Dana Nichols

You'll get lots of different opinions on this. The jumping styles for the two sports are different, but the jumps heights are also usually quite different. My dogs have never had any problem going back and forth. On of my dogs was a 10 inch height dog in flyball. She started in flyball and didn't do agility until she was almost 4. She jumps 16 inches in agility and it's extremely rare that she hits a bar. So, if you want to do flyball, I wouldn't worry about it affecting agility. As long as you are training with a club who is teaching safe box turns, you shouldn't have any problem starting a dog 13 months old. I start foundation work long before that. Good luck! I hope you and your dog like it. Dana

I've had to move to more indoor exercise for my guys too because it's dark when I leave for work and dark when I get home. I've mainly been working them on the treadmill. I have one BC who I could never convince to use it - the moving belt just melted her brain. But the others actually seem to like it. They all get treats when they are done. But, I'm interested in other indoor options too. Mainly I just need to keep my dogs in better shape so they are competing safely at trials. I have seen quite a few folks doing more core strength type work with the exercise ball/disc/donut type options. I do some of that, but the cardio options are what I think they need a bit more. Please pass along any tips you find. Dana

Kristine, It may just be a different circle of dog folks. I just checked our database and there were 14 weekends of flyball tournaments in Pennsylvania last year and there are over a dozen active clubs in PA. There are also competitions in many nearby states. It's a hotbed for flyball back in that area. : ) I know several folks from there who are very active in flyball & also compete in agility.

Yes, when new people ask me about coming to see it, I strongly suggest they leave their dog at home or at least have the dog crated in the car. It's a rare dog that isn't excited, if not overwhelmed, by seeing so many dogs racing back & forth. Most of the foundation work we do with a dog alone - teaching them tug drive, ball drive, and some of the basic concepts. We always start the box work alone - on my own dogs I start them at home with absolutely zero distractions. We introduce the dog gradually from the beginning to get used to running next to other dogs by using the side by side recalls next to another dog. For my own dogs, they get hauled to tournaments from the beginning, but we'll work them on foundation skills like tugging in a quiet area away from racing. Or start doing very short recalls in the lanes, during practice time after racing has ended and things are much quieter. If you decide to try it again, I'd suggest attending the club's training session without your dog. Check out how they are training the newer dogs. Make sure they are spending quite a bit of time training a correct box turn instead of pushing the dog to compete right away. And also that they have a good systematic approach for teaching them how to handle a dog in the other lane. There is a ton you can do with a younger dog, but make sure the club is a good fit for you. You can even attend a tournament (without your dog). Watch which teams do well & have well trained dogs (good turns, dogs staying in their lanes, good consistent passes from handlers). See if they teach classes or take new dogs at practices. But, if you decide flyball isn't a good fit for you or your dog, there are lots and lots of other dog sports out there. : ) P.S. Here's a link to some photos. The first picture is of our dogs crated at a demonstration. Nearly all the dogs are sacked out in their crates. It's hard to tell, but most of the dogs who are asleep are border collies. http://www.launchflyball.com/tournaments.html

I think that's the beauty of having so many different activities we can do with our dogs - there will be something that will be the right fit for you & your dog(s). It sounds like flyball might not be a good fit for you or for some of the other posters. You did have a couple of specific questions about flyball that I wanted to answer. Yes, border collies do well in flyball. As do many breeds. Most of us train from the very beginning teaching a dog to run back to the handler for a reward - tug, etc. Then we add in one dog in other side doing recalls next to the dog - first with the other dog behind, then easing them closer. It's a gradual training process - like any other activity. What you are seeing with finished dogs actually racing is not how you start a new beginner dog or a puppy. Most competing flyball dogs do relax in their crates. If they don't relax, they aren't going to have the energy to go out and race for the 5-8 races (up to 35 heats per day) they'll have that day. Like cwb3 said above, most of our dogs only bark while racing & some of our dogs don't bark at all. And even then, it's because they are excited. But, like I said, this sport isn't for every person and it isn't for every dog. I have done quite a few other sports with my dogs. I started with labs and did obedience, hunt tests, agility, trained a little in tracking and then started flyball. At first, I only did it a little bit on the side, but then got way more into it. Honestly I was not a fan of barking at all & if I'd seen a tournament before I started training, I seriously doubt I would have pursued the sport. But, my dogs really loved it and I started to really get into the training & strategy of it all. The barking became background noise at a tournament. When I got my first border collie, she did flyball, agility, and started in herding. She even came along with me to hunt tests. So starting early in flyball didn't ruin her for other sports. But eventually, I enjoyed flyball so much that I stopped doing the other activities. I've now started doing a little agility and obedience again, but flyball is my true love. Also, some folks were concerned that flyball has peaked, or is on its way out because they haven't heard of it. Actually, this year's CanAm event (our national event) had 7 rings of racing and well over 200 teams entered. We hit the guiness world record for a flyball event when we had 2 fewer rings. So, it's going stronger than ever.

