Saturday December 30th 2006 - team practice (TTH)

(Backfilled in October 2009 due to impending closure of Geocities)

Last week's practice cancelled due to inclement weather, Lucy seemed even happier to be at flyball today. She did a passing exercise with Tashtego and Milo, using two double-wide jumps and she did just great although no actual passing yet. Then, we did some line-up racing with Sammy and our house league guest. Lucy ran last and it went really well: She was eager and happy to run and maintained a nice straight path on her return. I made sure to pick her up fairly close to the timer area, 2 or 3 meters back. It was a good practice to end the year on!

Saturday December 16th 2006 - team practice (TTH)

(Backfilled in October 2009 due to impending closure of Geocities)

Started with some non-head-to-head, non-passing full runs and her path was nice and straight. Then did some full run "passing" with Sammy and she was fine being the passer but still went wide on her return as the passee even though Sammy was not released until after Lucy passed her.

Saturday December 9th 2006 - team practice (TTH)

(Backfilled in October 2009 due to impending closure of Geocities)

Not much to report; did a bit of boxwork including runs with two jumps. Also did a two-jump "passing" exercise which went ok.

Sunday December 3rd 2006 - House League Tournament #2

(Backfilled in October 2009 due to impending closure of Geocities)

Today Lucy told me early on that she needed to be given the opportunity for a confidence boost. She ran in three races and this is how it went:


- First race: Warm-up consisted solely of one or two recalls which went alright, but as soon as I lined her up for full a run as the last dog in the race line-up, her stress/anxiety/discomfort with the situation became immediately apparent. Right from her first run as I was holding her she was not focused on looking down her lane but rather had her head craned towards the door (classic avoidance behaviour!) so I released her close to the start line where the gates blocked her view of the door. None of her three runs of that first race were clean; she either fumbled the ball and made no attempt to try to pick it up again (very odd), or she didn't run all the way to the box but instead turned around early. I think one mistake I made during this first race was to ask for some tugging before giving her her treats from the tug since tugging is something we've only just started doing in practice. Upon seeing her level of stress I should have relaxed that criteria and rewarded her big-time just for doing the run.

- Second race: Since she had made it clear as ice that she was very uncomfortable with being asked to do full runs today, for her second race of the day I only had her do recalls, as the last dog in the line-up. The first two recalls she refused to take the last jump, instead veering around to the right. For the third one I placed myself directly facing her in front of the last jump and this time she took it. I mega-jackpotted her from her treat tug with very special treats every time to remind her of the big payoff associated with playing flyball.

- Third race: Again being the last dog in the line-up, this time I had her run to the loaded box from only one or two jumps back, running all the way back with her and mega-jackpotting every time. My sense is that she had become more comfortable than when we started the day.


Lessons learned: Looking back on the day, I am reminded of a practice we had last summer outside where I started her with full runs rather than easing her into them by starting from one or two jumps back (August 12th entry). I think recalls may not be the best type of warm-up for her in new, potentially stressful venues, so next time I will be sure to use her warm-up time to do some simple no-ball box turns as well as sending her from just one jump back to boost her confidence. Also, I have a feeling she will be more comfortable at the box once she gets to know our new boxloader. So, it was a more challenging day than the last house league, but it was a real lesson in the importance of reading my dog and understanding and appreciating her needs, and allowing myself to acknowledge different definitions of "success" in different situations. Today, Lucy and I were successful not because she did a gazillion clean full runs (in fact she did none), but because we worked together to improve her confidence level over the course of the day. I look forward to the next house league having gained a better insight into my dog.

Saturday December 2nd 2006 - team practice (TTH)

(Backfilled in October 2009 due to impending closure of Geocities)

Today we did some one-lane racing with Sammy and Bonnie in preparation for tomorrow's house league, with Lucy running last. She is really going wide in the passing area both on her way to and from the box, even though I'm not asking her to do a running pass. Seeing as dogs have such wonderful memories when it comes to unpleasant experiences I suspect she may be anticipating a dog "attacking" her in the passing area even though she's only ever had one negative passing experience. I'm confident that given more time and practice with her team members she will learn that they can be trusted and will overcome this little blip.

