Flyball

[Sherlock]

Hello! I started Sherlock on flyball a month ago, and he's loving it 
I just wondered if there were any other flyball cockers on the forum? We're about to start our next 4 week course, with an aim to compete assuming he carries on with such keen-ness! Anyone else starting out or competing? 

[Bluebell]

Just starting out, only had a couple of lessons so far, but great fun 

[supergirl]

Misha & Roly have been competing for a couple of years and Ellie just for the last year and they all love it, we're all members of DogStar Flyball.  All of them have competed at the Flyball Championships too.

Misha is my little star and went straight into open competition just after a few months of training, Roly took a little longer and Ellie took well over a year to get into open competition (however she had a few issues with other dogs so we had to overcome that), but now Ellie is the fastest of my dogs.

There are a few others that I know from COL members that have dogs that also compete, Bobby and Tango 

[Sherlock]

Misha & Roly have been competing for a couple of years and Ellie just for the last year and they all love it, we're all members of DogStar Flyball.  All of them have competed at the Flyball Championships too.

Misha is my little star and went straight into open competition just after a few months of training, Roly took a little longer and Ellie took well over a year to get into open competition (however she had a few issues with other dogs so we had to overcome that), but now Ellie is the fastest of my dogs.

There are a few others that I know from COL members that have dogs that also compete, Bobby and Tango 

Thanks Supergirl! I've just checked out the excellent Dogstar website - I think I spotted Misha or Roly on some of the photos, with ears flying gloriously!

We tried Sherlock on a proper flyball box last week (rather than just a velcro one) - he was great at triggering it although couldn't quite catch it. I'm sure he'll pick that up quickly though, now he knows what to expect! The trainer told me that the week after next she's got two new cockers starting, and a springer, so she's already planning a complete spaniel team!

That's really interesting that Ellie is now the fastest, even though she took the longest to get there. I think Sherlock's picking it up very fast, but I can see we might have problems with his focus in competitions - he is quite easily distracted.  My OH drives us to the training field, but he has to sit in the car, 'cause Sherlock won't focus on me and the flyball if he spots his daddy!  I hope that's something we can sort out.

[supergirl]

Thanks Supergirl! I've just checked out the excellent Dogstar website - I think I spotted Misha or Roly on some of the photos, with ears flying gloriously!

We tried Sherlock on a proper flyball box last week (rather than just a velcro one) - he was great at triggering it although couldn't quite catch it. I'm sure he'll pick that up quickly though, now he knows what to expect! The trainer told me that the week after next she's got two new cockers starting, and a springer, so she's already planning a complete spaniel team!

That's really interesting that Ellie is now the fastest, even though she took the longest to get there. I think Sherlock's picking it up very fast, but I can see we might have problems with his focus in competitions - he is quite easily distracted.  My OH drives us to the training field, but he has to sit in the car, 'cause Sherlock won't focus on me and the flyball if he spots his daddy!  I hope that's something we can sort out.

Practice makes perfect as far as catching the ball goes - at the beginning there's so much for them to coordinate along with all the different stimulus around them. Some tournaments run starter competitions which give dogs the opportunity to get used the sights and sounds around them as well as running as a team.  The lanes are fenced in so that they can't go wrong. 

I have to admit that at one point I almost gave up with Ellie, but we had a break for a good 6 months and then came back to it and suddenly it all seemed to click for her.  Roly should be the fastest really and while he runs perfectly he doesn't see the need for speed when bringing the ball back

Will look forward to seeing Sherlock soon - if you're interested in going to watch any competitions that might be close to you its worth having a look on the BFA diary, competitions are held quite regularly.

http://www.flyball.org.uk/official/diary.php

[tangy tango]

Glad you are enjoying your flyball training!  We have been competing at flyball for 3 years now, although our cocker is the only one who doesn't compete    He enjoys himself at training but finds being in the ring a bit scary!

One of my dogs was horrendous for being distracted by other dogs and it took me nearly a year to train him but now he is really reliable and completely focused.  I think the reward was key for him, he loves his tuggie! 

Which team are you training with?

[Sherlock]

Glad you are enjoying your flyball training!  We have been competing at flyball for 3 years now, although our cocker is the only one who doesn't compete    He enjoys himself at training but finds being in the ring a bit scary!

One of my dogs was horrendous for being distracted by other dogs and it took me nearly a year to train him but now he is really reliable and completely focused.  I think the reward was key for him, he loves his tuggie! 

Which team are you training with?

We're with Seaford's Fantastic 4. How about you?

Yep, finding a reliable reward for Sherlock is proving a problem for us! At first he was fine just to run back to me calling him, then he started just running off after his run, so I got him back to his tuggy, then that lost his interest and the trainer got one of those big floppy bucket things and filled it with tennis balls, and he's been running back well to that. Last time though I could see him start to get distracted, so I'm not sure how long the bucket will work. Luckily the trainer seems to have a lot of tricks up her sleeve, so I'm just going to wait and see what she suggests next!

I have no idea how Sherlock will react if we go to a competition. Like with your cocker, the excitement and noise might just prove too much for him! But if he doesn't compete we can still have fun practising!

[Ninasmum]

Just starting out, only had a couple of lessons so far, but great fun 

same here 
I take our youngest girl Georgia & she absolutely loves it    tbh probably a bit too much though    esp. when she gets so over the top excited & starts screaming    I would love to get her to competition stage but its too early days to know if we will make it. 
Bluebell's girl Lillie is so much more calmer & faster too 

[Sherlock]

Training's not on this week cos they're going to a competition, but when we start again next Saturday the trainer's told me she's expecting 2 more cockers to begin, and a springer! So she said if they're fast learners like Sherlock, she's hoping to have a whole spaniel team later this year! 

[Ninasmum]

Training's not on this week cos they're going to a competition, but when we start again next Saturday the trainer's told me she's expecting 2 more cockers to begin, and a springer! So she said if they're fast learners like Sherlock, she's hoping to have a whole spaniel team later this year! 

Thats sounds just perfect 

[tangy tango]

We are part of the Geordie Racers, which gives you an idea of our location 

I am quite involved with the training at our club and I love working with the new dogs, seeing them progress a little each week. We find most dogs get there in the end but they all learn at different speeds. Sometimes it just seems to click!

We have 6 spaniels in our club and 3 spaniel crosses, not all competing yet but maybe a team might be possible in the future!