Practice, Practice

Another day of flyball practice in the beautiful back yard of one of my teamates. The dogs did reasonably well, but there weren't many people there, it was hot, and, well, we kinda screwed around a lot.

The dog's didn't mind. There was a chuck-it involved.

What I like about that picture is that all of the other dogs are just blurry swirls, but Spoiled One is clearly riveted by the tennis ball with a demon glint in his eye. It kind of sums up my monster perfectly - well if you could add sound. Got to have the barking. Anyway, that is all for this post. I will try to take better pictures, but, like, my camera has been a doggie chew toy, been dropped on the tile floor several times, and other adventures, so no guarantees.

Http://www.weaselpuppy.com

Boxturn Progress - Slowly

Z-dog did better boxwork at practice. I don't know how his boxturns during runs were, though. There were issues, a collision, a spooked dog, someone sitting right beside the box with their dog on a loose leash. However, his boxwork seems to be getting better and better. Maybe I'll get a real turn on a run out of him eventually.

Or not.

We're working it, though.

We had the timer set up and Weasel ran a 4.1 something! Multiple times! I would like her to break 4.0, but I am very excited. The fastest she's been clocked in a tournament was 4.2 something. She's getting faster.

I don't know if I am becomming a prima dona type in practice. It just drives me buggy when people let their dogs interfere with other dogs while they are working, or don't keep track of their dogs, or park themselves in the way with their green dogs so that they can watch. I don't object to people watching - I watch all the time trying to learn stuff, but, for the love of God, crate your dog first! Especially if it's a green dog. You aren't teaching it a good thing by letting it zero in on dogs running past it over and over, and it's a bad distraction to the dogs hitting the box to have a strange dog a foot away zeroing in on them like a pirahna and lunging at them. Also, if the dog is green, all the handler is teaching the dog is to completely ignore them and go crazy trying to chase whenever a dog is running. I think people believe I make an issue of it because I'm afraid Z-dog will eat the other dog. He won't. He's never eaten anyone, even if they deserved it. But, he will come screeching to a stop to check it out, or he will veer off to avoid the dog, or just totally boff his box turn I am working so hard on.

Of course, I do all this rant, but my Z-dog loves to make mischief, and Weasel is a carpet bombing raid of affection who is always assaulting people with her devotion, well, one person especially. That person has been quite patient and forgiving of the various bruises and pee showers. Maybe I am being a bit of a (not nice word) but I would really like people to be more aware of these things.

New People at Flyball

It's always difficult to organize practices efficiently when we have new people coming out for the first time. There is paperwork, and explanations, and we have to run the full team first thing so that they can see what it is that we're working at. But, still, I am glad whenever we have new people, because we need more live bodies and dogs. Plus, it's fun to see people stretching out of there comfort zone to explore something new. For example, you see middle-aged people with their chunky, untrained dogs and its fun to see their relationship with the dog and understanding of it blossom and grow as they work on training.

Today, there were deaf people who came out. None of the team knows sign language and only one of the deaf people lip read. It meant that conversations were mostly wave, smile, shrug. If they decide to continue coming to practice, I think we'll get more fluent in gesture and shrug, and email for the more detailed stuff. Some of the signing two of them were using looked like ASL, so maybe I will try to l google or look up some kind of chart for some of the words we might need to use that are hard to say or too abstract for point and nod.

There was a very enthusiastic little Jack Russell. We so need a height dog. He seemed very nice and tolerated well being held by a complete stranger for restrained recalls. There were two border collies that were terribly pretty and they were typical enthusiastic all over the place border collies. There was a chow cross whose owners indicated she may have some over-protective issues, but she seemed okay when we had them take her over the jumps on leash with the other dogs. The retriever is a nice, freindly dog who seemed to want to play with the other dogs, but she needs to loose weight.

