Rave's second official practice!

Rave had a very successful second practice! I have decided to use a "tug-it" with her... featured on clean run.... http://www.cleanrun.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&Product_ID=1669&ParentPage=hot .... used to get dogs that aren't crazy about tugging, wild about the tug... mission accomplished! in the mesh bag we used braunschweiger to get her tugging... it makes me want to heave but what ever works! Everytime it slips out of her mouth and brushes my leg I get the willies..... SICK! Like I said before, i'm not a food person... but i will try anything once! To make it less likely for the bag to graze my leg, i tied it to her favorite tug from home! I was very proud of the way she was driving! Here are a few videos of her doing baby recalls!

Lyndsy and Rave

Didn't think you had OCD?

I've been to several flyball seminars and at every one of them I learn something new... The common factor in all of them has been... VIDEO everything! Because something that you think looks good, you go back and there is something you want to change....

I always knew that I had a few obsessive tendencies.... Nothing comes close to the OCD moments I go through like when I'm training a box turn! Let me paint the picture for you! Since starting Ninja's box training in Feb 08' I have over 500 video clips, and 350 wall work clips saved up! Sound like a lot? yah its about 50 hours worth of just Ninja's box turn! Worst part is.... I'm always critiquing it! Making lists of what worked and what didn't work....

A few new things I've learned..... Counting frames... it has actually become a new obsession! Thanks to Colleen of X Flyball in Las Vegas! If you open up your videos in quicktime..... it is very easy to count frames... each click of the right arrow button is a frame... Why does this matter? A extremely quick box turn is 7-8 frames... the average box turn is 9-12 and anything above that is just slow..... SUCKS! out of the 100 box turns i watched Ninja's fastest turn was a 9.

.. his average was a 11.

.... slowest 14!!!!! BOO!!!

So instead of counting sheep when i can't sleep.... i boot up the good old laptop and start to count frames!! You thought counting box turn frames was bad! Ya well.... you have no idea! now its time to count frames in a full run! For every frame is .0333....

So this is 117 frames.... 117X.0333= 3.891

And that is just Ninja's videos! I've trained a few other turns..... and yes I continue to watch there videos as well! it must be a sickness!!! So for all of you keeping track... Rave's box training will be well documented, and extremely over analyzed! After watching all of Ninja's videos and all of the different set ups.... one piece of advice! Don't over analyze :)

We've had a break through!!!!

After playing countless numbers of tug games we've had a break through!!!!! Rave picked up the tug on her own tonight and carried it around the house!!!!! Who would have thought such a little thing like that would make my night but holy hell, i was pumped!!!! Poor Ninja... She wants to tug on everything that he puts in his mouth... which is fine until its not very big... hes taken a few good bites for the team!

After Rave picked up the tug and followed me around the house for a bit, i dared to pick it up.... and she continued to hang on!! What a good girl! even gave me a good growl or two! I pretty much immediately let go... The one thing to know, when trying to get a dog to tug... always let them win the game.. if you always played a game you couldn't win would you want to continue playing? So i tried it again, after she won she got to run around the house carrying the tug and as soon as she ran by me i grabbed it, and she let go... DAMN! Time to break out the good ol' Ninja boy... As soon as he hit that tug she wanted nothing more than to tug with him... Go figure! But because we had success with her tugging with me i figured this would be a good time to get her tug with him. While they were tugging, i spent the time whacking them on there sides and clapping and hissing like a snake to get ninja more into it and to get her used to some rough tugging... at first she was a little sensitive about me slapping her sides, but she quickly picked it up! I would also put my hand in the middle of them on the tug so it appeared as though she was only tugging with me... the second i thought she was going to let go i would drop the tug and Ninja would get her going again... like i said... its the baby steps in life! Second thing when tugging! Keep the baby wanting more! Rip the tug out of there mouth and put it away... somewhere they can't have it anymore... short sessions are key!

Next blog i will go into detail some tug games we play!!!!

Keep you posted...

Lyndsy and Rave!

to tug.... or not to tug!!!

I love a dog that tugs! I don't care if you tug on a piece of rope, or if you tug on my sweatshirt sleeve... I have to have a dog that tugs.... I can't handle bringing stinky... icky... cookies everywhere I go. There is nothing worse to me than going out to dinner after a long day of flyball, and not only are you sweaty and gross, but the pockets of your pants are soaked in grease stains because you had to haul around your cheese sticks so your dog would get a reward... This is not to harp on the people that like food as a reward, its just not for me. I am not one to run backwards shaking a bag of cookies at my dog running back to me yelling.... cookies, cookies, cookies! Give me a crusty, stinky, slimy tug to put around my neck any day.

My puppies start out tugging the day I get them! We play tug games all day long, until they love the tug as much as I do. In my mind, every dog should tug. Why wouldn't you like to tug, go ahead and put this crusty piece of fleece in your mouth, bite down, and growl! Sounds like fun to me! In my mind the tug is like an extension of my arm. I always know where my dog is, I am always having interaction with my dog and its a piece of transportation.... who needs a leash, when your dog tugs! And is tugging such a bad thing? too much tugging? No, never! Well, maybe... How about when you can't get the tug out of your dogs mouth and everyone is waiting on you.... screaming, yelling, trying to pry there jaws open or holding them upside down, nothing helps. There has to be a fine line I guess. So what happens when your dog doesn't want to tug?

Rave and I spent the week house sitting for 4 wild poodles. This made Rave CRAZY!!!! She loved all the other dogs... plenty of herding opportunities... also plenty of time to blow me off... so naughty! She has now decided that its only fun to tug with the other dogs, not me. WHAT?!? No Ma'am! So now what... square one?! Do I let her continue to tug with the other dogs? At least she's tugging, right? Hmmmmm... I decided to just put up all the tugging toys, now she would rather lick my face than tug on anything I show her... go figure!

So starting my puppy tugging at 6 months... We busted out the old winter gloves... Here goes nothing!!

Off for another tugging session!!! Keep you posted!

Lynds and Rave

Here goes nothing!

Welcome all!

I have decided to create this blog to help keep track of Rave's flyball training. Rave is a 6 month old black and white border collie from Hillcrest Border Collies, in Oregon. She came to me on April 23 and will be staying with me until she is fully trained in flyball. I really enjoy the training aspect of flyball so I can't wait to get down to business.



By keeping up with this blog it will keep me training daily and help me to keep track of things that worked for her and things that didn't. I'm hoping to post a lot of video and pictures of her progression. I invite feedback and suggestions of things that worked for you and your dog.


Every other week I am planning on teaching her a new trick. So get your thinking caps on because i'm sure I will need help coming up with some after the first few weeks.....

Keep you posted!!!!!!