SPEAKER_01: 0:09

Welcome to the Absolute Dog Sex in a Squirrel podcast. I'm Lauren Langman. I'm one of the world's leading dog trainers, and it's my mission to help owners become their dog's top priority. In each episode, you'll discover how to gain trust and communicate with your dog like never before, creating unbreakable bonds that make you the most exciting part of their world. Hello and welcome to the Sex in a Squirrel Podcast, a podcast that gives you real-life dog training results. Now, today I'm joined by Nicole. She does flyball and flyball at a level that I think is pretty cool. Now, they're very noisy, Nicole. Is that normal? Is that every time you train, compete, do things with flyball dogs, are they always noisy?

SPEAKER_00: 0:46

I mean, some are noisier than others, definitely.

SPEAKER_01: 0:48

Give me a noisy breed.

SPEAKER_00: 0:49

My whip it cross staffy, oh my goodness, from the minute you get her out of the van and warm her up to the minute she goes back in the van. If she's at flyball, she is barking. But then she's silent the rest of the time. Whereas Party, who's collie cross whip it, she's quite gobby at home, absolutely silent in the ring. So but so funny.

SPEAKER_01: 1:07

So funny. Now, in terms of the barking, is there ever a place where the barking gets in the way? Like, can it ever get too much or they can't think or it's out of control?

SPEAKER_00: 1:15

Yeah, definitely. If if they're too aroused and they're just constantly barking, say if you're trying to train the box turn, that's quite a technical thing to try and train. So we do lots of training for toys in Flyball. Quite often we will switch to food to try and train a box turn just to get them in the right headspace. But you do get some dogs, normally dogs that have no sort of training foundations. If the first thing you're trying to do is train them a box turn in that sort of environment, you know, we have had dogs just stand there and bark and they've had to go away. Don't think about that. And ultimately, you know, some of those dogs never actually make it because they just find it too exciting.

SPEAKER_01: 1:51

So, why do you love flyball or what do you love about flyball?

SPEAKER_00: 1:55

I think it's been part of a team, a team of everybody who sort of is aiming for the same thing, everyone who loves their dogs, and like versus agility, when you're training, you've got your whole team there. So there's so many people to pick up on why something isn't going right, or to give you little pointers, that sort of thing.

SPEAKER_01: 2:12

So it's nice camaraderie.

SPEAKER_00: 2:14

Yeah, and traveling around with your whole team, like if like we go, we travel frequently sort of four hours, and yes, it's fun. Yeah, it is. It's it's mostly fun.

SPEAKER_01: 2:24

And tell me some of your highest points of flyball, like what have been some of your like real highs, or that was cool, or that experience was good, or yeah, tell me about it.

SPEAKER_00: 2:33

So the last three years, this will be our fourth year going to crufts.

SPEAKER_01: 2:37

So Wow, high five. Love that.

SPEAKER_00: 2:40

We started trying to qualify for crufts about five years ago because some of the rules changed like previously to that. We didn't think that some of their rules went along with how we wanted to play flyball, but things have moved along quite a lot recently. And so yeah, we started trying to qualify. So our first year was was a lot of a disaster, um, but then we the last two years we've got better and better, and then hopefully this year, fingers crossed.

SPEAKER_01: 3:05

He's improving. Yeah. Love that. I love that. So, how does training for Crufts look? Like, what do you need to do? What sort of prep do you need to do? How do you make sure you're ready?

SPEAKER_00: 3:14

So it's slightly different to normal flyball because you've got to have a pedigree dog on the team because it's kind of club. So we are running a slightly different combination of dogs together. The jumps are nine inches, regardless of the size of the dogs in your team, whereas in sort of UKFL or BFA flyball, you will have the jumps will be set to your height dog size, basically. But it doesn't matter if you've got a height dog or not for crust, you run it in the so it's a case of lots of practicing over nine inches, making sure they are making the most of that really. Because if, say if you've got a team of dogs that are used to running over 11 inches, if you just put them over nine inches one day, they will probably still jump 11 inches. So it takes them a while just to adjust down. Yeah, to and to make the most of that sort of advantage.

SPEAKER_01: 4:01

Advantage.

SPEAKER_00: 4:01

Yeah, exactly. And then obviously it's a completely different environment. So it's a case of ha trying to hire a venue with Astroturf. I wish you were close to us. How easy would it be? How easy would it be? I'd be like, yes. Yeah, it would be so much easier. So that plus playing really loud crowd noise whilst it's raining.

