History of
Flyball
The dog hits the spring-loaded box releasing a tennis ball.
Flyball
started as a
dog sport in
the late
1960's and
early
1970's, in
Southern California.
Some dog
trainers
combined
scent hurdle
racing with
the dogs
bringing
back tennis
ball to the
finish line.
Then a
tennis
ball-launching
apparatus
was added
and the
first
flyball box
was born. Herbert
Wagner is
credited
with making
the first
real flyball
box, and he
also
demonstrated
flyball on
the Tonight
Showwith Johnny
Carson. The
first
Flyball
tournament
was held in
1983 in the USA.
Flyball has
now expanded
into many
countries
including Australia,
New Zealand,
Canada,
South
Africa and
in European countries
such as Belgium,
Britain,
Czech
Republic,
Finland, and
Germany. The
Netherlands
and Poland have
National
flyball
tournaments
and also
hold joint
annual
European
championships.
The European
championships
were held in Britain in
2007, the Czech
Republic in
2008, and
are due to
be held in
Belgium in
2009.
Nature of
the Sport
A Border Collie jumps hurdles in a flyball demonstration.
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
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
alongside
their purebred canine
friends.
Though herding
dogs currently
dominate the
courses,
many
champion
teams have mutts on
them. Dogs
earn titles
and awards
based on
points
earned by
their team
in racing.
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).
Smaller dogs
are often
prized as
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.
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,
rather than
dedicated
sporting or
working
dogs.
Competitions
A young dog takes part in a flyball training session, note the use of netting to stop the dog running out.
Competitions
are usually
hosted by a
specific
local
flyball club
but under
the sanction
of a
national
governing
body. The
host club
may be
devoted
solely to
flyball or
to many
other types
of dog
sports. The
host flyball
club uses
Head judges
who are
licensed by
the national
sanctioning
organization
and the club
will apply
to the
national
sanctioning
organization
for
permission
to hold a
competition
on a
specific
date or
weekend;
most
competitions
are two-day
weekend
events.
Although
competitions
may vary,
teams are
normally
seeded into
divisions
against
other teams
of similar
speed. This
allows the
races to be
closer and
much more
exciting.
Each team in
the division
will usually
race against
all the
other teams
in a round
robin
format. The
overall
winner is
the team
with the
most wins.
In
competitions
all teams
however will
also be
trying to
improve
their own
individual
teams best
race time.
The current
World Record
in NAFA is
15.22
seconds, and
is held by
Spring
Loaded. It
was set on
July 16th,
2005 in
Niagara
Falls,
Ontario.
The current
World Record
in U-FLI and
fastest time
ever run in
flyball is
15.023
seconds and
is held by Touch
N Go. It
was set on
September
14, 2008 at
a U-FLI tournament,
in
Hurricane,
UT.
Governing
bodies
-
USA: The
first
flyball
organization,
the North
American
Flyball
Association
(NAFA)[1] was
created
to
design
uniform
competition
rules
and to
promote
the
sport.
In
recent
years a
second
organization, United
Flyball
League
International
(U-FLI)[2] has
emerged.
-
Britain:
The main
Flyball
organization
is the British
Flyball
Association
(BFA)[3].
-
Australia:
the main
Flyball
organization
is the Australian
Flyball
Association
(AFA)[4].
