What is Flyball
Flyball is a relay race in which the dogs race over four hurdles to retrieve a ball from a specially designed flyball box. The dog must press the pedal on the front of the box in order to activate the trigger mechanism that releases the ball. When the ball springs out of the box, the dog catches the ball and brings it back to its handler returning back over the four hurdles.
In a Flyball team there are a total of six dogs and six handlers, but only four dogs run at any one time. Each team also has a ball loader who stands at the back of the box to load the balls after each dog has triggered the box. There is also a ball runner in each team. This person collects the balls from the handlers at the top of the course and takes them to the ball loader after each race.
A whole run of four dogs takes less than 30 seconds, so it is very important not to make mistakes. You can be faulted for a dog going over the line too early, or a dog missing a hurdle, or even returning without a ball. If any of these faults occur the offending dog must re-run, thus costing the team a lot of time.
Any dog, Crossbreed or Pedigree can take part in the sport of Flyball.
In a Flyball team there are a total of six dogs and six handlers, but only four dogs run at any one time. Each team also has a ball loader who stands at the back of the box to load the balls after each dog has triggered the box. There is also a ball runner in each team. This person collects the balls from the handlers at the top of the course and takes them to the ball loader after each race.
A whole run of four dogs takes less than 30 seconds, so it is very important not to make mistakes. You can be faulted for a dog going over the line too early, or a dog missing a hurdle, or even returning without a ball. If any of these faults occur the offending dog must re-run, thus costing the team a lot of time.
Any dog, Crossbreed or Pedigree can take part in the sport of Flyball.