SPEAKER_01: 4:22

Yeah, actually, I forget that. The loud crowd noise is a whole new thing, isn't it? So you play that on like a boom speaker.

SPEAKER_00: 4:27

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 4:28

That's quite cool. That is quite cool. And how about actually being at Crufts? Because obviously I've been at Crufts in in a different capacity. How about for you being at Crufts?

SPEAKER_00: 4:36

It depends on the dog a lot. It's like it's so different, isn't it? But getting in and out of the building, having your dogs benched rather than like in your vehicle. So yeah, it's the first year, I think we were all a bit on edge. The dogs were a bit on edge, and it was just rabbits in the headlights. It was more of a stressful experience than anything else. But we've learned with time that actually there is a door that you can take them out the back and put them back in the vehicle if you want to. And we didn't really know any of that the first year.

SPEAKER_01: 5:03

So like for example, my dogs have never been benched, and yet I've been to crafts lots, but they've never been benched. And the reason I don't bench them is they're typically naughty but nice. But what I do do is I go in, I walk my course, I see all my scenarios, I stay at a hotel on site, which is normally the Moxie, because I can walk out the door and back in again and get them within 10 minutes. Yeah. And I've got my wristband, so I know where to go, I go across the walk, and then when I am in there, I've always got a groom, he'll sit in behind the great green carpet with a tiny soft crate, and we go in a corner, so we actually don't go near the benches, but only because the bench dogs are often different to the dogs we used to hanging out with. And if someone comes to sniff a dog like venture, yeah, who doesn't really like dogs. So we we we have adjusted, but I agree that's eight years in, ten years in, like maybe year one, we would bench. So it's it's a different game, isn't it? It's a different game, and and you're right, you learn each time you walk in that building, like where the door is, or where you can let them have a way, or where you can get them back out to the vehicle. Yeah, interesting. Yeah, interesting. So, in terms of some of your highs, Croft's obviously a big high. How about some individual performances? Have you had any individual performances you were like, like I know I've had a couple and I'm like, that was a great run. Yeah, that is a cool experience.

SPEAKER_00: 6:11

So this year at the Champs actually party, my youngest dog, she's a border whippet, which is colliecross whippet. She ran in singles at the champs, so it was it was pretty much her first competition. So she didn't cope very well with the the team run. She wobbled a little bit then, but in singles she did really well, and she posted a time of 3.33 seconds, wow, which is like unheard of. I have never had a dog run that fast before.

SPEAKER_01: 6:34

Um wow, and she is fast, yeah. She's really fast.

SPEAKER_00: 6:37

Yeah, no, she's amazing. So hopefully, she's got a really bright future ahead of her, fingers crossed.

SPEAKER_01: 6:43

So nice. That's really and that is exciting when you get that, isn't it? That moment, like like glimpse of opportunity. So tell me a little bit about the dogs you run in flyball right now and why you choose that that breed or that type or what what you're running.

SPEAKER_00: 6:56

So currently we've got three dogs that are various levels of sort of training. I wouldn't say we've got any finished, polished racing racing dogs at the moment. I lost my border whippet back in February, and then we've had a couple more retire recently, so we've had a bit of a gap. So we've got um we've got Party, who's the closest to being ready and out. Like she has raised a few competitions, but I there's a few tweaks that need to be done before I'd say she's perfect. And then we've got naughty little tonic. Um so cool. Tonic's very cool. She needs a Kelvicros with it. She's a high dog, she's a 10-inch high dog. So she's she's raised a few competitions, but her thing is keeping hold of the ball.

SPEAKER_01: 7:37

Okay.

SPEAKER_00: 7:38

So we switched it up and put some rabbit skin on the ball, and she absolutely loves it now, but to the point where she's sort of forgetting how to turn properly because she's so obsessed with the ball in the box. So she's thrown a lot of challenges at us for five months.

SPEAKER_01: 7:51

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 7:52

So we're just trying to work out how to get her to maintain her really nice turn that she had and carrying the ball, hopefully with a bit of rabbit hair on a on it, because it that really makes her like it a lot. But she's gonna tell.

SPEAKER_01: 8:06

And what's she like when you take the rabbit hair away, or haven't you done that yet?

SPEAKER_00: 8:08

No, we've taken that away and just put the ball in. And she sometimes she takes it, sometimes she doesn't, but I think it's made actually the thing has made her her worse at holding a non-hairy ball.

