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PSmitty
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Do you guys have inspired ideas for training speed *to* the box? Lilly will haul booty on the return trip, and has become very consistent with getting and bringing her ball all the way back. I'm proud of her progress, that's for sure. BUT.... She is slow as molasses going down. She's on a freaking Sunday stroll, I believe. If she only ran down as fast as she runs back, she'd have decent times! Her new nickname is Mo, as in Molasses. Or slow-motion, take your pick. :rolleyes:

 

Any training tips?

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Oh, and while I'm at it, might as well mention Alex.

 

He's doing so great in practice! He's super fast, has a great box turn and is totally focused on the ball. We tried to run him last weekend, but he freaked out, at the judge's whistle, I believe. He only ran one clean heat and then tried to get out of Dodge, crossing over and running to the gate. He was very overwhelmed by all the noise and hoopla. :rolleyes: I tried to just do warm-ups with him, and he didn't even handle that well. It was quite discouraging, since we all thought he was ready.

 

Any ideas other than working with more noise and whistles in practice? Does he just need some growing up time, too?

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Paula I feel your pain. Tempe is slow as can be to the box and hauls butt back. You say Sunday stroll we call it singing the Butterfly song. If you could see Tempe run you would undertstand. You can see her going Lalala...lalala all the way to the box. She has run many mid-high 4's doing this and I keep thinking she would be flippin fast if she actually ran to the box. For her it is mainly a confidence issue.

 

I have been having others release her and I run with her to the box and then run back. I also have had other people do the running. We have not been able to practice much lately and not with 2 lanes but when Tempe can run against one other dog in a lane close to her she will run her butt off. She is very competitive and I just need to get her to translate that to a tourney. She does not even notice the dog in the other lane.

 

For Alex I would keep taking him to tourneys and if you can't do warmups make sure he is in the building getting used to the atmosphere. You could also see about going to another teams practice so he gets used to different environments.

 

My brain is fried so can't think of anything else but will post when I do think of something. I would love to hear what others have to say.

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Guest TheRuffMuttGang

Paula, here are two idea for Lily:

 

1) Try having someone else release Lily from about 35-40ft back. You run down the lefthand side of the lane and when you get to the start line, raise your arm as a signal to release Lily. When she passes you (~2nd jump), turn and run back as if you're doing the normal recall phase of the run. If it helps, keep doing it and only release Lily yourself when you HAVE to (tournaments). Even in warmups at tournaments I would do this if it helps her speed.

 

2) Try doing a powerjumping exercise where you release three or four dogs at one end of the jumps and have someone she knows and trusts throwing balls or toys for each dog at the other end. We used to do this with 10 jumps UP a hill in the middle of summer with four dogs running in a row. It works out nicely as long as each dog chases their own ball/toy at the end. If the dogs are spaced ~20ft apart it works best. This teaches the dogs to drive hard AWAY from you AND builds lots of strength and endurance at the same time (you can use fewer jumps on flat ground if you want to). The dogs generally return their ball/toy to their own handler back at the "start" line, but not over the jumps.

 

And for Alex:

 

Desensitization, desensitization, desensitization. Get him out at every tournament and every practice and test him. Sit next to the lane and watch at tournaments. Choose different places on the lane. Back, sides, down closer to the boxes (if it's allowable in your region), both sides of the ring, in line with the judge, etc. I suggest getting him out for warm ups only for another few tournaments. You need to really be sure he is sound before putting him in for real as there are a lot of clubs out there that won't be so nice when he crosses over into their lane while racing. At practice, desensitize him to all sorts of noises. Bangs, whistles, etc. Start from farther away while other dogs are running and move in closer as he is ready to do so. He will probably be comfortable with most sounds at practice because it's familiar territory to him. That's why you also need to get him out of his crate at tournaments and get him out and IN the noise as much as possible.

 

That being said, he may be one of those dogs that could spook at anytime. We have one of those on our flyball team only his resort is to not run at all but instead run to his crate. He is spooked by movement down around and behind the boxes where people fidget with their balls and box trash and such. It's really not even allowed but seems to have gotten fairly bad in this region.

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Paula I feel your pain. Tempe is slow as can be to the box and hauls butt back. You say Sunday stroll we call it singing the Butterfly song. If you could see Tempe run you would undertstand. You can see her going Lalala...lalala all the way to the box. She has run many mid-high 4's doing this and I keep thinking she would be flippin fast if she actually ran to the box. For her it is mainly a confidence issue.

 

Thanks, Kim. I can tell you understand, since lalalalala just about describes Lilly, too. :rolleyes: Mid-high 4's, though? Geez, I'd be thrilled with those. I'm lucky to get high 5's with her. I think it could be confidence with Lilly, too.

 

Try having someone else release Lily from about 35-40ft back. You run down the lefthand side of the lane and when you get to the start line, raise your arm as a signal to release Lily. When she passes you (~2nd jump), turn and run back as if you're doing the normal recall phase of the run. If it helps, keep doing it and only release Lily yourself when you HAVE to (tournaments). Even in warmups at tournaments I would do this if it helps her speed.

 

Will this idea work better than standing at the box and running back as soon as she hits it? I have a feeling she might stop where I am, though.

 

Thank you both for the ideas, I think we'll try them all probably.

 

As for Alex, we won't have another tournament until November. I am going to take him for desensitization only. I don't want to even subject him to warmups just yet, since Sunday he started backing away the second he realized we were going in the lanes. I think it would be better to give him some more time. But, I'll get him out and about everywhere I can, along with making our practices noiser.

 

Thanks again!

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The mid-high 4s was not Tempe's first time on the lanes. She has been on the lanes probably 4 tourneys now and only part time. There was one tourney she freaked out horribly and ran off the lanes. Needless to say I pulled her.

 

Just about anything can freak Tempe. I play U-Fli with a different club than what I play on in NAFA. I went to U-Fli in Alabama and Tempe did well the whole weekend running part time until the last race on Sunday. During warmups there was a line judge standing holding a clip board and it freaked Tempe. Tempe has a thing about things in the hands (long story) but she was frightened during a flyball seminar and then again at a tourney during warmups so now I have to work on things in hands...

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