Saturday November 25th 2006 - team practice (TTH)

(Backfilled in October 2009 due to impending closure of Geocities)

Today for the first time ever, Lucy and Sammy did head-to-head full run racing with no gates, and both dogs did great! The dogs turn in opposite directions so for the first few runs we set them up so that they were turning away from each other. We started with them running from just one jump back and quickly progressed to full runs. Then we had them swap lanes so that they'd be turning towards each other. Each dog remained in their correct lane, but both of them were like "What the!?" when doing their turns facing each other since never before had they seen another dog in the other lane with no gate separating them. Since we were short on handlers today there was no boxloader to urge them on to their proper boxes (which were set up against the wall) so we were really glad that the dogs did so well.

Saturday November 18th 2006 - team practice (TTH)

(Backfilled in October 2009 due to impending closure of Geocities)

Did some recalls and no-ball boxwork. Today was the first ever flyball practice in which I didn't give her a single treat, instead rewarding with her new ball tug which I found out recently that she enjoys tugging. Although she tugged with some enthusiasm, I got the sense that she thought something was missing...

Wednesday November 15th 2006 - tug shaping sessions at home

(Backfilled in October 2009 due to impending closure of Geocities)

A few days ago I started shaping sessions with Lucy to get her to fall in love with our fleece tug. I put the tug on the floor, shut my mouth and don't give any cues and she's now at the point where I can be a couple of metres away from it and she'll enthusiastically go and pick it up and tonight she's starting to bring it to me. This is the first real shaping exercise Lucy has done and I'm brand new to it too. It's a really fun process, watching the dog learn how to think for herself and figure out on her own what gets rewarded. I got a new tug tonight and used it, and she had no problem transferring her behaviour to this new one.

Saturday November 11th 2006 - flyball seminar with Theresa Rector

(Backfilled in October 2009 due to impending closure of Geocities)

It was a long day chock full of flyball training tips! Lucy had a really tough time with the sprung box today, fumbling the ball because she wasn't getting her head where it needed to be. Something to work on with Lucy to increase her push off the box is sending her from close up to the loaded box and throwing a treat or toy out for her as she's doing the turn. I learned tons more but my brain is fried so I'll just stop here.

Sunday November 5th 2006 - House League Tournament #1

(Backfilled in October 2009 due to impending closure of Geocities)

Today was Lucy's (and my) first ever (unofficial) flyball tournament! It was a totally casual atmosphere, props and training allowed and gates separating the lanes, and nobody kept track of who won/lost races, so it was very low-stress (for us humans at least). Our team today consisted of Lucy, Sammy, and a guest, and we didn't bother double-running to fill up the fourth spot. The venue was warm so to keep temperatures down doors were open on both sides, including one gigantic garage-size door. I was concerned that Lucy might decide that it would be more interesting to go and explore outside than play flyball (I had even seen deer a few hundred meters away when we arrived), but except for her giving one good hard look at the door as she was returning on a run towards the middle of the event, my concerns were for naught. With 6 races each with 4 heats (or is that 6 heats with 4 races? I'm not sure of the terminology), she ran a total of 24 runs which really tired her out. The most runs she had ever run in a day before is probably about a dozen at most. By the middle of it I was releasing her right up close to the start line and picking her up close to it as well so that she wouldn't have to run so far. She ran as first and last dog and did fine with both positions, provided Sammy was the one she passed. (She got intimidated by the other dog after a passing incident on her return from the box on one of her first runs.) I noticed by the end of the day Lucy's return path veered quite far to her right after clearing the pretend timers, giving the next dog (Sammy, who she's used to and comfortable with passing) a lot of clearance. I will keep an eye on this at our next practice and see if her path needs to be straightened out. The strangest thing she did all day was towards 3/4 of the way through the day: she was the first dog to run, she dropped the ball after the second jump, then completely stopped right between the pretend timers, blocking poor Sammy's way. (But she moved out of the way when I called her.) Oh yeah, and a few of the earlier times when I sent her from further back, she would run part way to the box, then get confused as to where she was supposed to go, then when she saw the boxloader urging her to the box she picked up her speed and finished the run. In summary, Lucy gave a very respectable performance today: She was fine with strangers as boxloaders (many thanks to the other teams for helping out!), and the majority of her runs were clean with the exception of a handful where she either fumbled the ball and didn't pick it up, or dropped the ball too soon, or missed a jump due to turning too wide. I will work on building up her stamina over the winter, and I will be buying a food-stuffable tug thing which I think Lucy will really enjoy. And now, I'm off to give her the best massage she's ever had!

Monday October 30th 2006 - Anniversary!

