLI team. And man, they are fast. I saw them in the tou...
Flyball Seminar
2008-01-24 03:32:00 So.. there is a flyball seminar in Las Vegas in March. March 1, 2, 2008. I really want to go. I hear they are only about half full, so I sent my entrance fee for a working slot in today. Hopefully I’ll get one. I hope some of the other members ...
What Everybody Ought to Know About Flyball…the Ultimate Dog Sport!
2008-01-18 11:13:00 Euro Puppy is fascinated by Flyball... What is Flyball? Well, Flyball is a relay dog sport in which teams of four dogs run a race against each other from a start to finish line. They have to jump over a line of hurdles, to reach a box. When the dog presses this spring-loaded box-pad, a tennis ball is released and caught by the dog. The dogs then run back over the hurdles once more; to their handlers while carrying the ball. Flyball was invented in California in the 1970s, and mostly took off during the 1980s when the first flyball organization, the North American Flyball Association (NAFA) was created. Their aim was to promote the sport and to design uniform competition rules. A second for-profit organization has emerged in the last few years. They go by the name of United Flyball League International (U-FLI). There may be slight changes in the rules in the US, the UK and New Zealand, where Flyball is very popular. A Flyball course consists of four hurdles placed 10 feet (3 m) apar...
Flyball on the Couch
2008-01-08 02:36:00 Well tonight we did some fun flyball training. As I want to start Tatum off right. I want her to have a super nice box turn. And I want to do drive shaping with her, so she can get high, and still be in control and think, and come down quickly when she needs to. Important for both flyball and agility. And even obedience, really. So I took a break from moving hosts and looking at cables and worked with the dogs a bit. I also want Chase to have a better box turn. So I stuck the tug toy up on the couch and played with Chase, jumping up on the couch, grabbing the toy, and jumping back off to me. Hopefully fast! With him I’ll eventually move this onto the wall, I think he’ll be great at, literally, bouncing off the wall. And Tatum was all wound up at that point, so I got her out too and put Chase away. And she will follow the tug toy with me, and she is even starting to tug! She does have a good amount of prey drive and I’m tapping into that. So she followed the tu...
Splitting Tournament Fees
2007-12-29 19:28:00 What is the best way to split tournament fees? I’ve received several requests for information on this topic. Of the roughly 347+ racing clubs (information taken from NAFA Growth Trends 2006) there are probably that many different methods used to split tournament fees.The clubs that I have raced with have split the fees ...
By: The Flyball Blog
Twist and Turns of the Measuring Debate
2007-12-27 09:57:00 I know the Measuring debate has taken on a few twist and turns after my post, Large Chest Penalty so I would like to take a few minutes to summarize the debate. The post itself wasn’t very long, only two paragraphs, because I wanted the picture to tell the story. If you’ve ...
By: The Flyball Blog
Large Chest Penalty
2007-12-20 14:43:00 I received a photo of a dog with a large chest and short legs that drives home my point on how the wicket penalizes such dogs. The photo below pictures a Labrador/Corgi mix, which weighs 60 pounds and measures 16 inches in NAFA and jumps 12-inch jumps. In U-FLI the same dog would ...
By: The Flyball Blog
Flyball Champions
2007-12-17 23:19:00 The 2007 NAFA Regional Champion winners have been selected and announced but has anything changed from last year or the year before that? The Regional Champions race against other clubs in their region but isn’t the outcome pretty much assured from year to year? The same club is selected year after year and ...
By: The Flyball Blog
That Darn Flyball Box
2007-12-17 00:51:00 Okay I went to have Angel’s and Tatum’s toenails trimmed by our Thunder Paws Flyball Captain, and of course she sent me home with a practice flyball box. It’s sitting in my front room and I haven’t, of course, used it yet. I want to really find out what I’m doing with ...
That Darn Flyball Box
2007-12-17 00:51:00 Okay I went to have Angel’s and Tatum’s toenails trimmed by our Thunder Paws Flyball Captain, and of course she sent me home with a practice flyball box. It’s sitting in my front room and I haven’t, of course, used it yet. I want to really find out what I’m doing with ... |
|
 |
|
 |
