Have A Ball With Soccer Collies Nov. 12th & Nov. 19th

Message from Mark: We have a rescue event this Saturday, 11/12/11 with the Humane Society of Marion County, here in Ocala. I’d love to have some rescue dogs from your network in attendance.

Here’s a link to the event details: http://www.thehsmc.org/images/webpdfs/HDCC2011Poster.pdf

RSVP on Facebook by clicking here.

On 11/19/11 we will be in a parade and then attend a big festive event here in Ocala called “Light Up Ocala” bring ball motivated dogs ! Let’s find them a home !! ~Mark

Yesterday we met with Mark Lukas of Soccer Collies at Fleet People’s Park in Winter Park. His dogs are amazing! They have energy, drive, focus and trained on a dime. Mark explained that it took him years to develop the right technique to train a dog to play soccer. At first, I thought he could teach my daughter, Sarah, and our Aussie, China to play soccer. China has the most focus of my dogs, always keeping eye contact with one of us. But China was fearful at first, and I think a bit intimidated.

Kevin & Mel Scott brought his foster dogs Doc Holiday, Wyatt Earp, and his adopted dogs, the Spice girls along with Chopper his Beagle. Because there were so many dogs at Fleet People’s Park, it was hard keeping the dogs’ attention. Competing with tennis balls, frisbees and the lake was a challenge.

Mark first demonstrated the game with his dogs and invited Sarah. His goal was to have Ozzie watch and learn. At first Ozzie showed interest in catching the ball, but that was it! He would not chase it nor would he return it. Mark explained that we must not retrieve the ball for them, instead we must praise and urge them to bring it back. It didn’t take long before Ozzie was chasing it!

Mark suggested that we practice with Ozzie in a small area, with no other dogs, like a hallway. He recommends slowly moving the ball around for short distances making it easy for the dog to bring it back.

I’m very excited about this new style of play for all of our dogs, rescued, adopted, and currently in foster care. Not all of us have the passion for frisbee or agility, and I believe that soccer is a marriage made in heaven for any Border Collie. Think about it, I could sit in a chair in my back yard, with a phone in one hand and iced tea in the other, and kick a soccer ball! I can entertain my dog, give it the mental stimulation they crave, and the physical exercise they demand.

Since most of our adopters have young children, many of which are soccer enthusiasts, soccer is something I’d like for all of us to try. At my house, playing computer games and watching tv all day long is getting old! The weather is gorgeous, I say let’s get a soccer ball and have fun with our dogs!

Mark and his Soccer Collies travel to various events showing off their skills, and they are inviting us to join them. I will be posting his upcoming events, and I urge you to put on your Dog Liberator t-shirt, bring your dog, and have fun! All you need to do is bring a wire crate with you. Why? Well, it was clear that while we were at the park, controlling our dogs was nearly impossible. While a dog in training is in a crate, the dog has more of an opportunity to watch, and dogs learn from other dogs. Several times Mark would reward and hold Ozzie in place so we could watch his dogs perform. It worked!

Mark’s next event is October 23rd at UCF. The game stars at 1pm. Mark will be there at 9:30-10am and I’ll be set up and ready to play with the public by 11:30. He is inviting us to attend, and participate. First, he will provide a demo where children are allowed to participate, and once his dogs are resting, he will invite us to play with our dogs, and provide us with one-on-one coaching. Please bring a friend with a camera, because I’d love to post these events. All upcoming Soccer Collie events will be published here, and as an Event on Facebook, so please RSVP if you plan on attending.

I’m hoping I can work with Ozzie and improve his skills a bit!