SPEAKER_01: 8:19

Yeah, like that's almost the thought, isn't it? Because it is, it's almost like they've realized the difference. Because once one of mine, I so wild digress very quickly, but wild, I love her as a dog, brilliant little dog, very kind, very sweet. I never got her to tug, she didn't really want to tug. She tug on a tennis ball, but it wasn't really her flavour. She met rabbit skin. Oh my god, like she's obsessed, like possessed, nuts. But now a tennis ball won't cut it at all because she really is obsessed with the rabbit skin. So she's so nuts about the rabbit skin that she wants the other. So I just wonder how that transfers later or what can it doesn't matter because you can run with a hairy rabbit. Yeah, even better. I love that. So I would be absolutely all in. Like that's great.

SPEAKER_00: 9:02

Yeah, so we've got a a dog on our team.

SPEAKER_01: 9:04

So they can run with any ball. So they could just put your ball in.

SPEAKER_00: 9:07

Something's about it, like it has to pounce and it has to roll and it's a big thing. Brilliant.

SPEAKER_01: 9:11

It's brilliant. You just put your ball in.

SPEAKER_00: 9:12

Yeah, so we've got you know, the chuck it cake balls, we've got a dog that's got a little bit of a sinus problem. So that's a better one for breathing. Yeah, exactly. So she runs with those balls. So yeah, rules have really changed.

SPEAKER_01: 9:24

In recent years. Brilliant.

SPEAKER_00: 9:25

I like that as a rule.

SPEAKER_01: 9:26

And then who's your third dog running in fly ball?

SPEAKER_00: 9:29

Naughty, naughty Vince, the chasing.

SPEAKER_01: 9:31

Yes, yes, Naughty Vince. So go on, where he where's he with his training?

SPEAKER_00: 9:35

So he's now on rabbit balls as well. Yeah. Um, because he just needed that little bit of something to make it so much work with him last year, but to get him to the box when because we worked out that what was making him chase, or what was encouraging him to chase, was the other dog hitting the box. The noise of the stimulant for him. Despite all the work we did, was still not enough to keep him on his box. Yeah, the rabbit ball is so he is now fingers crossed, touch wood, in training, running head to head with another dog.

SPEAKER_01: 10:08

Wow. Maybe ready for crafts this year, maybe that's the goal, isn't it? Come on, that is the goal. I know that we've had that goal before, and I do think it's hard. I think it's like you're asking them to do something that is tough, isn't it? Yeah, like it's a tough challenge. Is that the hardest point you see in Vlyball running head to head with another dog?

SPEAKER_00: 10:23

It depends on the dog. Like that's never really been much of an issue for Party or Jeff, my late dog, but for some other dogs, look, I think the more whippet they have in them, generally the more chasey they are. Yeah. Although some some collies are really chasey as well, collies with a lot of eye. So it does it's dog dependent. Some don't bat an eyelid don't even notice there's a dog in the other lane, whereas some find it a real challenge.

SPEAKER_01: 10:47

Yeah, and I I can see how for some dogs that is a bit of a challenge. Now, I know that you love being part of a team. Tell me a little bit about your team. What's it called? Where is it? Where is it based? Like, when do you train? How often do you train? What do you do when you train?

SPEAKER_00: 11:00

Um, so we are with Storm Chasers. It's not my team. We've got a wonderful team captain, Vicky. She's amazing. She is she's the best trainer. She's completely like force-free, doesn't do ever do anything that makes me think, oh, don't be like a dog, please. Like you see, you do see out and about.

SPEAKER_01: 11:19

Yeah, whatever sport, whatever sport I think you'll see things that you'll go, no, I see it with horses all the time. I see with horses all the time. Even this morning I said to her when we were sacking up, I said, Does she need this bit on? And she was already in a bit that was there for show jumping, but I didn't think she needed for hacking. I think we're thinking things consciously all the time, but some people aren't.

SPEAKER_00: 11:35

Yeah, yeah. So yeah, we the team is based in Rochdale, so it's it's a bit of a trap for us. It's like an hour and a half drive. Wow. But you I think you drive to the, you know, you'll you'll drive the distance if it's worth it, won't you? Absolutely. So we train, we train in a polytunnel on and is it purpose built just for flyball?

SPEAKER_01: 11:55

Wow, whose is it?

SPEAKER_00: 11:57

It belongs to someone who runs another flyball team. It belongs to the people who run finesse flyball teams. So uh Danny and Daisy, their names are so it's on their at their home, basically.

SPEAKER_01: 12:07

And what are you running on? Dirt, or are you running on astro turf or are you running on grass or this like magical rubber stuff called tough spun?

