This post is authored by our friends at Taurus Training and Doggy Play Day, a boarding and training facility for dogs in the Austin area.
Does your dog drive you nuts on the tennis court, always trying to steal stray tennis balls for themselves? Do you sometimes think that your ball machine might be better used as a fetch device for your furry pal? If your answer to either of these questions was yes, your dog might be an excellent candidate for flyball. Your canine companion might not be able to compete on the tennis court, but they can certainly compete in this sport.
Flyball is a relay race in which teams of four dogs compete to achieve the fastest individual and team times to win points.
The sport began in California in the 1970s, quickly spreading among athletes and dog enthusiasts alike in California and Canada, with the first tournament in 1983. Now the sport enjoys more than 400 active clubs and over 6,500 competing dogs in North America alone.
In the race, dogs sprint down a 51-foot track containing four hurdles (also called wickets or jumps) to trigger a spring-loaded ball box with their feet. The box shoots out the tennis ball (sound familiar?) and the dog’s job is to nab the ball and turn around as quickly as he can, bringing it back over the jumps to the start line. Once one dog crosses the start line, the next dog begins his run. The relay passes in flyball are running passes, meaning that the ideal is for the finishing dog to cross the start line at the exact moment as the starting dog.
Two teams compete side-by-side for the overall best time for all four dogs to complete the course. The winning team is awarded points and individual dogs are awarded points based on the time for their leg of the relay. Both teams and dogs can win various titles and credentials based on their accrual of these points. Flyball is open to all ages and breeds of dogs, including mixed breeds.
A flyball tournament is an electric, action-packed event, with handlers and dogs alike encouraging each other through the course.
From a training standpoint, flyball greatly increases dogs’ ability to work under immense distraction and around people and other dogs. It also is a fun way to build dogs’ recall (coming when called) and motivation. The owner/handler bond swells through the practice of this sport, with dogs getting to run wild, fetch tennis balls, and celebrate after their races with games of tug or tasty treats.
Overall, this seems to be a perfect sport for owners and dogs who both happen to love playing with a tennis ball.
For more information on flyball, check out the North American Flyball Association.
