Interference

BFA members will be aware that we have been monitoring interference in the ring since June 2019. We now have lots of data and information which can help us reduce avoidable interference and make the flyball ring safer for both dogs and handlers. The good news is that accidental, one-off interference accounts for over 75% of all recorded interference; there will always be unavoidable circumstance whereby a dog might unintentionally interfere chasing a loose ball or getting confused and this only very rarely has any impact other than affecting the outcome of a particular leg. 80% of dogs reported as having interfered have only done so once or twice in the 9 month period since June 2019. This does highlight though that a dog interfering on multiple occasions is not normal in flyball and should not be accepted as the norm. Unfortunately 23% of all recorded incidents of interreference can be attributed to just 32 dogs, and 11% of all interference to just 14 dogs. The continued reporting via the C2s and Incident Reports allows us to identify dogs that are potentially introducing unnecessary risk to the safety of other dogs and handlers in the flyball ring. Therefore, with immediate effect, where there is evidence of multiple instances of interference in a short space of time, the Committee will inform the registered owner and relevant Club Captain that there is a training issue which needs to be addressed, with the offer of help and advice from the BFA trainers to get the dog back on track and competing safely. Should a dog continue to be a risk to the safety of other dogs or handlers than the Committee will inform the owner and Club Captain that the dog is to be withdrawn from open racing until such time as the Committee are satisfied that appropriate training has taken place and the safety risk has been sufficiently mitigated (this may also require supervision of any return to racing by a Committee member or Head Judge).
We hope that through this action we could reduce the incidence of interference in the ring by up to 40% this year.
Thanks you to all the judges and ring parties for their diligence in completing the C2s, these are being amended in order to make the reporting of interference a much simpler process.
Should anyone want to discuss training ideas to help manage dogs with a tendency to interfere then please contact the BFA at bfacommittteesecretary@gmail.com