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Maintaining Canine Fitness During Flyball Hiatus – PART 2 of 2

Authors: Keri Evers-McQuiggan, Lisa DosPassos, Emma Mak

In the second part of this series of how to keep our flyball dogs fit during this time off, we’re looking at our last two (4 & 5) canine fitness topics: how to keep a veteran dog fit and healthy, and suggestions for exercises to help prevent injuries in the future. Check out our previous article (1 to 3) that looked at how to keep your dog fit when you have limited space, a weekly program for canine fitness, and how to teach behaviors geared specifically for puppy fitness.

Our contributors to this series are all NAFA competitors and have certifications in the canine fitness/rehab/conditioning field. The advice given here deals with general exercises, and should not be taken as specific medical advice for your dog.

4How do I keep my veteran dog fit and healthy?

Contributor: Keri Evers-McQuiggan, DVM, CCRP, Niagara Canine Conditioning Centre in Niagara, ON

Club and Region: Keri runs with SpringLoaded in Region 2

Keri has been playing flyball for 17 years and currently runs with her 3.9s Boston Terrier, Bacardi Breezer.

The good news is that even with this prolonged layoff from flyball, our dogs haven’t lost a lot of fitness . . . provided they have been maintaining a moderate level of activity. Veteran dogs certainly know the game, so missing out on practices and competitions is not a concern regarding loss of skills. The most important things are keeping them limber and ready for action so that they don’t hurt themselves when they return to full activity and sports.

If you haven’t been able to maintain some level of activity, now is the time to start EASING your way into more exercise. Start with walks on flat, even ground for 10-15 minutes. As you feel more comfortable, make walks longer and start adding in hills and rougher terrain, then add some spurts of jogging.

If your dog has had an injury in the past or has joint pain or stiffness, passive range of motion (PROM) is a great way to get those joints loosened up and feeling good again. To do this, put one hand on each side of the joint and slowly move through the full but comfortable PROM for 30 to 60 seconds. There’s no need to force or stretch anything. DO NOT “BICYCLE” A LIMB. Most dogs don’t like this and it’s not a natural movement; focus on one joint at at time.

Core strength and joint stability are the keys to minimizing injury. Isometric exercises, where muscles are contracted but not changing length, are low impact and very effective—for example, balancing on an unstable surface like an air mattress or other inflatable. Leg lifts are another easy exercise. Start by lifting one leg at a time. Don’t lift too high, and do keep the limb in the plane of the body. Hold each one long enough that your dog has to stabilize himself, but not so long that he starts to fall over. If very wobbly, keep a hand under the belly to steady your dog. Progressions are holding the limbs longer, doing diagonal limbs at the same time, then going to both limbs on the same side. ALWAYS make sure you exercise on non-slip footing, but you can progress from the flat to unstable surfaces.

5What are some exercises I can do with my dog to prevent future injury?

Contributor: Lisa DosPassos, Certified Canine Rehabilitation Practitioner

Club and Region: Lisa is the captain of Revolution Flyball and runs in Region 15

Keeping your canine athlete fit and strong goes a long way in injury prevention. While the nature of many dog sports makes it impossible to prevent all injuries, we can take steps to reduce the likelihood of them occurring due to repetitive stress and compressive activities.

As we attempt to keep our dogs fit during this unexpected downtime, and as we prepare to start back up with training, the main goals are strength and mobility. Building and maintaining strength and mobility in three areas—your dog’s core, limbs and spine—are helpful for both optimal performance and prevention of injury.

CORE

Exercises and activities that focus on engaging the muscles of both the abdomen and spine of the dog are helpful for improving core strength.

Some exercises that are beneficial include:

Planking: Have your dog place both front feet on the floor, slightly forward of their natural stance, and reach their back feet to a surface just beyond their natural stance. Be careful not to over stretch your dog in this position, or the focus will be on limb stability rather than core engagement. Start with the dog targeting marks on flat ground (dots, tape, etc.) and progress to raised, stable surfaces (step, rubber bowl upside down) and then raised dynamic surfaces (inflatables or foam cushions). Be sure to stabilize any surface or material that the dog will be standing on. Hold the position for 10 to 30 seconds.

Leg Lifts: With your dog in a stable standing stance, slowly lift one leg off the floor, being careful to not pull the limb away from the body. Start with one leg, and have the dog hold this for 5 to 10 seconds. Repeat for each leg. To increase the challenge, lift one leg from the floor, and once the dog is stable, slowly lift the diagonal opposite leg, (example, right rear leg and front left leg). Hold the stance for 5 to 10 seconds. You can increase the challenge by having them standing on a dynamic surface such as an inflatable or on a large piece of foam matting. Be sure to keep the surface from shifting while your dog is standing and balancing.