Just a note that if you see a recurrance, it's often worth taking a dog with seizures to a neurology specialist. One of my friend's field labs was having very bad seizures. She tried treating them with some assistance from her regular vet. She finally agreed to take the dog to the neuro. The specialist was able to determine that the dog likely had seizures from distemper, which no one even realized she had. They were able to control the seizures with meds and the dog is now 12 years old (old for a lab) and doing well.

I started with labs and then got a border collie puppy. They truly are completely different. Compared to a lab, a border collie is a much softer and more sensitive dog. You'll actually find that they are way smarter & way more willing to please than a lab, but it's in a very different package. For me labs were a much more hands on type breed. You could physically put them in a sit and they seemed to understand that direction better. For the border collies they don't appreciate that type of coaching and have great difficulty learning that way. But, if you get out some food, you can teach them super elaborate tricks. I would really recommend clicker training. It's hands off & really teaches you how to let your dog learn. There are tons of great web pages on the basics or take a class. It's a really good idea to take a puppy kindergarten or foundation type class anyway, especially with a trainer with experience with border collies or herding type breeds. Even better if they show you how to do some clicker type training. And, for fear type behavior, with my border collies I just ignore it. If the dog wants to go under the table because he's afraid, just go back to what you were doing. Usually if you ignore a behavior, it will tend to go away. If you make a big deal about it & especially try to correct for a fear type behavior, it'll usually get way worse. Even if the dog pees in the house, if it is for a clear fear reaction, it's just ignore it. Leave it alone, leave the dog where he is, and after things have calmed down, just go and calmly clean up the mess. Good luck. You'll get the pup figured out. Just give yourself and your dog a break. : )

Yes, Western Border Collie Rescue, posted by Paula above, services Colorado as well as Wyoming. They'd be your best bet if you are looking to rehome the dog. You'd have to see if they'd be able to take a dog with the history you've described. Dana

Definitely the veterinary ophthamologist. They usually end up being less expensive in the long run, plus have the equipment to accurately diagnose the issue.

You could try feeding all his meals in the car. It would probably work even better if you fed all the dogs in the car. It might be kind of a pain, but it might really build up value for being in the car.

I had a field lab who had a couple of clostridum infections. The first time she ended up in the ER at Colorado State's veterinary teaching hospital for several days. She had that bizarre back looking thing, but I quickly realized it was from severe stomach pain as she threw up a ton of blood. She had one or two more episodes after that which were much more moderate. I just gave the meds prescribed by the vet and she did fine, so I'm sure your boy will be OK. : ) I would be sure to talk to your vet about all the additional things you are putting him on. Sometimes supplements can have interactions with the meds and you might inadvertantly be making matters worse.

I decided to take the class too & have really liked it so far. I haven't known anyone who has had problems with crate games creating aggression. I've trained my last two dogs on crate games and they are both perfectly well adjusted in a crate. I used it with the first one because I had great difficulty teaching her a stay (I'd never had that problem with a dog before). When I closed the door of the crate, it just clicked for her and she totally got it. Since I had good results I did it with my next puppy from the beginning. It was a good training tool. For both the dogs I did it with, it really helped teach them some self control. But, I'm sure other people could have had different results.

Liz, I have a 6 hole topper made by Crow River. I was so bummed when I found out they closed. Their toppers were really well made and comparitively inexpensive. My topper is 13 years old and still looks brand new! Chantal, if you are on more of a budget, the Ruff Tough dog kennels (www.roughtoughkennels.com) are more expensive than regular dog crates, but they appear to be pretty darn heavy duty. I have a few friends who have them and they are very happy with them. Dana

I have friends who hunt prairie dogs, racoons, badgers and other animals with their Jack Russels. They also have lurchers which in this case are greyhouse/JTR or other terrier crosses that they hunt coyotes with. They have a truck that they drive out into a coyote area and when a coyote gets flushed, they open guiotine doors and the pack of lurchers jump out of the truck, chase down & kill the coyote. But they also carry suture materials with them in the field and think nothing of sewing up their dogs on a routine basis. I'm sure you could do this kind of thing with border collies too, especially if you don't really mind if they get injured. For prey like coyotes, they hunt in packs. The smaller prey like racoons they do with single JRTs, but the dogs are injured fairly often.

What great news Laura! I'm glad Sophie is still going strong.