Category: Performance Events ¤
  Author: Deb Norman ¤
   Title: Flyball ¤

<< 
 If we bear the classic theory in mind re backchaining, where does that
 mean we start? I guess most people want to start by getting their dogs
 into operating The Machine, but is that The Right Place To Start if you
 are backchaining?
  >>
Ah, flyball, to me the best example of backchaining (as I understand it) and
the most fun thing to do with dogs. Everyone I know teaches the game starting
with the last jump, that is, the one closest to the starting line. We hold
the dog just before it, get him excited have him jump the jump and chase the
handler, who runs away from the jump calling the dog and holding a motivator.
Sometimes the motivator is a ball, which is then thrown for the dog to keep
them heading off very fast;  better it is a tug toy that the dog loves.
Before we train any of the game we encourage people to get their dogs to
chase them and grab and pull on a rope toy or cloth frisbee or bumper. If the
dog comes to the game already chasing it is easiest.
    So they chase the handler over the last jump, them the last two, then 3
then 4. When you can hold the dog in front of the box (tail to the box) and
he will chase the owner (who starts at the finish line) down the line of
jumps and 20-30 feet beyond to get his tug toy, then you are ready to work
with the box. Actually you could have taught the box before, but out of
context of the jumps. With a really ball-crazy dog the box is the easiest
part of the game. Once he has the box learned you put it in place and send
him to it from right in front and call him to turn. Then he sees the 4 jumps
ahead of him and boy, does he know what to do then: run like crazy to catch
mom and pull on the tug toy. 
      Gradually you start the dog further from the box until he is doing all
4 jumps to it. The beauty of this is that most dogs go fast to the box
because that's where the ball is. When you teach them the last part first and
they know that the most fun is had at the end with the chase-grab-and-tug
game, you get a really fast, motivated flyball dog. Teaching the passing of
other team members and running against another team is easier too, because
the dog is so intense about chasing mom that he focuses on her instead of the
other dogs.
       Of course the fine points of the box are "a whole nuther thing" as we
say here in Philly. Great and aspiring to be great teams teach the so-called
"swimmers turn" where the dog doesn't merely press the box, get the ball and
turn away but actually hits the box full-tilt and turns , pushing off from it
with back feet as well. We are experimenting using a clicker to retrain our
experienced dogs in this art, only clicking the good turns (which we have
helped to happen a few times) but the problem is that the playing of the game
is so self-reinforcing to trained dogs that they don't really care if they
are doing it better or not. The fact that they are playing is enough for
them. If we could figure out some way that they only got the ball when they
made a correct turn it would be great, but the construction of the box makes
that impossible. We're talking about tenth of seconds here, no time to reach
down and deflect the dog from the ball if the turn isn't great.

Have fun: you are embarking on the best time you can have with your dog. (Can
you tell I just got home from a flyball weekend???)

Deb Norman & the Phila Full House Gang of Flyball Ch's and Flyball Masters.