LIMBS

Strengthening the limbs includes challenging both the large muscles as well as the smaller stabilizing muscles. Routinely performing range of motion exercises with your dog through all the joints of the legs, including the toes, will also alert you to any changes that may need attention.

Side Stepping: Guide your dog to step sideways:

Flat surface – side step in a heel position, or by guiding with a cookie or by using your body to guide. Add small poles such as agility jump poles, wrapping paper rolls or pool noodles for your dog to step over.

Raised surface – place your dog’s front feet or back feet onto a large rubber bowl, disc or a travel board, and guide them to step to one side and then the other.

Bows: Teach your dog to bow with their front end. Start on the floor, and to increase the challenge, progress to having the dog’s back feet on a surface a few inches in height. This is a great shoulder and front end exercise.

Sit to Stands: Position your dog in a corner and ask them to sit. Then ask them to break, stand, or get up (whichever command you normally use). Try to limit you dog from stepping forward while moving into the stand position. This will focus their effort on the hind end. Increase the challenge by having the dog stand with front feet up on a raised surface.

Range of Motion: Routinely take some time to move all of the joints of the limbs, from toes up to the body, through a full range of motion. Be sure to move each individual toe, bending and straightening each segment. A stiff or sore toe can create big problems either immediately or over time. If you notice any heat or reaction from your dog as you move any joint, compare it to the other side/limb and alert your rehab professional for further assessment.

SPINE

Spinal mobility and strength are integral to your dog’s health and fitness throughout their lifetime. Plank exercises and swimming can strengthen both your dog’s spinal muscles and stabilizers. Try the following stretches and movement exercises to help facilitate mobility and detect any limitations or difficulties which may need to be addressed.

Cookie Stretches: Lure your dog with cookies for these three neck/upper spine exercises:

Head Turns – Stand over your dog and gently “anchor” them around the waist area with your legs. Lure them to bring their head back towards their hip on each side, and reward them with a treat. Go back to neutral, and then lure them again, this time moving their nose towards their knee on each side. Finally, lure their head toward the floor or their toes. Note any hesitancy or difficulty from one side to the other.

Head Up/Head Down – Lure your dog to raise his head upward toward the ceiling, and then bring the treat down towards their sternum, moving your hand under and through their front legs. Hold this position for a few seconds as the dog tries to get the treat from your hand.

Side-to-side Neck Movement – With your dog seated in front of you, move the cookie slightly toward the front of their shoulder on each side, to encourage them to turn and move the upper part of their spine/neck.

Figure 8 or Leg Weaving: Lure or guide your dog to move in a figure-8 pattern on the floor, or to weave between your legs. Repeat several times in each direction. This is a good exercise to incorporate as a pre-run warm-up.

Zipper: “Zip” down your dog’s spine before they run. Hold your thumb against the side of your index finger (like you would hold a key), and before your dog goes for a run (down the course, for a recall, etc.), gently “zip” your hand down along the spine. This can bring blood flow to the spinal muscles and can also alert you to any sore areas. This technique is especially good for adult and senior dogs.

This is the final article in the two-part series on canine fitness in the time of our hiatus from flyball. Thank you to all our contributors: Joy Adiletta,
Keri Evers-McQuiggan, Lorraine Messier, April Pelletier and
Lisa DosPassos for providing invaluable information about how to keep our dogs fit and ready to return to flyball.

Hopefully these two articles inspire you to enjoy some quality one-on-one time with your dog doing some fitness exercises. Although, like us, most dogs would love to be in the lanes right now, just being with us is what they crave most. Until we can all see each other in the lanes again, stay safe. Go flyball!

Maintaining Canine Fitness During Flyball Hiatus – PART 1 of 2

Authors: Joy Adiletta, Emma Mak, Lorraine Messier, April Pelletier

How can we keep our flyball dogs fit during this time off from the sport we all love? With no tournaments, limited or no practice, not to mention restrictions on public spaces, it can be a real challenge. We approached some of our members that are professionals in the canine fitness and rehab field for some advice. The advice given here deals with general exercises, and should not be taken as specific medical advice for your dog.

We broke this topic down into six common questions and divided the content into two articles. This is Part 1 of 2 and deals with a weekly program for keeping your dog fit, activities/exercises for small spaces, and taught behaviors geared specifically for puppy fitness!