SPEAKER_00: 12:15

Um and it it's yeah, it's it's the only rubber that flyballers will run on, it seems to be in any country. And it is it's really springy. I I couldn't tell you what it's made from, but it's clean.

SPEAKER_01: 12:28

It's clean. I'm always like when I'm out there, I'm like, oh my god, there's so much sand here. There's so much sand. So I'm going to sand arena tonight, and I'm like, oh, it's disgusting horse wheat.

SPEAKER_00: 12:41

Um yeah, but yeah, I mean it I wouldn't say after a day of racing on it that it's particularly clean. Okay. You can hoover it, you can blow it with a leaf blower and get all the hair and dirt off it. So funny. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 12:52

So funny. So tell me a little bit about if someone wanted to get into flyball, where should they start or how should they start or what should they look for?

SPEAKER_00: 13:00

So there's there's two sort of uh well-established flyball associations in the UK. There's um UKFL or there's BFA. Both do indoor and outdoor flyball. So if you look up their websites, I think both of them have like a defined flyball in my area. Yeah. There's also literally in the last couple of weeks been a new outdoor-only flyball association set up called UFO, and I don't know what it stands for. That's funny. Take it off. We don't do outdoor flyball, so I haven't paid an awful lot of attention to it. But if if somebody was interested in outdoor only flyball, that's amazing as well.

SPEAKER_01: 13:39

Loads of options. Now you did mention the word height dog at some point. What do you mean height dog?

SPEAKER_00: 14:28

So the height of the smallest dog in your team is really important because that sets the jump height for the rest of the thing.

SPEAKER_01: 14:34

So everybody then gets to run the height of the height of the smallest dog in your flyball.

SPEAKER_00: 14:38

In in that particular team of four to six dogs. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 14:41

So you want a little dog in that team?

SPEAKER_00: 14:43

You want a small, fast dog, really. Or for if you've got a team of older dogs, then it you know it's really beneficial to have a really quite small dog, like a little Jack Russell or something like that.

SPEAKER_01: 14:52

Like wild the spaniel would be great to drop everyone's height down.

SPEAKER_00: 14:56

So the lowest that you could possibly jump UKFL would be six inches. Okay.

SPEAKER_01: 15:03

So if you can get a six-inch team, that's a real advantage.

SPEAKER_00: 15:06

Yeah, it is, but then I think six inches would be almost too much. Because you want all you want something to sort of break up their speed a little bit before they get to the box.

SPEAKER_01: 15:17

Yeah, crazy. Flyball, how about in terms of like common problems people see with fly ball, common issues people see doing fly ball, or common training struggles that people will see?

SPEAKER_00: 15:26

So a big one is ball obsession.

SPEAKER_01: 15:29

Okay.

SPEAKER_00: 15:29

So people always think that you want a dog that really loves a tennis ball to do fly ball, but actually, if you think about it, they've got to bring it back and give it back. Yeah, so that and you don't you want them to do a nice safe turn at the end. So if say a collie with lots of eye who's ball obsessed, that's probably the most difficult thing because they'll go straight at the ball, probably slam into the box and then come back like a snail.

SPEAKER_01: 15:52

And and or potentially the other thing I was thinking is when they have got the ball, some dogs that yeah, they've got no interest in coming back, or they drop it on the way back if you're gonna switch it for a tug. Because if I was gonna get mine to do it, they'd fly out. Yeah, but when they come back, if I was gonna switch it with a tug, it'd be hard to keep them to hold the hold for longer. Like you'd want them to hold for as long as possible. But if I was really calling, yeah, I've never done fly ball, but I was really calling on a toy, there's a good chance I'll drop that toy on the way to me with this toy. But if I wanted them to run fast, I probably would have to call them.

SPEAKER_00: 16:20

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 16:20

Interesting.

SPEAKER_00: 16:21

Do you know what's really helped? Go on, tell me your bounce back retrieve.

SPEAKER_01: 16:25

Nice. I don't think you're teaching me again. This is brilliant.

SPEAKER_00: 16:28

So because we've had both, we've had ball obsess dogs and we've had spitters.

SPEAKER_01: 16:32

Yeah, I love it. It's a spitter.