Weasel was sloppy with her box turns, and the first set of runs, she didn't have the prop. I hope the bouncing off the wall is having a good effect, but I couldn't see. Z dog practiced a bit of passing, and he seemed to do okay, but the other dog was intimidated and slowed way down coming back when she was passing into him. For some reason, he was exploring crossing over when we were doing box work, but I believe that's because of the prop we use. It's the hinged jump we were arranging in a v in front of the box, and now I've moved to using just one side as a more standard jump, but I believe he feels he's supposed to jump over that second side and that aims him right at the other box.

One more practice until the tournament. Hope it goes well!

Saturday Flyball Practice

We had a good practice, I think. Not a lot of downtime. Weasel seems to be responding well to the flying squirrel frisbee/tug. Z-dog didn't inspire any swerving out of the lane or other reactions in dogs passing him. No injuries were reported, unlike last week, but, then, everyone was wearing gloves and there were no children around.

Weasel's box turn is still very iffy, though, and I was a bad dog handler and forgot to insist on the jump in front. I will do box work with her this week. Also, I was soliciting suggestions to speed her up and the suggestion was made that I bounce her off the wall, so I will do that a bit. If anyone has any ideas, feel free to chime in. I believe the weakness is her inconsistant boxturn. Also, I believe I need to be more consistent in my "rrrreaaaady, rrrreeeeaaady, RRREADY? GO!" cueing. She was jumping out of my hold and taking off early, rather than digging in and getting a good start.

This weekend I should work on the designs for the team shirts. I want to get them ready in time to order for the Texas tournament. Also, maybe I should have some unofficial flyball award keychains and car window decals made up to take down there.

oowie oowie

Weasel missed the tug and got my hand at practice today. Hurts. I enjoyed a few hypochondriac moments wondering if it were broken, but all the fingers still work. Stiff, swollen and changing colors, though. Kind of interesting to watch.

The good part about it was that she was going for the tug. I think I am making real progress with her. I'm working her going straight back from the box now, instead of over-rotating her, and it seems to be going well. Spoiled One was going all the way over the prop sometimes. He didn't pull the "miss the first jump" thing he was doing at previous practices, either. He is tending to jump over the jump to the box, then bound off the box wide, instead of heading back down the lane. I was starting to make some progress by screaming for him just before he hit the box, while standing on the opposite side of which he turns toward. He was tiring, though, by the time I discovered that.

On the whine and grumble list: We ran a line up first thing, and the dogs were bobbling because they weren't used to the prop, so they took it out :( How will they get used to the prop if it isn't there? How will the dogs progress if they aren't challenged? Frustrating. Alas, the world doesn't revolve around me and my opinions. However, I did get boxtraining sessions in with both of them with the prop on their own. And, I've bought some gutter which I am going to use during the week with the practice box.

I'd really like it if we could somehow do a skill training/boxwork session midweek. I'd be willing to plan it if I could be sure of at least one other person showing up and if I knew of an indoor place with lighting where we could work. There are no lights in the field, and by the time I get off of work, it's dark. I live in a residential area, so I can't just set something up in the garage and do it due to the barking. grumble.

Anyway, nothing earth shattering. Pretty typical practice.

A Small Saturday Practice

Well, it snowed and nearly everyone bailed out of practice. It is the holidays, though, so it's only the truly sick who come out to shiver in the cold with their dogs. I was there, of course. I thought it would be a time to let the dogs romp in the fenced practice field all by their lonesomes (kinda hard to do boxwork without a boxloader) but, shockingly, someone else showed!

We did boxwork. Both Weasel and Spoiled One did well at going for the tug, and Spoiled One aka Smash and Grab was actually hitting the box with all his tootsies. Of course, he was only doing it when the prop was there, but instead of having to use the elaborate V in front, it was just a jump! However, he was going way to wide. In retrospect, I believe it's because we were using the V prop, but opened at a right angle, with one side parallel to the box in front of it, like a jump, and the other half folded back alongside the box. I believe he thought he still needed to jump both sides, which explains why he was hitting the box with his back feet and why he was going wide. I still think I can figure out a way to use this, though.