Thanks to our knowledgeable contributors for the great input! Is there a topic you would like to see addressed? Or maybe you’d like to be a guest author? Let us know at cc@flyball.org if you have an idea for an article or would like to contribute.

1How do I keep my dog fit when I have limited space (indoors or in my backyard)?

Contributor: Joy Adiletta, CCFT in Seattle, WA

Club and Region: Joy runs with Engage Flyball in Region 7

Joy has been a CCFT since the program’s inception in 2016 and owns Ready on the Line Canine Fitness Training. She is owner/captain of Engage Flyball, and currently races with Ezri (HOBBES), Sirella (FGdCh40K) and Sarek (puppy in training)

Requirements: Indoor or outdoor 10′ x 10′ space; Equipment: Stool, padded surface.

It can be a challenge to keep your dog fit in small spaces, especially in the current COVID-19 situation where shared larger spaces may be inaccessible. You can do some simple exercises at home with minimal equipment that will help keep your dog fit. Make sure care is taken to ensure good form (not as easy with the busy, fast dogs!) Give these exercises a try, and see if you can think of other ones to add on once you’ve mastered them—or contact a certified canine fitness trainer (look for the CCFT or CPCFT certifications) for more help!

Tuck Sit to Kickback Stand with Stool – Have the dog place their front paws up on the stool and then bring their rear to a tuck sit, hold for reward, then have them kick their hind feet back into a stand. This works the rear end and the core, as having the front paws up ensures weight-bearing in the rear, and the movements utilize the core muscles.
Pivot with Stool – Have the dog place their front paws up on the stool and then pivot around the stool with their back legs (go in both directions!) For best results, the dog should move their rear feet independently, not just shuffle in reaction to your lure or body pressure. Advanced dogs can also step over stationary objects around the stool. This exercise is great for rear end strength and agility, as well as better body awareness.
Roll Over on Padded Surface – The twisting motion that our dogs go through in a box turn is called transverse motion, and it’s one of the hardest ones to work outside of flyball. Teaching a slow and controlled Roll Over (on a padded surface for comfort—a rug or yoga mat is great) is the simplest way to work those muscles. Be sure to teach it in both directions, and keep it slow and controlled to get the most benefit out of the exercise.
Spin/Turn & Leg Weaves – Spin/Turn is simply having the dog turn in a circle with a flat back, ideally slowly and on command, without a lure. Many dogs like to spin really fast, or spin and land in a sit, so take the time to train a slow movement that keeps the dog in a stand at the end. Remember to teach both directions! This exercise helps with spinal flexibility and body awareness. Once your dog does spin and turn well, you can progress to leg weaves. Leg weaves are great for warming up and focusing before going into the flyball ring, too, so will be helpful when we return to competition!

Sirella and Sarek – demonstration of Roll Over and Spin/Turn

2What are some suggestions for fitness activities for puppies and young dogs (under than 15 months)?

Contributor: April Pelletier CVT, CCFT, FP-MT in Pembroke, MA

Club and Region: April runs with Mass Chaos in Region 13

April has five dogs that are either playing flyball or in training to compete.

Many of us have puppies right now (including myself!) and we are looking for ways to keep them active with age-appropriate activities. Fitness activities are a great way to work your puppy’s mind and body, and you don’t need much time or fancy equipment!

The most important thing you can do with your puppy fitness-wise is to teach them body awareness. This is a critical skill for all our flyball dogs, not only to help prevent injury, but also to improve performance. Simple activities like teaching your puppy to walk over poles (cavalettis), pivot work, backing up, and teaching them a rear foot target are just a few of the many body-awareness activities you can do to benefit your puppy.

For this article I’m going to provide instruction on how to begin teaching your puppy two important foundation behaviors: how to pivot and how to tuck sit!

For teaching the pivot you will need something stable and fairly low to the ground for your puppy to put their front feet on (try a rubber feed bowl, placed upside down.) It is important to make sure whatever prop you choose won’t move around on the ground while your puppy is stepping on it. It’s also crucial that your pup has a non-slip surface while pivoting. I recommend putting down a yoga mat (or two) on the ground, if needed. Check out this video:

Foundations for Pivoting

We can also teach our puppies some foundation behaviors for fitness that will help them with more advanced fitness exercises as they get older. Taught behaviors such as tucks sits, folding downs, kickback stands and rockback sits are useful for this and also build body awareness.