(Backfilled in October 2009 due to impending closure of Geocities)

Happy 1st flyball anniversary, Lucy! Lucy's (and my) first ever flyball class was about a year ago, October 2005. From humble beginnings obediently complying to my strange requests for her to jump onto and off of a carpet-covered plank leaning against our living room wall, to now doing full runs and getting super-excited every time she sees a flyball lane, she has from day one been a wonderful dog to learn the sport with. It's a true joy for me to have the opportunity to witness her eager, enthusiastic enjoyment of the sport. I look forward to a future of more flyball with Lucy!

Saturday October 21st 2006 - team practice (TTH)

(Backfilled in October 2009 due to impending closure of Geocities)

Practice went fine; nothing new to report. Due to various circumstances, Lucy's next team practice won't be until mid-November. Between now and then, we have a flyball seminar to look forward to and hopefully our first house league event as well!

Saturday October 14th 2006 - team practice (TTH)

(Backfilled in October 2009 due to impending closure of Geocities)

Our teammates all having other commitments, today it was just Lucy and me, and today's session was all about proofing with loose balls, starting with just one and working our way up to more. She made some "mistakes" on some runs where she just went for the closest loose ball, but by the end of the practice she was doing full runs with 7 or 8 loose balls scattered on both sides of the lane at various places such as where the timers would be, right next to the box, offset from the jumps, and immediately in front of jumps. I had practiced some loose ball proofing at home this week as a warm-up to this. I think this will be a two steps forward, one step back thing, meaning the next time we try this she will likely be back to square one but hopefully won't take as long to progress to where we left off today. In any case, it was definitely a worthwhile exercise.

Saturday October 7th 2006 - team practice (TTH)

(Backfilled in October 2009 due to impending closure of Geocities)

We started with some head-to-head racing with Sammy, and the two of them decided to play comedians. In the first run, I released Lucy a few seconds after Sammy started, and Lucy decided she wanted to run in Sammy's lane (what a good dog, she totally ignored Lucy). I wondered if she was trying to chase Sammy, but then she did it again the very next run, when Sammy hadn't been released yet. Once Lucy got it straightened out which lane she was supposed to run in, Sammy decided she wanted to play the same game so Sammy ran over to run in Lucy's lane (before Lucy had been released)! These were their first runs of the day and after those initial goofups they ran in their proper lanes the rest of the practice. Good news: Lucy and Sammy can now do running passes with each other! "Passing" has been going so well in recent practices that we decided to let the dogs do an actual running pass. Both dogs did excellently, no matter if they were the first or second dog to run! I videotaped today's session and it's fun to watch the pass in slow-mo. For some of the runs I set up the video camera for a good side shot close-up at the box at dog's-eye level. Watching it in slow-mo you can see how the dog actually catches the ball in the air so I now have a much better appreciation for the co-ordination it takes on the part of the dog! Also, from watching the slow-mo I could see that she's starting to develop a half-decent push off the box.

Saturday September 30th 2006 - team practice (TTH)

(Backfilled in October 2009 due to impending closure of Geocities)

Nothing much new to report other than I noticed that in the full run passing exercise, I can release her before Sammy has run all the way past. Also, she didn't fumble the ball today and the days of her crazily wide turns when there's no wing seem to be behind her.

Saturday September 23rd 2006 - team practice (TTH)

(Backfilled in October 2009 due to impending closure of Geocities)

Worked some more on proofing with balls as distractions along the lane. Someone stood close to each ball and shooed her away when necessary. On one run she ignored the balls going to the box, but then on the way back dropped the one she had and picked up a loose one. Still, I think she's starting to get the idea.

Saturday September 16th 2006 - team practice (TTH)

(Backfilled in October 2009 due to impending closure of Geocities)

Today's practice got off to a late start due to traffic, so it was a short practice and Lucy only did 5 or 6 runs with all four jumps and no wing. Her turns were actually pretty decent without a wing! Usually she swings way wide if there's no wing. After a few runs I tried something new: placing tennis balls along the sides of the lane. Lucy took the bait so obviously she needs some more proofing! By far the most exciting part of today's practice was Tashtego discovering how easy and fun it is to carry a small-size tennis ball compared to a normal one, and once he figured out that the whole point of running to the box is to get a ball, he couldn't get enough of it! Kenton could even send him from behind the fourth jump -- he didn't have to run along with him!

