RUFF NOTES. Monterey Bay. Dog Training Club, Inc.

Transcription

1 RUFF NOTES FRBRUARY 2018 Monterey Bay Dog Training Club, Inc. President: Luane Vidak Editor: Terri Gregson For the past 12 years around Valentine s Day, The Monterey Bay Dog Training Club has made a monetary donation to a local Veterinarian Clinic on behalf of a Recipient/Pet Owner as our Gifts from the Heart Project. Our donation came from our Holiday photos taken in November and goes directly to our Gifts from the Heart project. Started by Marilyn Runyan, a long time member and continues today in her memory. This year the Pacific Veterinary Specialist and Emergency Services in Capitola had a very sick dog come through the doors with Canine parvovirus, a treatable, lengthy, but expensive service. The Owners relinquished the puppy to Sarah Weagle, a Nurse with Pacific Veterinary who took on the care for a sick pup and the financial burden. It was her intent that when the pup was healthy, she would find a forever home for it. She didn t have to wait long as Amanda White who also works there fell in love with the pup, adopted it and named it Jean. Jean is our recipient of our 2018 Gifts from the Heart project. -Candice McLaren Inside this Edition 2 January General Meeting Save the Dates 3 Flyball 4 Flyball In Sympathy 5 On a Loose Leash 6 Valentines Photo Opportunity Brags and Congratulations 7 Winter Paws Trials 8 February Birthdays Monterey Bay Dog Training Club, Inc. February

2 January General Meeting was at Hong Kong Garden II For the Year Of the Dog With a presentation by Peace of Mind Dog Rescue Save the Dates February 11 AOCNC Obedience and Rally Workshop at the Cow Palace February 20 Canine Good Citizen Test at Watsonville Classes March 25 Variable Surface Tracking Test CSUMB June 16 & 17 MMDTC Agility Trial Sky Park, Scotts Valley July 28 Obedience and Rally Trials (two ) - St. Francis H.S. in Watsonville Monterey Bay Dog Training Club, Inc. February

3 ` FLYBALL Deborah Armstrong The canine sport of Flyball flies below the radar for many dog owners. But if your young, energetic animal is bouncing off the walls, it's a fantastic activity to consider. Beginning with a running take-off behind the start-finish line, the dog hurtles down the 50-foot course jumping four hurdles to arrive at a spring-loaded wooden contraption called a box. Jumping on the front of the box releases a tennis ball, and dogs learn to gracefully pounce on the box, grab the ball and reverse direction all in a single smooth motion. On his return trip, the dog must again jump the four hurdles before crossing the start-finish line where he delivers the tennis ball to the welcoming arms of his handler. Unlike other dog sports where the handler directs each move the dog makes, a Flyball dog must navigate the course on his own. And if that's not enough, this is a race and there s another dog from another team running in his own lane right beside your dog s, doing exactly the same Craig Simberg s Tom thing. The dogs must completely ignore each other and never become confused about which lane they should be in. Harder still, this is a relay race and when your dog gets close the finish line, the next dog on his team will start running towards the same box. The two dogs run at each other, head on and full speed and, if all goes according to plan, they pass each other exactly at the start/finish line. The dogs don t crash into each other; they don t swerve out of their lane; they don t stop to greet each other, and they don t even slow down. That takes a lot of training, focus and self control! The dogs run fast, too. The world record is currently somewhere around 3 ½ seconds for one dog to finish his lap and around 14 ½ seconds for the entire team of four to finish. Teams run against each other in races with anywhere from 3 to 5 heats for each race. Points are awarded to the winning team and to the dogs on the team based on the team s total time. Points are not awarded for individual dog times. Flyball is a team sport and the whole team wins or loses together! A tournament day runs from dawn to dusk and averages around 75 races. Tournaments are held across the state and the nation, culminating in a national competition held in Indianapolis each October. Dayton photo by Michelle Stueven, Photographer In stark contrast to many dog events, where you can hear a pin drop, a flyball tournament is total cacophony that can be overwhelming for the uninitiated. Rows of raucous crated dogs bark incessantly while they wait for their turn to race. People on the sidelines yell encouragement while handlers scream "GET THE BALL," "OVER," and "BRING IT HERE!" In Flyball, dogs are never told to calm down or be quiet, and handlers will often deliberately amp up their dogs before a race. The dogs are excited; they know what to do; they want to be out on the course running, and they live for the moment when their handler releases them. Skeptics wonder if flyball encourages dogs to get out of control, but nothing could be further from the truth. Though the excitement level is high, the level of self control the dog needs to complete an entire run without errors, is equally high. Continued on page 4 Monterey Bay Dog Training Club, Inc. February