For teaching your puppy a tuck sit you will need a low, stable, non-slip object that is large enough for your puppy to comfortably fit all four feet on (I recommend a balance pad which you get on Amazon, but you can also use a couch cushion or a memory foam dog bed). Again, we want to make sure the floor surface isn’t slippery, so put down some yoga mats if needed. Here is a video on teaching a puppy to tuck sit:

Foundations for Tuck Sit

We have only just grazed the surface of the many fitness activities you can do with your puppy! If you are interested in learning more about canine fitness for your puppy or adult dog, please visit www.newenglandk9athlete.com or follow us on Facebook.

3What is a good weekly program for keeping my flyball dog fit during these times?

Contributor: Lorraine Messier, Owner/Trainer at Canine New England, Inc., in Walpole, MA

Club and Region: Lorraine runs with Patriot Flyball, Region 13

Lorraine has been playing Flyball in Region 13 since before it was an official region! She started with a club called Jumpmasters and recently launched a new club called Patriot Flyball. She is also a NAFA Judge.

Fitness fundamentals start with very basic behaviors. This allows you and your dog to develop a system of understanding and identifying proper behavior, and how to use verbal cues and rewards effectively.

If we start back at the beginning . . . did you teach your dog to sit first? How did the dog sit? Most dogs learn by following a treat at the nose, following the treat upward and backward until the butt touches the ground and . . . BAM! we give them a cookie. By not identifying clearly the behavior we want, your dog may have ended up with a lazy sit to the side, each foot pointing east and west, with their knees up near their ribs! Let’s start at the beginning so we can train those muscles to support the hind end and core throughout your flyball dog’s lifetime.

If you and your dog are new to fitness fundamentals, here is a list of seven routines to teach—a new one for each day of the week! Typically we practice a routine of two reps, three to five times (2 rep., 3-5x) with a break in between.

Some dogs may already have many of these behaviors and should work towards practicing each of these three to five times (3-5x) within a single session every day. This would equate to roughly 20 minutes (including breaks in between). Given the drive of flyball dogs, this should be an easy place to start.

DAY 1: Tuck Sit

Work this exercise on the flat. Front feet should be stationary while bringing the rear feet forward. Butt/hips are to be square with the shoulders.

DAY 2: Kickback Stand

Once again, this is done on the flat. This exercise is great for building core, hind end and belly. Work on a tuck sit to kickback stand as part of your routine.

DAY 3: Play Bow into a Sphynx Lie-Down

This can be three exercises in one: ask for a play bow, unfold to a stand; play bow into a down (Sphynx position); and back to stand.

DAY 4: Backing Up

Get your dog stepping backwards in a straight line.

DAY 5: Pivot

This works best from a raised platform. Get your dog in a straight stance in front of you with front feet on a platform and work the pivot using your body pressure, stepping left and right; hind feet are stepping both clockwise and counterclockwise.

DAY 6: Full Body Stretch

Using a raised platform (for example, edge of the couch), get the dog’s front feet on the platform with their rear feet on the floor. Encourage stretching upward while ensuring the top line of the dog remains straight (do not let your dog arch their neck backward over the spine!)

DAY 7: Figure-8 Through Legs

Slow rotation is best to encourage each step.

This seven-day routine can be made more challenging by using a slant board to enable greater weight distribution to the hind end.

This concludes Part ONE of our TWO-part series.

Thank you to Joy, Lorraine and April for their contributions to this article! Part 2 of this series will be coming shortly and addresses two more areas of canine fitness in the time of our hiatus from flyball: how to keep your veteran dog fit and healthy, and suggestions for exercises to prevent injuries in the future.

While we are all missing flyball, may you and your canine athletes stay healthy and safe until we can get back in the lanes once again!

BOTC Flyball (Bloomington Obedience Training Club) – Region 3 (Bloomington, MN)

botcflyball@gmail.com

BOTC Flyball Facebook page

https://botcmn.org/training/flyball/

BOTC Flyball believes there is a place in Flyball for every dog, no matter the breed or speed. We believe in playing Flyball for FUN! – having fun as a team, with our local Flyball community and most importantly, having fun with our dogs!!

We are a small group of friends with a passion for the sport. Most of us train & compete in other sports together including: Obedience/Rally, Agility, Barn Hunt and Lure Coursing! We always encourage and cheer each other on, no matter what sport we are playing.

BOTC Flyball was registered with NAFA as club #31 on 3/15/1999, and remained active for over ten years before the program was discontinued at BOTC. After a ten year hiatus, five club members came together to breathe new life into the team. Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, the team was reborn!

We are currently a small club but, we are looking to grow! We do offer flyball classes twice a year (fall/winter & spring). Those interested in classes can reach us at botcflyball@gmail.com for information on the next class session.

