ANY dog can play flyball. However, not every dog will. There are a few things to consider if you plan to join a flyball team. One of them is the response you get from your dog when you introduce certain elements of the game. Does your dog like tennis balls? A dog that goes nuts when he sees a tennis ball can be a great candidate for flyball training. Does your dog like to chase you when you play with him? The desire to race is called "prey drive" and a dog that is crazy to fetch a tennis ball or to chase and catch you is a dog with the natural talent for flyball. These are the kinds of dogs that flyball teams want to train for flyball.
Another consideration is the size of the dog. A person who has a small dog with prey drive is in high demand by flyball teams because of size. This is because the flyball course consists of a series of jumps that must be jumped by the dogs. Miss a jump and the dog must re-run the course. Jump heights are based on the height of the smallest dog on the team. So, a team that has a small dog on the team has lower jumps, making it easier for of all dogs in the team.
Another factor is the speed of the dog. Flyball is a race and the team that finishes first is the winner. If you have a small dog in the team so that the jumps are low, that helps most dogs.
Flyball Dogs should be intelligent and curious. Fast learners are the dogs most likely to succeed. Dogs who are naturally very lazy and relaxed, can learn flyball but, may not do as well. If you plan to play flyball, it might be better to play with a ball or try to get your dog to chase you and see if they can learn and is eager to learn. If you sign up for flyball classes, you can always borrow a flyball box and see if you can teach your dog the box and if it is reasonable to do so. The best dogs are dogs that love to catch the ball out of the box for fun.
Flyball is very competitive, sometimes very hard but, great fun. There are other dogs, most of them barking wildly and enthusiastically. Racing is often very close to the other teams in the competition. Teams are running at the same time, against each other and parallel to each other. The Flyball candidate must ignore the other dogs and stay motivated to maintain focus on running the race and returning to its handler.
Flyball teams usually practice at least once a week and often when there is a competition to prepare for. A flyball competitor must have the time available to engage in this activity. His fellow team members rely on his presence. A person who is unable to engage in this activity should not become a competitor.
If you and your dog can meet most of the foregoing, it is probably a safe bet that both of you will be welcome additions to any flyball team.
...chris
Showing posts with label general. Show all posts
Showing posts with label general. Show all posts
Monday, July 25, 2011
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
12 Principles of Team Organization
The Twelve Principles for Successful Team Organization
Ethics
We all know what the "right, honest ethical choice" is in almost every situation. Problem is, there are plenty of people out there who can rationalize making a choice that doesn't necessarily fit the description of "right" or "honest" or "ethical". Primary among these "rationalizations" is the desire to win. Does winning trump the reward for making the right choice? Is winning more important than honesty? What role does ethics play in team dynamics, especially in the sport of flyball?
There is a principle that I live by and that is my "self-respect" is the most important thing I value in life. I am with "myself'" 100% of the time and if I make a choice that does not respect my own sense of what I consider "right" ....does not respect the "whole truth" and therefore represents some portion of "dishonest" ....or compromises in any way my personal ethical standards, then I disrespect myself. And, if I disrespect myself, I cannot expect to receive respect from anybody else. Its that simple.
I've heard any number of arguments that you cannot dictate to others your personal values and beliefs. I believe that to be true. But, that means no one can force me to make a "choice" that is outside of my personal boundaries. I may be pressured and encouraged to abandon those behavioral standards but, it is still a choice that I, alone "own". If I make a "wrong" choice, it still belongs to me.
So, what am I getting at? What do ethics have to do with flyball? Well, flyball is a team sport which means you have to ellicit the cooperation of others in tandem with your own efforts in order to gain any success. For that, it helps to gain the full "trust" of others. When you are a person whose word is trusted, its much easier to gain the full cooperation of others. You are also much more likely to attract the attention of people whose values and standards match your own. In this sense, the cliche holds true: "Birds of a feather, flock together". Like kind seeks out others of "like kind".
Flyball is NOT just about the dogs. It is about people. There is no one closer to you in "flyball" than your teammates and the very first principle that will make or break a team is what kind of ethics are held and practiced by its leadership. So, if you are looking for a team to join, find out what kind of ethical sense is practiced by the team owner or team captain. If you have decided to organize your own team because you cannot find a team that is compatible with your ethics, then I wish you luck! Make sure that as you make it known that you are forming your own team and that you demonstrate and communicate what kind of ethical standards you have and you expect others to have.