SPEAKER_00: 16:33

Yeah, spitters that spitters are a big headache as well. So I really didn't want party to be a spitter. So I just did lots of the bounce back retrieve with a tug and with a ball and toy switch as a second name. Yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_01: 16:48

And for me, the toy switch, the big thing with toy switch when I'm playing it is that absolutely I don't want you to leave until I tell you to leave. So I'm playing and playing and playing and playing, playing, move this toy around, move this toy around, move this toy around, you're not letting it go till I say switch. Yeah. So it's called the name switch, yeah, so that you actually you do put it on cue. But I I can see where the spitters would come in when you're trying to build up speed. Yeah. And also with the ball-obsessed dog, that they don't want to come back because it makes it hard to agree. When you said about foundations, if you come into a dog knowing you're going to do flyboard, there's some good foundations to teach, aren't there? Yeah. So in your games, there are a nice layer of things you you'd play in. So doing flyboard, you said you do indoor flyboard, that sounds quite nice. Yes, is it uh definitely so it's always indoor arenas or uh venues or um whatever you're training in, but it's always indoor.

SPEAKER_00: 17:35

It is for us. We made that decision, I think probably 2016.

SPEAKER_01: 17:40

What made you make the decision?

SPEAKER_00: 17:41

Maybe even before then. We so we had a big we still have him, but he's ancient now, a big heavy colleague called Jake, and it took us ages to teach him a nice box turn. And I think his first competition, we were still racing outdoors, we were first racing, so the grass was quite wet, like morning dew on the grass. It was a nice morning, and he ran down to the box, really tried to maintain his stride and everything, but just literally slid into the box. Um just too fast on the wet grass. Yeah, like a big sort of 19 kilo collie, sort of best case scenario is gonna lose his technique. Worst case scenario is gonna get injured really quickly. Makes sense, doesn't it?

SPEAKER_01: 18:17

It makes sense. So yeah, good decision, made it for the sense of your team and the dogs that were on your team, and actually you've stuck with it.

SPEAKER_00: 18:22

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 18:23

And nice weather inside.

SPEAKER_00: 18:24

Yeah, it's like so many competitions used to get rained off. I mean, I assume they still do. I don't know. I don't know if it's many outdoors.

SPEAKER_01: 18:31

You're an indoor team.

SPEAKER_00: 18:32

Yes, and which means we can play in the winter as well.

SPEAKER_01: 18:35

That's great. And how many competitions do you do, say, a month?

SPEAKER_00: 18:38

We probably do two a month normally. We try not to do back to back because we like to train in between, but it just depends where like where the competitions are really.

SPEAKER_01: 18:45

When you get to a competition, how many races do you do?

SPEAKER_00: 18:48

So individual heats, I think it I think the limit in a day is it's either 20 or 25. Wow. I can't remember because I never have anything to do with organizing it. I had to turn up.

SPEAKER_01: 18:59

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 19:00

So the running order will tell you what sort of format you're running in that day. So it's staggered throughout the day, or the type of racing we do is staggered anyway. You can do block where you'll do sort of three lots of five in a short space of time, and then you'll do the same in the afternoon. Whereas our races are sort of staggered throughout the day, yeah, because we feel it it allows the dogs to run around. Yeah. And you get you know better times out of them basically. But I suppose the only the disadvantage is you cooling down and warming up all day. Um, multiple dogs in multiple teams, you don't get much of a break.

SPEAKER_01: 19:37

Now you mentioned cooling down, warming up. What's your warm-up and what's your cooldown? Because obviously I do agility, I have a very strong warm-up and a strong cool down in my head. Like I know exactly how I do it, where I do it, what it looks like. What does yours look like?

SPEAKER_00: 19:49

Lots of walking round, then trotting round, and then it depends a little bit on the individual dog. So we'll do some Vince, his warm-up's the longest because he's got the most muscle and he's the most injury prone. So he will do two paws on a platform and sort of stretches to either side. Yeah. And then yeah, leg lift individual leg lifts, some sidestepping, but it's not as good as yours. No, yours is great. Yours is straight. I need to get that chin rest.

SPEAKER_01: 20:17

It's so nice, and you can move them around, it's really nice. It definitely looks it, it allows everything to be much smoother. Now, you did. I I know you've got another collie as well. Why does he not do fly ball or why is that not right for him right now?

SPEAKER_00: 20:28

Oh, hashtag. So he has raced and he actually raced crufts, not this year just gone, but the year before. Um he was doing amazing, but he's he's had a lot of struggles over the last sort of 12 to 18 months. He had started, he had quite a nasty crash with another dog. For some unknown, like they are supposed to pass it, left to left, like their left shoulder, so the other dog's left shoulder going in. So as he came out of the gates for some unknown reason, he crossed right in front of the path of the dog going in. Oh no. Um, and there was a horrible crash, and then he had a shoulder injury, although he sort of shook it off at the time. He was having a shoulder injury, he had a shoulder injury, which he then needed some treatment for, and he was having shockwave.