Matsqui Flyball and Agility Club – Region 7 (Abbotsford, British Columbia)

http://mfacdogs.com

MFAC Facebook Page

Matsqui Flyball and Agility Club practices in Abbotsford, British Columbia. We hosted our first Flyball tournament in May 1991. We pride ourselves in creating an enjoyable team experience for dogs and handlers. As a result, our team has grown significantly in the past few years. We recruit and train throughout the year working with both rookie and experienced dogs and handlers. At MFAC our members range in age and we welcome Jr. Handlers to participate. Many of our members compete in other dog sports including dog agility, urban mushing, and nose work.

Our club presents demos for the public throughout the year. We especially like festival events such as Canada Day as many of our dogs love showing off, getting cheers, and meeting their fans. As much as we love to have fun, we also get serious about competing. We travel to tournaments throughout Western Canada and the USA to let the fur fly. Several of our team dogs have achieved their Grand Champion status.

If you would like to learn more about Matsqui Flyball and Agility Club please visit http://mfacdogs.com or visit http://facebook.com/mfacdogs

Diamonds in the Ruff Flyball – Region 8 (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan)

www.diamondsflyball.ca

Diamonds in the Ruff Flyball Team Facebook Page

Diamonds in the Ruff Instagram

diamondsflyball@gmail.com

Diamonds in the Ruff Flyball Club was founded in September 2001 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. We are a fun, enthusiastic group of people who come together to play a game that we and our dogs love – flyball!!

Diamonds in the Ruff is dedicated to improving the life of man’s best friend, the dog. By participating in Flyball, offering training classes, promoting responsible pet ownership, and engaging in community activities (including rescue events), we demonstrate the true passion and dedication we hold for this sport and man’s best friend. Diamonds in the Ruff also promotes the sport of Flyball by setting an example of team spirit, cohesiveness, and fun at both practice and at tournaments for all participants. We believe that it takes an entire village to train a flyball dog.

We advocate using positive reinforcement (reward-based training) and setting the dog up for success to teach our dogs. We reinforce desired behaviours with verbal, food and play rewards. This ensures that learning the sport is fun for both dog and handler! We do not use any form of punishment.

Diamonds in the Ruff does not support any form of Breed Specific Legislation. Flyball is a dog sport that any dog and handler should be able to participate in. Breed Specific Legislation DOES NOT protect people from dog bites or dangerous dogs. Only responsible pet ownership and holding owners response for their dog’s actions will change the statistics.

We love to socialize after tournaments, either at a restaurant or campsite and our snack table at tournaments is so good. We love escape rooms!! Our members are really creative and crafty with lots of home made items on our fantastic raffle tables including home made quilts! We have have awesome “pit crews” that are so efficient and maximize our warm up time at tournaments. We also promote the participation of our junior handlers.

We are the fastest team (14.730 sec) and the 1st club in Saskatchewan to run sub 15 seconds. Our club had the 1st dog to earn an ONYX in Saskatoon. His name was Lugnut (a Great Dane/Chesapeake Bay retriever mix). We have a very diverse range of breeds, sizes, and ages of dogs. We also host the largest flyball tournament in the prairies!

Our team practices on the weekend during the fall and winter and a weeknight during spring and summer. Practices are geared specifically to the individual dog, as well as team-specific training. Our training goals are geared towards excellence in techniques to enable dogs to succeed both safely and to the best of their abilities

We run classes during the fall and winter and are accepting new students and members at this time. Our classes include Relationship building and Sports Foundation, and Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced Flyball. The Advanced class is geared specifically to dogs and owner who are considering competition. Contact us by email: diamondsflyball@gmail.com for more information.

Blockade Runners – Region 9 (Wendell, Cedar Grove & Julian, NC)

www.blockaderunnersflyball.com

Blockade Runners Flyball Facebook Page

The Blockade Runners were founded in Raleigh, North Carolina in 1996 by Mike Randall. Mike was originally with the Front Runners Flyball team, which is based out of Michigan. Mike Randall wrote the first NAFA Rule Book in 1985, and was also the first NAFA Executive Director.

Being a team player is really important to the Blockade Runners Flyball Team! We have some rules:

While participation in practice, demos to the public and tournaments is not mandatory, having fun is!
No drama.
Positive dog training is a requirement – have fun with your dog!
Everyone has input into lineups and seed times for team, but once they are submitted, no whining!