People don't like guessing. They want to know where you stand. Consistency will attract people and keep them loyal to you. Very few people actually live their lives over "winning and losing" and if they do, do you need them anyway? Wouldn't you rather build a team that has a reputation for honesty both in their training practices and tournament competition? You can lose as much as you win but, win or lose, there is no substitute for choosing the right, honest and ethical thing.
Good Luck and Good Racing!
............Chris
Ethics
Always make the right, honest ethical choice and encourage others to do the same.
We all know what the "right, honest ethical choice" is in almost every situation. Problem is, there are plenty of people out there who can rationalize making a choice that doesn't necessarily fit the description of "right" or "honest" or "ethical". Primary among these "rationalizations" is the desire to win. Does winning trump the reward for making the right choice? Is winning more important than honesty? What role does ethics play in team dynamics, especially in the sport of flyball?
There is a principle that I live by and that is my "self-respect" is the most important thing I value in life. I am with "myself'" 100% of the time and if I make a choice that does not respect my own sense of what I consider "right" ....does not respect the "whole truth" and therefore represents some portion of "dishonest" ....or compromises in any way my personal ethical standards, then I disrespect myself. And, if I disrespect myself, I cannot expect to receive respect from anybody else. Its that simple.
I've heard any number of arguments that you cannot dictate to others your personal values and beliefs. I believe that to be true. But, that means no one can force me to make a "choice" that is outside of my personal boundaries. I may be pressured and encouraged to abandon those behavioral standards but, it is still a choice that I, alone "own". If I make a "wrong" choice, it still belongs to me.
So, what am I getting at? What do ethics have to do with flyball? Well, flyball is a team sport which means you have to ellicit the cooperation of others in tandem with your own efforts in order to gain any success. For that, it helps to gain the full "trust" of others. When you are a person whose word is trusted, its much easier to gain the full cooperation of others. You are also much more likely to attract the attention of people whose values and standards match your own. In this sense, the cliche holds true: "Birds of a feather, flock together". Like kind seeks out others of "like kind".
Flyball is NOT just about the dogs. It is about people. There is no one closer to you in "flyball" than your teammates and the very first principle that will make or break a team is what kind of ethics are held and practiced by its leadership. So, if you are looking for a team to join, find out what kind of ethical sense is practiced by the team owner or team captain. If you have decided to organize your own team because you cannot find a team that is compatible with your ethics, then I wish you luck! Make sure that as you make it known that you are forming your own team and that you demonstrate and communicate what kind of ethical standards you have and you expect others to have.
People don't like guessing. They want to know where you stand. Consistency will attract people and keep them loyal to you. Very few people actually live their lives over "winning and losing" and if they do, do you need them anyway? Wouldn't you rather build a team that has a reputation for honesty both in their training practices and tournament competition? You can lose as much as you win but, win or lose, there is no substitute for choosing the right, honest and ethical thing.
Good Luck and Good Racing!
............Chris
Friday, February 15, 2008
Web Resources for Flyball Info...
"I want to know more about flyball! Where can I get help?"
This question is on the mind of so many flyballers both new and long time experienced. We devour information like the old-style video game "Pac-Man". I wrote an earlier article about online web resources for flyball. Now, I'd like to update that information and add some new resources.
The first place I would advise new people to begin to research is the North American Flyball Association. NAFA has governed the sport of flyball since its inception in 1984 and it's website at www.flyball.org is filled with all kinds of information from statistics on dogs and teams to a current list of tournament dates and locations. They even have a team locater to help new people find help locally. Another flyball sanctioning organization on the North American continent is the United Flyball League International, which was organized in 2005.
Team or Club Blogs
Just as there are blogs written and maintained by individuals, there are flyball blogs owned by flyball clubs (or teams). It helps to read these because quite often their focus is on training the flyball dog. Every dog is different and I firmly believe that every successful "individual" flyball dog has an entire team behind them.
