flyball starter

Discussion dedicated to promoting the well-being of your dog through diet, exercise and general health tips.

Moderators: emmabeth, BoardHost

Post Reply
dodger44
Posts: 10
Joined: Tue Jul 22, 2008 10:19 pm

flyball starter

Post by dodger44 »

My dog Dodger has so much energy I can't think of a way to tire him out. Then I saw the topic on Flyball and thought that would be good for him. The only problem is that I'm still in school (8th grade :cry: ), I'm in sports and practice takes up at least an hour and a half of our time together. Also we live in a small town and nobody does that kind of stuff much to my dismay. They don't even do agility!!Anyway I would like some tips on how to train Dodger, he's a 5 year old Golden Retreiver-Labrador-and Border Collie, very smart, and willing to please people.
dodger44
Posts: 10
Joined: Tue Jul 22, 2008 10:19 pm

Post by dodger44 »

so nobody has any tips? oh well probably wouldn't have time for it anyway, but i would still like to try because i'm getting tired of playing fetch every single day.
ckranz
Posts: 1028
Joined: Thu Sep 11, 2008 12:18 pm
Location: San Diego CA

Post by ckranz »

Without knowing where you are located its difficult to provide you any resource refrences for flyball teams in your area and training locations. The same would be true for agility.

One thing you can do is look up breed clubs in your area. They should have a lot of information about canine sports activities in your area.
dodger44
Posts: 10
Joined: Tue Jul 22, 2008 10:19 pm

Post by dodger44 »

I live in the united states in roundup, montana. It's a small little town in the middle of no where, the nearest city is 50 miles away. Thank you for replying, I appreciate it. :)
ckranz
Posts: 1028
Joined: Thu Sep 11, 2008 12:18 pm
Location: San Diego CA

Post by ckranz »

Hi Dodger,


No problem. The largest flyball association is NAFA (North American Flyball Association. Unfortunately there are no teams registered in Montana. Their website suggests contacting their regional director.

i-flyball also does not have any teams or clubs listed in your area.

The best option I can think of for now would be to find some books on training flyball and of course getting the equipment (or building it) and creating your own team.
dobiemuse
Posts: 59
Joined: Fri Sep 26, 2008 1:14 pm
Location: CO, USA

Post by dobiemuse »

I feel for you. I have a pup that I think would love flyball, but the nearest club is at least 2 hours away and with gas prices they way they are...

Anyway... you can find plans online, but to buy the equipment... it is very expensive. I've looked.

Just do a search for flyball equipment and you should be able to find free plans.

If you make one, let me know how it works! :)
dodger44
Posts: 10
Joined: Tue Jul 22, 2008 10:19 pm

Post by dodger44 »

thanks guys!! I think I'll just build my own equipment because all of it is so expesive. I think I've found someone in my area that does this stuff. She shows her dogs and has some agility stuff in her yard, so I'm sure I can talk her into flyball. I'm so excited!!! :D
ckranz
Posts: 1028
Joined: Thu Sep 11, 2008 12:18 pm
Location: San Diego CA

Post by ckranz »

Best of luck to you and have fun. ALways remember no matter which sport you participate in the goal is having as much fun with your pet as possible.
dodger44
Posts: 10
Joined: Tue Jul 22, 2008 10:19 pm

Post by dodger44 »

Ya I made a little course out of our kitchen chairs and pieces of wood. Dodger loved it!! I'm going to contact that girl I was talking about and see if she would be interested in making a group. I think she would enjoy it. Thanks so much for giving me advice!!! :wink:
herdingdogs
Posts: 2
Joined: Thu Jul 03, 2008 7:07 am
Location: Maryland, USA
Contact:

Flyball

Post by herdingdogs »

I'm sorry I don't get on this list very often and am just now seeing your post. You've gotten some excellent suggestions here.

I do highly recommend finding a club that teaches flyball. There's a lot that goes into proper flyball training these days.

Good links for information:
http://nafadb.flyball.org/public.shtml
http://www.i-flyball.com/default.asp
http://www.flyballdogs.com/ (this site also has links to training; there are several books out there and I highly recommend the videos put out by the team Spring Loaded)

Flyball boxes are quite expensive, but if you are able there are plans out there to make your own. The jumps are a little easier to make.

Things to work on initially:
- a good solid recall (you can use food or toys--many people use a tug toy--as a reward)
- ball retrieve
- jumps (start with one and work up to 4)
- preliminary box work to teach a swimmer's turn on the box (we use a flat matted board laid on the ground at first and then slowly start to angle it til you reach the angle of the box. Then we switch to the box).

Good luck. Flyball is fun. And as it's been said traning should be safe and fun for you and your dog.
Linda
Tab (PWC)
Sage, Remmy, Blade (Australian Shepherds)
Post Reply