Everyone is welcome to attend our practices! Regardless if you are new to the sport, or if you are already playing flyball with another team, everyone’s welcome. All dog breeds and mixes are also welcome. We do not charge for our practices. We have many years of experience, and can help you train your dog. We have chosen not to host classes that require payment as we simply enjoy the sport and don’t want to get into charging for training.

At the NAFA’s CanAm…the biggest tournament in the world!

The Man Behind the New EJS Start Lights

Get to Know NAFA People – Dave Thomas, the ‘Flying Nerd’

The first in a series designed to let readers know some of the people behind the scenes at NAFA
by Emma Mak, NAFA Communications Committee

Dave Thomas with his flying pup, Cassie, on the wing of his Cirrus SR22

NAFA is incredibly thankful to have Dave Thomas, a Go Dog Go! member from North Carolina, as a technical consultant on the Technology Committee. Some of you may recognize Dave as the person behind the APES (Automatic Pass Evaluator System) used in the Championship rings at NAFA’s CanAm Flyball Classic.

In 2018, Dave created a prototype for new start lights (light trees) donating all his engineering time, which could have easily cost many thousands of dollars, and charging NAFA only for the cost of parts. NAFA’s goals for new development of EJS include reduction of overall cost, easily replaceable parts, and an eye towards reducing shipping costs as supplier rates continue to escalate. These are all things Dave delivered in his prototype for the start lights. They’ve since been tested alongside the current lights at multiple events in the East and Midwest with great success. Now, NAFA is a few months away from having five new EJS start light sets, ready to replace existing sets as they fail.

The new lights offer the following features:

– one horizontal light instead of two vertical ones, saving space and reducing weight for shipping

– use an affordable, readily available 20V battery that can be charged in 1 hour

– low cost, easily replaceable parts – including LED light strips, Raspberry Pi computer

– flexibility in terms of how the lights can be programmed to work and look

The Technology Committee was initially concerned that competitors would find the horizontal configuration of the lights too different from the original, but as Jonathan Bescher, NAFA Supervising Judge in Region 9 explains, “It took a few heats to get used to the horizontal flow of the lights, but once you saw it, it was very easy to adjust.” He adds, “The feedback I have heard from competitors has all been positive. With the lights not hanging down from the poles, it allows more room and visibility to see the time displays behind the box loaders.” Flags and lane wins are indicated by red lights or green flashing lights at the far end of each side (left for flag left lane, right for flag right lane, etc.).

Start Lights in action…*

* NOTE:
The brightness of the lights in this video is not true to life, due to camera exposure settings. During tests, the New EJS Start Lights were found to be as bright, or brighter than existing lights.

As NAFA looks to the future of the EJS, Dave would like to totally eliminate the need for head table workers and work toward fully automated, real time tournament scoring. Line judge time sheets could be replaced with software on tablets. Dave has already written software for this (the “Stats Helper” application) that obtains times from the EJS, and line judges need to only define run order and confirm race result. Lighter, thinner time displays, as well as moving away from Farmtek’s custom designed hardware to off-the-shelf hardware and open source software where possible, are all being discussed.

So, who is Dave Thomas? Dave retired from a 35-year career at IBM, including 15 years as a chip designer and 15 years of software development of C++ and kernel level C debuggers.

In Dave’s own words (Warning: highly technical content ahead), “Projects included DRAM , numerous analog, and microprocessor designs. I got a patent for the first NMOS, non-volatile RAM cell—a big deal before CMOS technology was affordable. I also spent several years designing high frequency DC/DC convertors and the chip to make the designs possible. I share a patent for the first 1 Mhz, monolithic DC/DC convertor chip (along with several of my co-workers).”

Later he did the hardware design for the for worldwide compatible modem for the Thinkpad machines. He adds, “Back then, countries had widely varied regulatory requirements which drove many unique hardware designs. My ‘universal’ design had programmable electrical characteristics so a single hardware design could pass regulatory requirements in all countries.”

It’s okay if you didn’t understand all of the above two paragraphs, you’re not alone. To say Dave has an absolute passion for all things technical would be an understatement. In his retirement, his enthusiasm hasn’t dwindled in the least. “Now I do embedded hardware and software development for fun. I just love writing code in any language! It’s instant gratification versus chip design.”

With his penchant for riding electric unicycles and being a licensed commercial drone operator, as Dave would be the first to admit, he tends towards super geeky pursuits . . . but he and his wife, Sandy, also a former engineer at IBM, have plenty of decidedly non-nerd hobbies, including skiing, scuba diving, and hiking in Montana. And if you ask Dave how he got into flyball he’ll tell you, “It was a good excuse to fly! Flying to a flyball tournament was a nice alternative to a weekend trip for a $100 hamburger.” Dave is also an instrument-rated pilot and owns his own plane, a Cirrus SR22.

