Hebe is fine at doing lose change overs but it goes against everything she believes in to face another dog head on, she drops the ball in panic and runs back to mummy for protection I need to build her confidence up (its not her retrieve as thats perfect) but i fear i have shot myself in the foot by playing chuckit with her and Dex - she will no longer bother going anywhere near him if he has a ball or if hes heading off to get one and just waits for another to be thrown.

Help we have a starters comp soon nailbiting

Is it just the change overs when she's coming back from the box thats the problem? How is she when she's on her way to the box and has to change with the dog on its way back?


Kat

Maybe if you train with the box and just one hurdle for this and, at first, wait until she's well back over the hurdle before letting another dog go over it to the box and just praise her when she ignores the other dog. As she gets more confident, gradually bring forward the time when the other dog is released. If she stops again, move back a step and keep working on it. Once she's ok with the other dog coming forward, build up the number of hurdles back to 4 again.
If she is also fretting at the dog coming back when she goes like Kat asked, have a dog to go before her too and do the same thing as with the dog after her. Gradually get them to do it closer and closer together.

I know at our club, they also get the dogs used to this by holding two of them at a point about 50 ft apart and there is somebody else at each end to shout each dog so they run to that person from their own end and have to pass each other in the middle as they do. It also gets them used to ignoring dogs on the next lane but I don't think thats your issue here. It's worth trying to get her to pass another dog more closely without fretting. Try a shorter distance first and build it up.

If she doesn't get used to it before your starters comp, ask if she can be the last dog to run on the team. She'll not have to pass another dog when she returns then.

I was going to suggest running her as last dog if its only the change over on her way back thats the problem.


Kat

Hi, what I did with Roxie, was have two dogs doing opposite recalls in the garden, start with a good safe distance between them so there is no room for error and slowly move them closer together, this also worked really well on dog that a very strong chase instincnt.

Hope it helps and good luck, maybe we will see you at a tournament.

Margaret Valley flyball team, runningdog www.valleyflyball1.webeden.co.uk

As one of the trainers said she has to be different lol and is absolutely mental going out to fetch the ball its just on the way back that she has problems. We have been running her as the fourth dog but last week when she noticed another dog near the first jump she refused to even come back and jumped the netting. I will give your ideas a shot and see how we go tomorrow.

Her problem is shes too smart and i think shes realised if she jumps over the netting or runs out she gets another go at getting another ball, smart ar*e rolleyes*