Flyball Classes

I am really excited that this has finally happening. I am going to be teaching a beginner flyball class in Corvallis. A newly opened dog daycare and boarding facility in town, Downtown Hound, is willing to have me teach classes there in the evenings.

The class itself starts June 12th at 7pm and runs through July 31st. I tried to make it so that college students will be done with finals when we start the class. Since this is a college town, I have a feeling at least a few people interested are going to be college students or new graduates. I'm also hoping interested people might come up from Eugene to class as well, since there is no closer flyball and it isn't too much of a drive, and Eugene is also a college town. Which isn't to say non-students aren't welcome, because they certainly are.

The class is going to cover flyball basics. Dogs will work on learning a box turn, working around and eventually passing other dogs, and retrieving a ball to their handler. Handlers will learn about flyball in general, about working as a team, and about how to train your dog at home to further the results of your training in class. They will also have a chance to attend a flyball tournament in Salem in July, about halfway through the class, to help out Animal House's team there and learn what flyball tournaments are all about.

At the end of this class series, there are a few options. I will reevaluate with the facility about if we want to start another series and when to do so. Handlers and dogs who are far enough along will be able to join the Animal House team and come to our practices in Salem on Thursday evenings. Or, I would be happy to help a Corvallis-based team form.

For all of this, there is going to be a free information meeting and demo at Downtown Hound on May 29th at 7pm. People interested in joining the class are invited to attend to see some mini-demos of flyball, see some videos of tournament racing, and meet a few members of the Animal House team in addition to myself. While some of the Animal House people will have dogs for the demo portion, I am asking that others who attend leave their dogs at home for this information session. And while the info session isn't required to attend the class starting in June, I do encourage those who are interested and able to attend. You'll have the chance to sign up for the class at the info session or at a later date, until the class fills or until the first night of class.

I know I have some local readers, and I would encourage you to come check out the class if you are even slightly interested in flyball. It is a really fun, and addictive, sport!