Having a similar Cirrus airplane saved Dave’s life in 2016, when he survived a crash with “only a collapsed T12 vertebra.” The Cirrus is special for having a ballistic parachute system. Due to engine power loss during that flight, Dave as pilot was able to take quick action, pulling an emergency handle which launched a rocket which then deployed a parachute, allowing the whole plane to safely descend to the ground.

See a nail-biting demonstration of this feature in the above brief video

The future of NAFA EJS looks bright, in huge part thanks to Dave’s generous contributions of hours of time and brain power. Ask Dave if he has any answers for a technical issue and he’ll rapidly provide myriad detailed and innovative solutions. Not only does he generate creative ideas, he quickly hones in on the most practical solution, and with NAFA’s go-ahead, gets the work done.

Dave plans to bring a new start light set to CanAm 2019 for demonstration to interested flyballers. You can find him near the Pit Boss area . . . if he’s not off somewhere riding his electric unicycle or racing with Go Dog Go!

Power UN-leashed Flyball – Region 3 (Minneapolis, Minnesota)

Celebrating some new flyball titles with cake!

Power UN-leashed Flyball Club

Power UN-leashed Flyball Club practices at Twin Cities Obedience Training Club in Minneapolis, Minnesota. We are a small club that right now has seven Border Collies, an Australian Shepherd and four mixes. We are all great friends and enjoy participating in tournaments in Minnesota and Wisconsin. We’re in flyball for our dogs to have fun, and in return we have a BLAST!

The first title is a very important one!

We offer a six week class for $120. Contact us through our Facebook page and get started today.

Capital Flyers – Region 15 (Silver Spring, MD)

Capital Flyers after our win at CanAm – NAFA’s Premier Annual Event in Indianapolis, IN

https://cdtc.org

Email Contact: Dona Dwyer at ddildon@aol.com

Capital Flyers is one of the first and oldest flyball teams located in Silver Spring, Maryland. Our team was first started when after a trip to Texas, Neil Jennings found out what the wonderful game of flyball was all about. We started training our dogs shortly after that. Back then, we used tuna/cat food cans on the end of a wooden pole and the box had a small trigger plate on the front. Mind you this was in 1983, before outdoor lights and training facilities! Flyball boxes have come a long way since then. As the years have passed, we have had teams split off from Capital Flyers and No Speed Limit. Now there are 15 teams across Maryland and Virginia that play flyball.

Currently, we are looking for new members to create another team. As mentioned previously, we practice in Silver Spring, Maryland. Practice is held Saturday night at the Capital Dog Training Clubhouse (CDTC). Each session is eight weeks and costs $100 for non-CDTC members. For additional questions, please contact Dona Dwyer at ddildon@aol.com. More info about flyball as well as CDTC can be found on this website https://cdtc.org.

Hoping to race with you soon!

Tampa Bay Barkaneers – Region 11 (St. Petersburg, Florida)

www.dtcsp.org

Contact Email: flyballmom@yahoo.com

Tampa Bay Barkaneers Facebook page

Tampa Bay Barkaneers was established in 2007 and is one of the longest running active clubs in Florida. We train at The Dog Training Club of St. Petersburg, St Petersburg, Florida.

Our goals has always been to have fun…and we do! Our members pull together, support each other and help each other to train and compete. Being a team is what makes flyball unique as a dog sport. It is this TEAMWORK that makes the Barkaneers such a great team!

Outside of the flyball lanes, we like our dogs to be versatile and members have earned titles in Agility, Conformation, Dock Diving, Obedience, Rally, FASTCat and Barn Hunt.

Tampa Bay Barkaneers in action!

We offer regular, weekly ‘Intro to Flyball’ Classes and our Team Flyball Practice is held on Sunday evenings. Contact us at the above links to find out times and confirm availability.

Arizona Supercharged Flyball – Region 6 (Gilbert, Arizona)

Team members celebrating with a dinner, following a 1st place finish in an out of state tournament.

www.ArizonaSupercharged.com

azsc.flyball@gmail.com

Arizona Supercharged Flyball Team Facebook page

Arizona Supercharged Flyball promotes inclusivity and fun on our club – we are friends first, and work together to train and compete. We use the most up-to-date training methods to get the most out of all our dogs. Our club captains attend seminars consistently and also participate in online training with some of the top flyball competitors in North America.

