Flyball
Flyball
This sport
is thought to have originated in North America (USA and Canada) in the 1950s.
Flyball is a relay race between two teams of four dogs racing side by side. It
involves one dog from each team jumping over four hurdles, triggering a Flyball
box pedal, catching a ball that is shot out upon the trigger, and then racing
back over the four hurdles to the finish line, where the next dog awaits its
turn.
Flyball has become extremely popular over the past few years and competition is fierce! Flyball became an official canine sport in Australia in 1996, when the Australian Flyball Association was formed.
Contact the
Australian Flyball Association for details of upcoming events at
www.flyball.org.au/
What is flyball
racing?
Flyball is a relay race between two teams of four dogs. Racing side by side, one dog from each team must go over four hurdles, trigger a flyball box pedal, catch (retrieve) a ball and then return over all four hurdles to the start/finish line where the next dog eagerly awaits.
Flyball is a team sport. Each team consists of four dogs racing in each heat, plus up to two reserves. Reserves can be interchanged after each heat. There are between three and five heats to a race, and a team has to win a majority to win the race.
Flyball encompasses all things that dogs love to do - jumping, catching, retrieving, competing and striving to please their owners. Flyball is a sport in which any dog can participate, regardless of breed, shape or size. Flyball does not interfere with obedience training. In fact, the sport reinforces the disciplines taught in obedience class.
Besides being great for dogs, flyball is a lot of fun for people too! It is a great way to meet people locally and all around Australia. The team-work aspects bring people together as they strive to improve their team's performance. Flyball can be as competitive as you want to make it. The best part of all is just having fun with your dog, and seeing the look of excitement on your dog's face at the start of a day of racing, and the look of content at the end of the day.