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Comment
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Mary
Oct 15, 04 - 2:10 AM |
Collies in Flyball
I have just completed a 7-week training class in Flyball with my 6-year-old collie. She did not like it and didn't even manage to retrieve the ball from the box.
Has any of you ever tried Flyball with your collies, and if so, were you successful?
The teacher told me that my dog was overwhelmed by this and did not like all the noise. She is a therapy dog and has had lots of obedience training, but she did not do well in Flyball.
I would appreciate hearing from any of you who has tried Flyball. My collie is extremely sensitive and perhaps this had something to do with this.
Thanks.
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Jean Tuck
Nov 11th, 2004 - 10:59 PM |
Re: Collies in Flyball
Hi,
We tried flyball at an RSCTA training day. My Smooth (Ross) could hardly concentrate on the flyball for looking over his shoulder to watch the agility (which he loves)!
However, once he had to face the flyball he hated it because of the noise the machine made when it released the ball. So, even though he loves balls, that was that. I have to say that, having watched flyball competitions at agility shows, he'd hate those too - as they have so very much barking (much worse than for normal agility).
There was a Smooth in the Scottish flyball team at Crufts a while back. But I haven't seen it again. nor at agility shows either (which we did see it at one stage). It must have been quite good at flyball to make their team. However, on the TV feature of Crufts, it ran behind the machine to take the ball off the release without it having to make that noise - much brighter than the border collies there then.
Good luck. Jean
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Kristine
Nov 15th, 2006 - 12:03 AM |
Re: Collies in Flyball
I have my Collie puppy in flyball and I have done very well with her. She is doing an excellent 'swimmer's turn' on the box.
However, at first she was very intimidated by the box. Our club was nice enough to let us take the spare box home and she was fed her breakfast on top of it for a week. So she had to stand on the kick-plate and eat her food off the top.
That, and we also started REALLY slow! If you do not arm a flyball box, it does not make the sound. We train our dogs (I also have a flyball Sheltie) completely without arming the spring loaded box. The dogs learn to touch, to turn (back feet to push off), and to get the ball (we place the ball on the ledge below where the balls shoot out) before we EVER try to get them to handle things shooting at them. I use treats to lure them for every step of the way (with a clicker if I need it). It can take up to 1 year or more of consistent practice before a dog is ready to go to a competition. Many dogs are not retrieving the ball for MONTHS! But that is only one step in the whole game.
This slow approach appears to have paid off.
My collie and a few friends are looking at starting a Collie's only flyball team (we know of three Collies in the area that all do flyball) - with a sheltie as the 'height' dog
So it IS possible, you just have to take it VERY slowly and use A LOT of treats to lure them. 
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Peter
Jun 12th, 2007 - 8:06 PM |
Re: Collies in Flyball
Hi All
I have just started Flyball training with my 18 month old Rough Collie ****** She likes jumping over the hurdles but its taken 3 sessions for her to attempt to retrieve the ball and even then I am not yet convinced she has "got it" yet! But as she has fun with the other dogs I will keep at it since Collies don't seem to be "naturals" at this sport!! However,any advice would be welcomed.
On a wider point I notice from the British Flyball Association website that there are currently 7 Rough's & 1 Smooth registered - which means they are currently competing in teams. Does anyone know of these Collies & handlers??
Thanks
Peter
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Joan
Jun 13th, 2007 - 10:59 PM |
Re: Collies in Flyball
Hi,everybody,I haven't done Flyball for years but when it first started our club(Lochaber&D.C.S.)brought it in under the agility umbrella and our dogs had a wonderful time with a machine made by the husband of one of our members - the ball sat in a baby's plastic feeding cup before being propelled into the air! Flicka, my first hairy Smooth, was very sound sensitive BUT she was totally addicted to fetching her very hard cricket ball so the excitement of a ball totally wiped out the noise factor, so I would suggest that that is the thing to do first, then have wild games with the ball at a distance from the box while someone else quietly operates it, gradually building up the noise but never let it get to a level that upsets her, then gradually move your game closer to the box,then have someone throw the ball to her over the box as YOU quietly operate it etc.etc.etc. - not really possible on a 7 week course, I realise, but well worth doing. By the way, Flicka used to charge down the row of jumps, thump the pad, leap for the ball-----but she couldn't catch it so beaked it all over the area before picking it up and racing back up the jumps, so we all have our problems! The modern 'pick it out of the hole' box would have helped, I think. Anyway, do keep trying and good luck!
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Joan
Jun 17th, 2007 - 8:45 PM |
Re: Collies in Flyball
Forgot to say I met the Scottish smooth at August S.K.C.2005 taking part in the obedience Beginner of the Year- I was stewarding for a friend who was judging the competition.The dog is a rescue so no information about his breeding. He worked quite nicely though seemed to be trained in a rather old-fashioned way. His handler's wife was suffering from a very bad back so they were no longer attending agility shows. He looked a nice boy and I'm sorry not to have seen him go any further.
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