Small dogs, large dogs, unusual breeds are all welcome – we currently have the following dog breeds on our club: Border Collie, Australian Shepherd, Jack Russell Terrier, Belgian Malinois, German Shepherd, Chihuahua, Shiba Inu, American Pit Bull Terrier and also sport bred mixes and rescued mixes. We often accept re-trains as well, and place a lot of emphasis on proper technique.

Flyball demo at an Arizona Rattlers Arena Football Game with another local club.

Our club enjoys scrimmages with other local clubs and hanging out outside of flyball. Other activities we enjoy together include team dinners, parties, game nights, dock diving, kayaking and disc. We attend all local tournaments and often travel to surrounding states 2-3 times a year as well.

Arizona Supercharged Flyball is celebrating over 10 years together! We are looking for goal-oriented people, who enjoy a team environment, that want to share in this fun, high-adrenaline sport with us, to send us a message or email. Contact us at our Facebook page listed above, or drop us an email to find out more about flyball and how to get started with lessons!

Small, medium, and large dogs are all welcome to enjoy the exciting sport of flyball!

Pawmetto Pack Flyball – Region 9 (Florence, South Carolina)

Pawmetto Pack Facebook page

www.pawmettopack.com

pp.flyball@gmail.com

Founded in 2002, Pawmetto Pack is a small flyball club looking to grow. Our positive-based training sessions include dogs at many different levels of learning at the same time. We welcome all breeds and sizes and really most enjoy our junior handlers – we foster a family atmosphere.

Many members of our Pack enjoy other sports and challenges with their dogs: field work, dock diving, disc, barn hunt, obedience, rally, agility and conformation. We also have certified therapy dogs in our club, visiting nursing homes and other facilities. Even though we have members in North Carolina and areas well outside Florence, we enjoy gathering together to support all our teammates and have fun.

We currently host the only tournaments in South Carolina, one in December and on in February. We regularly travel to tournaments in Virginia, North Carolina, and Georgia, and have participated in the NAFA-hosted October CanAm tournament in Indianapolis, Indiana, as well. Occasionally, a team member of two will travel to other eastern states to participate in tournaments.

Our mission is to have fun with our dogs and each other. We believe each dog and handler is an important part of our Club. We support each other throughout the positive training process and into the tournament setting. We celebrate each and every milestone our dog and handler teams reach – and have a lot of fun doing it! Our dogs steadily earn points to gain higher titles, but it’s the joy of the game and participating with each other that makes us winners! We are proud to say we have Iron Dogs (Ten consecutive years of running NAFA Flyball) as members of our Club!

We offer free demonstrations of this awesome sport to any and all that ask. We have provided demos to the Florence Humane Society, Health South (rehab facility), the River Jamboree at Lynches River State Park and Central United Methodist Church, as well as dog training facilities in Myrtle Beach and North Carolina, and the Santa Paws Dog Pageant at Grand Dunes in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

Mutter Chaos – Region 21 (Des Moines, IA)

mutterchaos@gmail.com

Mutter Chaos Flyball Facebook page

Mutter Chaos Flyball Club has been Bringing The Chaos in Des Moines, Iowa (Region 21) since 2016. The philosophy of Mutter Chaos Flyball Club is to give our dogs an outlet for their abundance of energy, and have fun doing so. We strive for each handler and dog to perform at the best of their ability. We do not limit membership to those dogs who have the greatest potential – we’re open to all. Flyball can provide an outlet to dogs of any breed and skill level. The goal is to build a stronger relationship between handler and dog.

We have had a variety of pure breeds and rescue dogs run with our team, including Weimaraners, Australian Shepherds, Miniature Schnauzers, German Wirehair Pointers, German Shorthair Pointers, a Swedish Valhund, a Field Spaniel, Huskies, a Dutch Shepherd, Border Collies, and mixes. All are welcome!

Our club enjoys sharing our love of Flyball with the community. We have performed a number of Flyball demos in support of Puppy Up (Companions Against Cancer), the Great Iowa Pet Expo, and even on center ice (with carpets and mats) for the Iowa Wild Pucks N Paws Night in support of the Animal Rescue League.

Mutter Chaos humans and dogs enjoy a variety of activities together in addition to Flyball. In summer 2019, several of our dog/handler pairs earned a variety of Do More With Your Dog(R) trick titles. We also enjoy occasional backyard agility training, backyard flyball/dog romp sessions, and even doggie birthday parties. The humans also enjoy getting together for social activities such as corn mazes, game nights, ‘Friendsgiving’, and more.

Find us on Facebook @mutterchaosflyball or contact us at mutterchaos@gmail.com