Saturday September 9th 2006 - team practice (TTH)

(Backfilled in October 2009 due to impending closure of Geocities)

For the first time, Lucy did some head-to-head full runs! Sammy was in the other lane (divided by gate), and both dogs ignored each other aside from the occasional glance at the start or end of the run (three jumps, fourth as wing). Later, we did the full run "passing" exercise with Sammy. She fumbled the ball on 3 or 4 of the dozen or so of today's runs. I video recorded the whole practice just for the fun of it, and it just so happens that today was a really great practice for all of the dogs! We said farewell to Abby until the new year, but she really ended her flyball year on a strong note.

Saturday September 2nd 2006 - team practice (inside at TTH)

(Backfilled in October 2009 due to impending closure of Geocities)

Today was our team's first practice at TTH and Lucy's first time there. She just keeps surprising me: when we go somewhere new I keep expecting her to want to sniff around and check things out, but no; as soon as she sees the equipment and realizes she gets to play flyball, nothing else matters and it's right down to business! We did a bunch of full runs (including some "passing" with Sammy) and I started to experiment with how far back to send her from. It's so neat now to have all that space to play with. For the first time ever we timed her runs (using a stopwatch, jumps set at the minimum height, slant board, and wings). I was a bit nervous thinking she might ring in in the 8 or 10 second range! Here are her times from the ones we timed, in order that she did them:

5.86 (sent from close to the start line)
5.7something (sent from close to the start line)
5.34 (sent from a bit back from the start line (15 feet maybe? didn't measure)

Obviously she does better with a headstart. I will keep experimenting with the distances to find what works best for her. Of note, she didn't fumble the ball at all today. Also, on one run there were no wings and she did a wide turn but corrected herself in time for the jumps.

Saturday August 26th 2006 - team practice (inside BF)

(Backfilled in October 2009 due to impending closure of Geocities)

Not much room inside so did some "runs" with just one jump. Did some turns without the eavestrough but as soon as we tried it with the ball, she cheated by only putting her hands on the box. Also, Jenn tried sending her while I boxloaded. For the first time I tried calling her while she ran to the box and it really seemed to give her more power, but it was hard to tell if she was actually running faster or not since there was hardly any running room. It will be fun to try that at the Training Hall where there's so much more room. A few times while I boxloaded for her with the ball, she turned around and looked at me after getting the ball as if to say, "Look, I got it, see? Aren't you gonna give me a treat?" but when she remembered that Jenn was the one doling out the treats she got the hang of it again.

Saturday August 19th 2006 - team practice (outside)

(Backfilled in October 2009 due to impending closure of Geocities)

Started with boxwork, warming up to full runs. She was clumsy with the ball a few times but overall did well. "Passing" while doing full runs with Sammy went well too, but we did it mostly with Lucy first, then Sammy. Later on, for the first time, I tried being the boxloader while Jenn ran Lucy from two jumps back. The first time she did the turn but then stayed at the box, looking at me for treats (I hadn't put a ball that time). The second time I added the ball and she did better. By the third time (with ball again) she had it figured out that Jenn was the one treating her and she didn't so much as look at me. I didn't say a word to Lucy as she ran to the box today so as not to confuse her too much, but next time I'll try calling her to get her speed up towards the box. Did a bit of distraction work by having her do recalls while Tashtego was doing boxwork in the other lane. Also we had some new people there today including a boy who helped out and did some boxloading, which Lucy was totally comfortable with.

Saturday August 12th 2006 - team practice (outside)

(Backfilled in October 2009 due to impending closure of Geocities)

Today was the team's first practice with our second set of jumps! Lucy did several full runs (now with all four jumps) with box sprung. I will make a point of doing two or three warm-up turns before bringing in the jumps and ball since she does much better that way. We ran out of time so didn't do any other exercises today. After practice our team went to watch some flyball in Carp. I got Lucy to do some sits, downs, and other stuff to get her focus while all the competing dogs were barking, to get her used to working with all that noise. She's pretty easygoing and doesn't seem bothered by the noise. I ballshagged for one race while Lucy hung out with Abby and barked. Thanks to Tim, here are some fun photos of Lucy at today's practice:

A little awkward at first...


Getter better...


After a few warm-up runs, now she's really into it.


On the box (this might have been a warm-up run with no ball)


Got the ball, now back over the four jumps to go get her reward for a job well done!

