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What
Is Flyball? |
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  Flyball
is a team sport for dogs that was invented in (where else!)
California in the late 1970's. It is noisy, rowdy, and tons
of fun! To put it in Southern parlance, it is the tractor pull
of dog sports!
The
Flyball course is 51 feet long and consists of four hurdles
in a line leading up to a box. The first hurdle is six feet
from the start line -- in tournaments, the start line is outfitted
with a "Christmas Tree" of red, yellow, and green
lights, like a drag race! |
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 The
other hurdles are 10 feet apart, and many dogs can take this
in one bounce. The ball box is 15 feet from the last hurdle.
A tennis ball is loaded into one of the holes in the front of
the box. After jumping the hurdles, the dog hits a pressure
plate on the front of the box, which causes the ball to shoot
out. In theory, the dog catches the ball and bounds back over
the hurdles. The best dogs (like our wonderful Kat) can "bank"
off the box like an Olympic swimmer.
The
height of the hurdles is set at four inches below the height
of the shortest dog on the team. Therefore, many teams have
a "height dog," a short, fast dog, in addition to
the big, fast ones. It's easy to think that Flyball is just
for people with Border Collies and Jack Russell Terriers, but
a variety of breeds compete in every tournament. In fact, the
first great Flyball dog, the legendary Onyx, was a Doberman
Pinscher! |
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As
in other dog sports, flyball requires extensive cooperation
and communication between dogs and humans. The humans decide
when to release their dogs, how closely to pass at the starting
line, and what order to run the dogs for that race. And, of
course, flyball dogs undergo a lot of training with their loving
humans to make sure all the elements fall into place! After
a while, the dogs know their role well; it's usually we humans
that mess up!
Like
other dog sports, Flyball offers a variety of titles for owners
to proudly attach to their dogs' names. Points toward those
titles are earned at tournaments, where teams from all over
the area compete in a weekend full of dogs barking, people screaming,
and everybody having a fun time!
For
more info about Flyball in general, see the official site of
the North
American Flyball Association and the Flyball
Homepage. To find out more about the Austin
Flyball Association, return to our home page.
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