SPEAKER_01: 21:12

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 21:13

And whilst we were rehabbing him, he started just reacting to inanimate objects really strangely. And I think looking back, uh, because we and there was some questioning over whether he was having focal seizures because his behaviour was just so bizarre, we had all sorts of investigations, didn't really get any answers. Yeah, I think looking back, I'd given him a like a mild sedative combination for the shockwave because he's quite a sharp dog. Yeah, doesn't really appreciate being messy, he's just one of those that sensitive type doesn't like to be overhandled, overhandled, exactly. And he was having tracedone and gabapentin combination for the shockwave, which worked really well for the shockwave. Yeah, I mean it was like having an elderly Labrador.

SPEAKER_01: 21:57

For anyone who's listening as well, guys, Nicole's also a vet, so she's very, very, very down with the vet world and the medications and what you might consider. And and for him, sedative was the right thing. But what happened next?

SPEAKER_00: 22:07

So it was it was shortly after that, and I didn't put two and two together at that time, but he started doing these strange behaviours, and then thinking back, trazodone can potentially lower seizure threshold. So we think we still don't fully know. We think that there was some level of seizure triggering some focal seizures, which would explain these bizarre behaviour that he was showing. So pulled him out of any sports or anything, anything that would get him you know too excited, like lower seizure threshold, anything like that. And yeah, such wood is a lot better these days. Like he still is uh less tolerant, I would say, of handling. I mean, I can get done the things I need to get done with him. Um, we train, we have fun, we go for walks, but I I purposefully keep him very chill as much as I possibly can. So I don't think returning to such a high energy is is right for him.

SPEAKER_01: 23:07

So I think it's a massive decision, isn't it, to make for a dog. It's the wrong, it's the wrong thing for that dog. Now you did say you'd also retired some dogs. What do they do instead of flyball? Do they miss flyball or do they have something else they like doing? Do they like doing scent or do they like doing some tricks or fitness or so?

SPEAKER_00: 23:21

Bug and ice are two, they're like two little besties. They've retired together. Ice is a 10-year-old collie, Bug is a 12 and a half-year-old Staffy Cross whippet. Nice. Neither of them mentally wanted to retire, but their bodies were definitely at the point where they were ready. So I did try and take them both man trailing because ice is James, James, my partner, ice is is his dog. Ice thought it was great. Bug was like, it's cold, it's wet. Why are you making a car park? I don't care where that person is with the pot of food, put me back in the bats.

SPEAKER_01: 23:54

So funny. Get me my indoor flyball now.

SPEAKER_00: 23:57

So Ice is continuing to go man trailing. Bug, we've just we've shelved it until the summer.

SPEAKER_01: 24:03

Shelve that, let's do indoor training.

SPEAKER_00: 24:05

I mean, to be fair, she's quite happy to just sleep for most of the day.

SPEAKER_01: 24:08

So funny. So funny. So if someone was out there thinking maybe I should try flyball or maybe I should try some dog support with my dog, what would you say to them?

SPEAKER_00: 24:14

Um, I mean, absolutely, but I would say, I mean, there's many, many teams that train in lots of different ways. See if you can go and watch a session first and see if you think that it's something that your dog would enjoy. And is it a team, like, are they training in a way that you know that that you want to train? Because there's so many different methods out there. It's you know, every trainer is not going to be for every person.

SPEAKER_01: 24:37

Yeah, no, it's great, really great advice. Thank you for talking to us, Nicole. It was a literally, for me, enlightening because I don't know half of what you've just told me, uh, or I didn't know before you told me. And now I'm thinking, you know what, that makes sense, and that makes sense, and that makes sense. And whilst you watch it, it's very different to actually hear it from uh the the mouth of someone who who does do it. Good luck at Crufts. So Crufts 26 and high hopes for the team, or at least higher than last year because you're progressing, right? Like it's getting better, it's getting better and better.

SPEAKER_00: 25:04

So didn't do badly last year, they came third overall. I was not doing anything other than ball collecting because unfortunately, Jeff, my dog who I qualified with me, then lost just before Crufts. Um, and Vince was in no way ready, and I was in no sort of fit state to be trying to get him ready. So I can't claim any responsibility for last year. You were part of the team. You're part of the team. In fact, this year we we do have a team placed, so uh fingers crossed.

SPEAKER_01: 25:30

Ready, good luck, and can't wait to see that.

SPEAKER_00: 25:32

You and you've got to