Flyball
Dogs
Flyball
Dogs from two teams race against each other over parallel lines of jumps. The
jump height is based on the smallest dog on each team.
The dog hits a spring-loaded box in which a team member has placed a tennis
ball; this releases the ball, which the dog catches and returns over the line of
jumps.
Flyball is a
dog sport in which teams of
dogs race against
each other from their handlers, over a line of
hurdles, to a box that releases a
tennis ball to
be caught when the dog presses the spring loaded pad, then back to their
handlers while carrying the ball.
Flyball is run in teams of four dogs, as a
relay.
The course is four hurdles placed 10 feet (3 m) apart from each other, with the
starting line six feet (1.8 m) from the first hurdle, and the flyball box 15
feet (4.5 m) after the last one, making for a 51-foot (15.5 m) length. The
hurdle height is determined by the shoulder height of the smallest dog in the
team, and should be 4 inches (10 cm) below that, to a height of no less than 8
inches (20.3 cm) and no greater than 16 inches (40.6 cm). Each dog must return
its ball all the way across the start line before the next dog in released, and
penalties can be applied to team time if the ball is dropped or if the next
relay dog is released early.
Invented in
California
in the 1970s, flyball took off during the 1980s and the first flyball
organization, the
North American Flyball Association, was created to design uniform
competition rules and to promote the sport. Flyball provides an entertaining and
active way to interact with one's dog and other dog lovers in an environment
that is fun and allows the dogs to get lots of exercise and enjoyment. It is
especially a great way to burn off the energy of dogs with a high drive to
work,
such as
Border Collies and
Terriers.
A great part of flyball's popularity stems from the fact that it is one of
the competition activities available to
mixed-breed dogs, allowing rescued mutts to shine along side their
purebred
canine friends. Though
herding
dogs currently dominate the courses, many champion teams have
mutts on them.
Also, flyball is not limited to the size of the
breed, as smaller
dogs such as
Parson Russell Terriers and
Whippets
often compete with great success in mixed-breed teams (teams consisting of dogs
of various sizes and breeds), especially because the hurdle height is based on
the height of the smallest dog in the team. Their only limitation is whether
they can trigger the release pad, and small dogs often have to fully jump on it
to do so.
Flyball is one of the non-hunting
dog sports in which dogs and people work as a team together. Many casual
pet owners use their
flyball time more as a way to relax and socialize with other dog owners than as
a competition, and many champion flyball dogs are essentially
pet dogs with a
hobby, not dedicated sporting dogs.
External links
- Sanctioning organizations:
Home | Up | List of Dog Sports | List of Protection Sports | Badger-Baiting | Bait | Dog Fighting | Sled Dog | Greyhound Racing | Canicross | Carting | Companion Dog Title | Coursing | Dachshund Racing | Disc Dog | Dog Agility | Dog Harness | Dog Racing | Dog Scootering | Dog Show | Drag Hunting | Flyball | Lure Coursing | Mushing | Musical Canine Freestyle | Pulka | Schutzhund | Sheepdog Trial | Skijoring | Tracking | Weight Pulling | Wiener Nationals
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