Weasel's box turn was beautiful, of course. We experimented with me boxloading and the other person running her and she did fine, no hesitation. The only problem was she occassionally spaced actually getting the ball. That was easy to remedy by having the handler remind her about it before releasing her. I was bad, however, and gave them the honking pheasent, rather than the tug, because I had no faith that she would continue to respond to the tug. The handler, though, was getting her to tug a bit on the honking pheasent. Again, possibilities are there.

Sky, the other dog has issues with not paying any attention whatsoever to the ball, and being highly distractable and inclined to play keepaway rather than flyball. He was, with a lot of encouragement, actually watching the ball and picking it up. Granted, it involved tapping on the box, chanting "ball ball ball ball ball" and such, but it was an improvement. The small practice with few distractions was very good for him. He also did some nice recalls, back and forth over the jumps, between me and his handler.

So, all in all, a good practice. I will be glad when it gets lighter sooner and we will be able to have more of these small, highly focused, practices.

WOW! The tournament seems to fired Weasel up!

Wow! The tournament last weekend seems to have lit a fire under my Weasel. She did very well at practice. No screwing around. No lollygagging. She just wanted to line up and go, like a wind-up toy. It was cool! Hope it lasts. . .



Of course, the idol dog wasn't there. She's with her owner up in California playing with puppies. Things may change when she gets back.



I'm going to have to do more box turn work. Weasel's slipping a bit, but I think she's "got it," and now thinks of flyball as her job, which is great.



My Spoiled One was a good boy at practice. He jumped the jumps and did the deed. I doubt he'll every be 100% reliable, but he's loved.



I saw a little Jack Russel/Rat Terrier at Pet something (Animal Humane Society has a station there and they bring out a few cats and a dog every weekend to try to adopt them out. He was a nice little dog - responsive, friendly, non-viscious. It looked like he had good structure for jumping, nice angulation, leggy, athletic. I wanted to bring him home so we could have a height dog, but I am trying to convince myself that I have my hands full with Weasel and Spoiled One. Sigh. I never want to get a dog just for flyball. What if it poops out? What if it gets injured and can't run? What if it's scared of tennis balls? But, it was a cute little dog. And nice. And his excessive energy would be treasured, not a problem. It could be a very good match. A little height dog would make competing in NAFA much easier on the dogs. He's a year and a month, so he's the perfect age to start. . . (shut up evil tempting voices)



Anyway, the picture above is a design from my cafe press store. The design features my mother's little scottie dog, who she rescued from the SPCA in California. He went through such a dramatic change, going from a droopy, stinky ball of hair to a perky little general with a scottie skip to his step. It was neat.

Border Collie Exercise Ball

Wow!

I've discovered a new border collie exercise device at flyball practice today!

We've been "cast out" from our practice area for a month, and so now practices are a bit nomadic. This weekend, it was at a local dog park. The park has a grassy, tree-y, heavily used main section and a smaller, fenced off area with wood chips that no one uses. So, we were practicing there.

My car was full of flyball stuff, and I couldn't really put the big ole' metal crates in there. I had these little cheapo fabric pop up ones that I thought I would use, or just tie the dogs to the fence. There was no shade, so I popped Weasel into one of the fabric crates while we were getting set up.

There was so much junk to haul. Water. Dog toys. Dogs. Flyball Boxes. Hurdles. Gates. Tape measurers. Lots and lots of junk. All down a hill from the parking lot to the park.

People and dogs arrived. Flyball lanes were set up. One of the handlers started doing box work.

"Rrrready - hit it - good dog"

And Weasel's crate tumbled over.

"Oh," I said, and started walking over to reassure her. But then it tumbled again, and again and again, end over end, in a very specific direction.

Now, Weasel is a border collie. Weasel is crazy. Weasel is exhuberant. Weasel is many things, but most importantly, Weasel is a flyball dog and Weasel isn't stupid. The first tumble may have been an accident, but that crate rapidly rolling toward the flyball lanes like an exercise ball for a hamster had a mission. Weasel had figured out how to get where she wanted to be.

I was laughing so hard I couldn't move, so someone else caught the crate and let the dog out, and I tied her to the fence.

Crazy dog.