Thursday August 10th 2006 - lesson with Claire at another outside venue Lucy had never been to before

(Backfilled in October 2009 due to impending closure of Geocities)

I am so proud of Lucy! Today we had a flyball lesson at another place she's never been to before, in the country, outside, unfenced. As soon as she saw the box and the jumps and realized she was going to get to play flyball, she got all happy and excited. We started with some boxwork, using a slant board instead of eavestrough, did two or three turns with no jumps or ball, then quickly progressed to full runs (3 jumps, 4th as wing) with springloaded box. She was so excited to be playing flyball, leaning into my hands as I held her back before releasing, and we both had so much fun. Then we did some work towards passing with Sammy, with one dog doing a run and on the recall actually running past the next dog who was being held and then sent after the first dog finished passing. This is a great exercise to get Lucy comfortable with another dog running past her and it went well. NOT ONCE during the whole lesson did she make any false starts, go offcourse to sniff this or that, or miss any jumps. Sure she was a bit clumsy with the ball at the box sometimes, but I can live with that seeing as she did so great with everything else. Fun fun fun!

Also, recently came across a piece called "Learning to Fly" by Marisa Coppage. The second last paragraph really sums up how I feel about flyball. It is so well written that I thought I would include it here:

The heart of flyball is not about points, titles, ribbons, or even world records. It is not about breeding or training for success and it is not about playing to win. It is not about form, or method, or speed. The heart of flyball is about an entire crowd of people stopping what they are doing to cheer a dog on. It is about a little dog who does her very best to get a ball and bring it back to her person because for some odd reason that makes her person happy. It is about stopping on the way home to share a scoop of vanilla, because, win or lose, you both did your best and you both deserve it. It is about getting to spend one more day in this short lifetime with a dog who makes your world complete.

Almost enough to bring a tear to your eye, no? :^D

Monday August 7th 2006 - team practice with Pam at outside venue Lucy had never been to before

Hooray! Despite all the exotic and enticing country smells, she didn't run off following her nose! That in itself was a huge test for Lucy and I'm thrilled she passed it. The tasty and smelly treats I brought did their job. We did a few turns without ball, then brought in the ball. She fumbled the first one but then did some good turns. Pam suggests putting a board (an eavestrough will do), straight out like a wall, on the right side of the box to help tighten her turn.

Saturday August 5th 2006 - team practice (outside)

(Backfilled in October 2009 due to impending closure of Geocities)

Started with boxwork, had someone hold her back and I would race her to and back from the box to get her to run faster, but it's not working too well because I'm not exactly fast myself! She was a bit clumsy and dropped the ball a couple of times when the box was unpsrung. Then we did full runs with Sammy (three jumps only, fourth as wing), where as soon as one dog finished and was focused on their handler then the other dog would go. I noticed Lucy is more eager now to go and do her run, and I didn't have to ease her into it by adding more jumps one at a time. Then we did two-lane passing with Emily, the two lanes now only two feet apart, and the dogs were released simultaneously, passing in the middle. I noticed Lucy look briefly at Emily but she came straight to me, good dog! (The other times we did passing exercises, the dogs were released more or less one at a time, so this was new for her.)

Thursday August 3rd 2006 - home practice

(Backfilled in October 2009 due to impending closure of Geocities)

Have been practicing for 5-10 minutes every day this week since had the box at home, putting a jump 15 feet back from the box and springloading it. Either she's just had a good week or she has really improved in terms of getting her coordination and not accidentally dropping the ball and having it get all tangled in the jump/wing. In fact I don't think she's dropped it once all week. Also, if I practice with Walter beforehand she gets jealous so she's really excited when it's finally her turn, and she really pushes forward against me when I hold her back before sending her. Here's a photo of her getting the ball.

Saturday July 29th 2006 - home practice

(Backfilled in October 2009 due to impending closure of Geocities)

Lucy missed today's team practice due to having eaten something she shouldn't have yesterday. She was feeling better later on so we did some runs at home with one jump 15 feet back. Here are some photos from today's practice:

Saturday July 22nd 2006 - team practice (outside)

(Backfilled in October 2009 due to impending closure of Geocities)

For full runs, someone held her behind the third jump and I stood between the box and the next jump, then ran with her back over the three jumps. It was the first time that she was sent to do a run by someone other than me and she was quite cooperative. Passing with Sammy went fine.

