Saturday Flyball Practice

Weasel did it! She ran heats with the team as the third dog in flyball practice this week, and successfully passed both ways each time. She didn't run out to play with the puppies or go herd the soccer ball. She left the boxloader unlicked. She was a very good girl. There is a little distraction going on. I am having to physically push her head back because she keeps looking back over her shoulder at her idol dog when I am lining her up to run. Also, she is a little too interested in another dog's tug, so I need to get a hold of her quicker after she runs. I wouldn't know what to do with a perfect dog, though.

Spoiled one also did well running with his enemy dog. The enemy dog growled at my Spoiled One, and insulted his ancestry while they were lined up, waiting to run, and growled at him as my dog passed him. (The enemy dog runs last, my Spoiled One second to last, so they pass each other.) So far, I am able to keep Spoiled One's mischevious focus on the ball and not the enemy dog. The other dog definately focuses attention on my dog, though, and not in a good way, and my dog notices him. I would prefer they didn't run one right after the other. If my dog didn't bark and carry on so much as we are lining up to run, I suspect the issue would go away. All the noise he makes draws attention from the other dog.

Ball Shagger Design and Saturday Practice

Yep, a new design for my shop. This one is in honor of all those brave ball shaggers. It gets scary in the run back area sometimes - all the flying dogs and screaming handlers and tennis balls everywhere!

Anyway, practice went well. The Spoiled One again successfully let another dog pass him. This time it was a border collie, the same one he had bullied into leaping a line judge at a recent tournament. (Yeah, it's funny. . .now. Pain in the neck dog.)

My Weasel did not do as well. I experimented with running her while using the team member she especially loves as boxloader. Alas, it was too much for her. Overcome with joy, she ran randomly about the field, so I caught her and stuffed the little ditz back in her crate. One of the newbie people had been playing with her dog when Weasel ran off in that direction, and felt bad that she had distracted her, but, honestly, Weasel needs those kinds of distractions. Besides, I suspect her beloved one boxloading for her was the more overwhelming factor. Silly dog.

Anyway, I'll give Weasel another chance shot next week.