What is Flyball?
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Flyball
offers fast pace action with plenty of excitement for dogs,
handlers and spectators alike!
Flyball is an exciting,
fast-paced, team sport enjoyed by many people and their dogs! It offers
plenty of excitement for dogs, handlers and
spectators alike.
Picture two racing lanes, each with a row of
four low jumps leading up to a spring-loaded box which shoots out a tennis
ball. Each team consists of four excited dogs awaiting their
turns. The first dog on each team races down their row of jumps, hits
the box, activating a lever that propels a tennis ball.
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The dog grabs the ball and races back across
the start line. As the first dogs cross the line, the next dogs on each
team take off, passing at full speed. The first team of four dogs to
successfully complete the course is the
winner! Success in Flyball racing is measured in seconds and the action
is fast and furious. Most of all, it's great fun for both dogs and
people! |
Flyball
is a team relay race with 4 dogs on a team. The course consists of
a starting line, 4 jumps spaced 10 feet apart and a box. ( The jumps' height
are dependent on the height of the smallest dog on the team.)
The first hurdle is 6 feet from the start/finish line and the box is 15 feet
from the last hurdle for an overall total course length of 51 feet.
Flyball
was invented in California in the early 1970's.
Dog training clubs quickly picked up on the sport and began holding
Flyball tournaments.
To
standardize the rules, keep records of tournaments, and guide the development of
Flyball racing, the
North American Flyball
Association
(NAFA) was formed in 1985.
The United
Flyball League International (U-FLI) was founded in 2005. In U-FLI
tournaments the jump heights are lower and the point system for Flyball titles
earned is different but the Flyball race course is basically the same. In
U-FLI tournaments, they also offer single dog racing and pairs racing in
addition to the standard team racing.
While speedy dogs like Border Collies 
and
Jack Russell Terriers 
are obvious candidates for Flyball, they are not the only
dogs that excel at this sport.
From the biggest Great Dane to the
smallest Poodle, dogs love to play this game!
Flyball gives dogs a lot of exercise in a short amount of time without
exhausting their owners! Some owners and their
dogs play Flyball just for fun and exercise; others compete for titles and
championships.
Especially important is the fact that
Flyball is open to all dogs (mixed breeds, shelter dogs and registered breeds).
Is Your
Dog Ready For Flyball?
While some may think Flyball is a sport requiring
little or no "real" training, this is definitely not the case!
Flyball incorporates the perfect merging of canine obedience and agility-type
skills in an exciting and fun sport!
To learn all the many skills necessary to play
Flyball successfully, a dog needs to be focused on its handler first and
foremost. Obedience training gets the ball rolling by teaching the dog to
focus on its handler. It will also help dog and handler improve their
working relationship as they learn together and work out their "partnership
of communication". Agility-type skills add to these obedience skills
by improving the dog's coordination and building its confidence, both of which
are necessary for success in Flyball. This type of training also helps the
dog to start making decisions for itself as it works with its handler at its
side.
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Flyball takes the obedience
and agility-type skills a step further by teaching the dog to perform
and make its own decisions while it is running at top speed on the
Flyball course. The Flyball dog must also learn to perform its
tasks while there is another dog in an adjoining lane doing the same
thing at the same time. This requires the ultimate in focus and
concentration in the face of major distractions.
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The ideal Flyball dog is an agile, athletic
retriever with lots of stamina! But you don't have to have the
"ideal" dog to get involved since Flyball offers the opportunity to
participate at many levels. For some, the main goal is to race and be the
fastest. Others race to earn points and title their dogs. And there
are some people who just want a fun outlet for themselves and their dogs.
There is a niche for all dogs (purebreds and mixed breeds) in Flyball; so enjoy
the sport of Flyball with the breed of dog you love.
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