Tuesday July 18th 2006 - home practice update

(Backfilled in October 2009 due to impending closure of Geocities)

Over the last few days I've been practicing Lucy on my home-made box, getting her to do the turn without the aid of the eavestrough. I worked on this a bit the last time I had the team box at home, but this week I really focused on it. At first she was a bit confused, but within minutes she had the hang of it. She now does the proper turn every time, and I no longer have to warm her up by putting the eavestrough in front of the box and then moving it away. I'm not sure when the right time will be to work on getting her to do this at team practice WITH the ball, but at least I know she can do it no problem in the absence of a ball.

Saturday July 15th 2006 - team practice (outside)

(Backfilled in October 2009 due to impending closure of Geocities)

Today we did a bit of distraction training with the boxwork. Our teammates were standing off to the side of the box rather than in the runback area. So when I sent her to the box (no ball), she took the three jumps (fourth jump at the box for a tighter turn) but then looked around and came back without hitting the box. After a few tries she did it better though. She was a bit faster today with the recalls, probably because it was cloudy and cooler and she was showing off for Walter who joined us for this practice. She even did some nice tugging on the recalls! But once she remembered about treats, her desire to tug pretty much disappeared. On a side note, it's really exciting to see the other dogs coming along. For example, the two height dogs are really really close to being able to go over the jumps with their handlers running alongside, hit the box, and run back over the jumps, and I imagine the ball will be introduced to them soon. All the dogs are just doing great and having fun too!

Saturday July 8th 2006 - team practice (outside)

(Backfilled in October 2009 due to impending closure of Geocities)

Considering Lucy's last outside flyball practice which went less than great, my goal for the practice was for Lucy to do full runs (minus the last jump which we put at the box to help tighten her turn) with the ball, like she did several weeks ago. After a few goofups with Lucy hoping to get a taste of the treat bag that was sitting behind the box, she was soon doing it! Goal achieved. Recalls, honouring running dog, and passing were no problem.

Sunday July 2nd 2006 - team practice (inside BF)

(Backfilled in October 2009 due to impending closure of Geocities)

Lucy was back on track at today's indoor practice (the ground was wet outside). Left Walter at home today so that Lucy could have my full attention. For box work, warmed up with 1 jump back, then added ball and quickly added in all 4 jumps with ball. Recall from box: No problems there. Two-lane passing with Tashtego: Did well with that too. It was a great practice and she didn't deek around any jumps at all.

Saturday June 24th 2006 - team practice (outside)

(Backfilled in October 2009 due to impending closure of Geocities)

It wasn't the best of practices for us today! Lucy was very slow and not focused on her runs. Poor girl has an ear infection at the moment though, which I realized after is a good excuse for today's poor performance. The more beginner dogs on our team are really coming along very nicely, getting good consistent turns on the box and great recalls over all four jumps.

Saturday June 17th 2006 - team practice (outside)

(Backfilled in October 2009 due to impending closure of Geocities)

Today was Lucy's first try at doing the box outside, and she did great! After a few warm-up turns we were doing the run with 3 jumps and ball, just like we had been doing indoors. However, a few times she came darn close to cheating her form but I'm pretty sure that's because I forgot to move the eavestrough a bit back from the box.

Friday June 16th 2006 - catch-up entry

(Backfilled in October 2009 due to impending closure of Geocities)

Having seen a flyball demo at the spring 2005 B.A.R.K. walkathon, I was interested in seeing if Lucy had any flyball potential, so we signed up for a beginner's flyball class in the fall of 2005. She did quite well in the classes and by the end of the 6-week session was getting all four on the box. (I had set up a practice "box" at home using a carpet-covered piece of plywood leaning up against the wall, which worked wonders in getting her to understand the box concept.) The level 2 course followed in Jan-Feb 2006 and soon into level 2 she was getting the ball. By the end of level 3 (March/April 2006) I could send her from 3 jumps back and she'd hit the box with good form (although still with the eavestrough jump in front of the box), grab the ball and come back over the 3 jumps. Passing exercises went well unless the other dog came into her face which she didn't much like. Lucy is now part of the brand new Best Friends' Flyball Fanatics team and is having lots of fun at the weekly practices. The first three photos are with my second home-made practice "box" in spring 2006, a bit of an upgrade over the carpet-covered plank leaning against the wall:

May 6 2006 at the first team practice

2006 entries

Here are Lucy's 2006 flyball journal entries.