Northern Borders Flyball Team focuses on aspects of the team itself. It provides the history of the team, location, club roster, dog health & safety, dog treat recipes and many more topics.
Phoenix Flyball is, as it's name implies, about the Phoenix Flyball team. There aren't many posts here but, I like the pictures. It helps to see a lot of flyball pics because, they can tell you how well your dog is learning compared to other trained flyball dogs.
The Cascade Comets are a team in another corner of the United States, known as Washington state. They state clearly in their blog's header that the purpose of their blog is to provide a history of their training techniques and team events. They have good writers posting for them and there is a lot of good information here. Unorthodogs is another team that hails from the Seattle, WA area that is graced by YouTube videos as well as good writing. It is well worth it to check out their arechives!
Leading Edge Flyball is a bilingual blog. The team itself is located near French speaking Quebec province and they blog in both French and English. We wish them well in their efforts to expand flyball to the French speaking Canadians!
Sure Shots Flyball Blog is a hard hitting no-nonsense blog utilizing aggressive techniques. In the archives, "aggressive" training is training that continues while all the distractions of real flyball are taking place. They don't coddle their flyball prospects. They introduce new ideas to their flyball students while action is taking place in the other lane. If you are looking for ways to get the most out of your flyball dog, this is the blog to check out!
MORE Flyball Info...
...is located in the right side column of this blog. There are links to both flyball sites, dog to dog sites, and general interest sites for dog lovers. There are even a few sites located overseas in the United Kingdom. Which goes to show you that, wherever you are in the world, you will find people who love dogs....and, who love people who love dogs! When you can find them, you can usually interest them in flyball.
Until next time,
Good Luck and Good Racing!
This question is on the mind of so many flyballers both new and long time experienced. We devour information like the old-style video game "Pac-Man". I wrote an earlier article about online web resources for flyball. Now, I'd like to update that information and add some new resources.
The first place I would advise new people to begin to research is the North American Flyball Association. NAFA has governed the sport of flyball since its inception in 1984 and it's website at www.flyball.org is filled with all kinds of information from statistics on dogs and teams to a current list of tournament dates and locations. They even have a team locater to help new people find help locally. Another flyball sanctioning organization on the North American continent is the United Flyball League International, which was organized in 2005.
Team or Club Blogs
Just as there are blogs written and maintained by individuals, there are flyball blogs owned by flyball clubs (or teams). It helps to read these because quite often their focus is on training the flyball dog. Every dog is different and I firmly believe that every successful "individual" flyball dog has an entire team behind them.
Northern Borders Flyball Team focuses on aspects of the team itself. It provides the history of the team, location, club roster, dog health & safety, dog treat recipes and many more topics.
Phoenix Flyball is, as it's name implies, about the Phoenix Flyball team. There aren't many posts here but, I like the pictures. It helps to see a lot of flyball pics because, they can tell you how well your dog is learning compared to other trained flyball dogs.
The Cascade Comets are a team in another corner of the United States, known as Washington state. They state clearly in their blog's header that the purpose of their blog is to provide a history of their training techniques and team events. They have good writers posting for them and there is a lot of good information here. Unorthodogs is another team that hails from the Seattle, WA area that is graced by YouTube videos as well as good writing. It is well worth it to check out their arechives!
Leading Edge Flyball is a bilingual blog. The team itself is located near French speaking Quebec province and they blog in both French and English. We wish them well in their efforts to expand flyball to the French speaking Canadians!
Sure Shots Flyball Blog is a hard hitting no-nonsense blog utilizing aggressive techniques. In the archives, "aggressive" training is training that continues while all the distractions of real flyball are taking place. They don't coddle their flyball prospects. They introduce new ideas to their flyball students while action is taking place in the other lane. If you are looking for ways to get the most out of your flyball dog, this is the blog to check out!
MORE Flyball Info...
...is located in the right side column of this blog. There are links to both flyball sites, dog to dog sites, and general interest sites for dog lovers. There are even a few sites located overseas in the United Kingdom. Which goes to show you that, wherever you are in the world, you will find people who love dogs....and, who love people who love dogs! When you can find them, you can usually interest them in flyball.
Until next time,
Good Luck and Good Racing!
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