4 Flyball continued from page 3 Flyball is a canine sport for ordinary folks and, though professional trainers participate, this family friendly activity doesn't just attract the competitive. All ages of humans and canines participate, with multiple entry classes for all ability levels. Most local teams practice weekly for 2 to 3 hours, which is where deep bonds form between members. Members drill together to train each others' dogs and solidify the team's precision and speed. Traveling to meets and working so closely together, the team becomes an extended family with everyone contributing towards the team's success. it is the regular practice with the team that sharpens the dog's skills. The mistakes a dog can make are many, from dropping the ball, missing a jump or crossing over into the other lane, to running off the course to chase a squirrel. The behaviors of turning on the box, jumping all the hurdles, carrying the ball, returning to the handler, ignoring other dogs and other balls, and simply staying on the course can take a year or more to master. Team members are patient with newcomers and complex behaviors are broken down to achievable steps. New dogs get plenty of chances to practice and learn. Young dogs quickly develop a strong off-leash recall in spite of distractions, a wonderful skill for keeping them safe. Flyball is open to all breeds and all manner of mixes and mutts. Papillons, pit-bulls, poodles and pugs participate. Many teams compete for the fellowship and fun with no desire to win. With the positive training, the sheer joy of racing and the plentiful cheering and applause that accompany each small success, it's a sport where everyone is always having a great time. FLYBALL RESOURCES North American Flyball Association - United Flyball League International - Wikipedia s page on history and description of Flyball - Flyball FAQ - With Sympathy Thinking of Doren Ladd at this sad time. In memory of Joyce, his loving wife of nearly 50 years. Doren has judged for MBDTC and Joyce has been our steward. Monterey Bay Dog Training Club, Inc. February

5 On A Loose Leash a note from the President We had very nice January meeting under the colorful umbrellas at Hong Kong Garden Restaurant as we celebrated Chinese new year The Year of the Dog. Keeping with the theme, our guest speaker focused on all the work done by Peace of Mind Dog Rescue which makes every year a good year for dogs. Marlene organized the evening for us. Up Coming...We are focusing on some review of awards offered at the Annual Awards Buffet and at our Obedience/ Rally event. A group of 5 members have been asked to meet and review our practices and make recommendations regarding the annual awards. Denise Weatherwax will act as chm. Imo, Carol, Pam F. Dale N have been asked. I m hoping to hear back for them all soon so we can set up a good time/place to meet. They will act as your representative on the committee so be in contact with them if you would like to share thots. Carol will be suggesting restructuring the awards given at our Double Trials in July. She is suggesting the need to streamline our offerings now that we are doing two trials for our exhibitors. She ll fill us in before finalizing.and you can contact her as well. Back to that Village thing I mentioned last month. We have a start on that. Mimi forwarded an enormous list of potential business donors to Barbara who updated the list. We divided the list for our July Raffle and the following members earned a Big thank you ing for us: Trish, Edie, Karen, Luane, Liz, Jackie (Meg s mom), and Denise P. Stacy Thompson (our member in Washington) gave it a try.but just coming off a broken shoulder.she had to decline. Mend fast Stacy! As usual we do our share supporting our AOCNC organization. We will be hosting a Utility ring at the Feb 11 th Winter Workshop. The following members will be managing the ring: Barbara, Bruce, Luane, Garth, Rod and Kami. As we prepare for our AKC 2018 events please members have stepped expect to be asked to help. Members in good standing in our club are those who are the backbone of the club and work at the activities of the club. It is the way to give back for the many benefits derive from our membership. It s a give and take arrangement. Oh! And with Valentine Day coming up Candice is arranging for your opportunity to photograph your pup in front of a giant Valentine card. Tues the 6 th in Watsonville and Thurs the 8 th at Capitola. Bring your cell phone or camera. The other nice Valentine event is the awarding of financial support of our Gifts from the Heart. This year our recipient is a parvo puppy that is being treated at Pacific Veterinary Specialties and was recommended to us by Michelle. The care of the puppy was out of reach and the family elected euthanization. One of the nurses intervened and took on the responsibility for its care. That s where we stepped in and offered some financial assistance. As the story unfolds a new family has adopted the puppy and it s looking to be a nice ending. We had some great help at our Oct. photoshoot where donations were generated to help that puppy. Those helpers were: Marlene, Candice, Imo, Irene, Karen, Donna Lane, Linda Lang, Luane, and Edie and all of YOU who had your pups photos taken! Luane Monterey Bay Dog Training Club, Inc. February

6 Take Your Own Valentine Photo Opportunity Look for the Valentine Photo Boards at the Classes in both Watsonville and Capitola. February 6 and February 8. Take your photo with your phone or camera and post it on facebook. Send it to Candice or Terri to have your photo posted on the Monterey Bay Dog Training Club facebook page and Ruff Notes. Brags & Congratulations Mimi Woolem and Thor Thor earned his first leg in Open A Obedience at The Santa Clara Kennel Club show 185 Craig Simberg and Tom 12/4/17 San Joaquin Kennel Club Rally Intermediate 1st Place score 100 1/28/18 Golden Gate Kennel Club Rally Intermediate 1st Place score 99 1/27/18 Golden Gate Kennel Club Rally Intermediate 1st Place score 97 Title Obedience Hot Dog Mimi Woolem & Thor Agility Hot Dog None Submitted Rally Hot Dog Craig Simberg & Tom Preferred Agility Hot Dog None Submitted Monterey Bay Dog Training Club, Inc. February

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8 P.O.Box 1022 Watsonville, CA Feb Candice Mclaren 4-Feb Linda Lang 9-Feb Karen Schwindt 11-Feb Rich Torres 14-Feb Cathy Vanderbilt Piper 2/3/ GoGo Bulldog Mimi Woolem 2/10/ Little Bit Sheltie Cathy Francini 2/11/ Radar Dalmatian Judy Force 2/18/ Piper Golden Retriever Linda Lang Monterey Bay Dog Training Club, Inc. February