Kristy's Blog: Fly Ball

What is Flyball?

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.

More specifically.....

A flyball course consists of two racing lanes, side by side down a 51-foot (15.54m) course. There are two sets of hurdles and flyball boxes. Each team's racing lane consists of 4 hurdles spaced at 10 feet (3.05m) intervals. The first hurdle being 6 feet (1.84m) from the start/finish line and a flyball box is placed 15 feet (4.57m) after the fourth hurdle. The flyball box ejects a ball after the dog triggers the pedal on the front of the box.

Each dog must run in relay fashion down over the hurdles, trigger the box, retrieve the ball and return over the hurdles and across the finish line so that the next dog can be released. The first team to have all four dogs complete the course, without error, wins the heat. Missed hurdles and dropped balls require the dog to rerun the course after the rest of the team has finished.
Jump heights for each team are set at 4 inches (10.2cm) lower than the shoulder height of the smallest dog in the team. The minimum height is 8 inches (20.3cm) and the maximum 16 inches (40.6cm).

Competitions are run in divisions, based on where the teams are seeded. The fastest teams are put in Division 1 and the slower teams in Division 2 etc. This enables every team to have a fair go and be competitive in their division.

Some Flyball History

When did flyball begin?

Flyball is believed to have begun in North America in the 1970's when a Californian, Herbert Wagner, developed the first tennis ball launcher for his ball crazy dog. After demonstrations at his obedience club, he gave a demonstration on the Tonight Show. The revolutionary idea was then introduced into Toronto and Detroit, and after a few small competitions the first formal competition was held in 1981. The North American Flyball Association was founded in 1984.

And in Australia?

The earliest known Australian flyball activity was in 1982 in Perth (Western Australia). Flyball was a demonstration-only activity until 1996, when the Australian Flyball Association was formed. The AFA grew out of Queanbeyan in New South Wales, and competitions rapidly spread from New South Wales to the Australian Capital Territory and Victoria. Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia have more recently held competitions.

How has flyball changed over the years?

Flyball has changed quite a lot over the years. For example, the first flyball boxes were arm-style boxes, with a cup to hold the ball on the end of a moving arm. However, after a while people became worried about dogs hurting themselves jumping to catch the ball, and so they swapped to boxes with enclosed moving parts, like the wedge box or curved front box.
Jump heights have varied over the years, and in some early demonstrations all dogs had to jump 16 inches. Now, jump heights are set at 4 inches below the shoulder height of the smallest dog in the team.
Today, sophisticated Electronic Judging Systems judge starts and passes that previously had to be judged by people. Anyone who has watched good passes knows that deciding by eye whether passes are legal is not easy!
Over the years, the best times run by teams have decreased, as training methods and boxes have improved. The first team to break the 20 second barrier in Australia was the Croydon Rocket Launchers in 1999. At that time, the world record was just over 16 secs.

Getting Started in Flyball

There are different ways to get involved in Flyball:
Join an existing team. Many, but not all, teams require dogs to have a basic level of obedience before they can learn flyball. Check out our list of clubs, or contact the representative for your state for more information on local clubs.
Start your own team. If there are no existing teams in your area, you might have to start your own team. Many teams will be glad to help new teams starting up, by providing advice or organising combined training sessions or seminar days. Again, your regional representative should be able to help here. The AFA also has an information pack.

Some questions you might have are:

How old do dogs have to be to play flyball?

Dogs must be 12 months old to compete at flyball. Care should be taken with young dogs jumping, ask your veterinarian for advice.

How many races does each dog do at a competition?

There are typically between 18 and 32 heats for each team at a competition, and between 4 and 6 dogs in each team. With even rotation of the dogs in the team, each dog might run between 12 and 32 heats, plus perhaps a few runs in the 3 minutes practice.

Do dogs need to be fit to play flyball?

Dogs do need to be relatively fit to play flyball. Many handlers keep their dogs fit by swimming or bike riding with them. In summer, they also need to be acclimatised to running in the heat.

How much does it cost to be involved in flyball?

Flyball is a relatively cheap sport. Membership to the afa costs only $20 for the first year, which includes afa membership a CRN (competition racing number for your first dog) and an afa rules and policies book. Renewal is $15 per dog per year and additional dogs may be added to your membership and receive a crn for $15 per year. Competitions entry fees are set by the competition organisors are typically start at $60 per team of 4-6 dogs. Travel interstate for competitions can become expensive, but many Australian teams help each other out by offering to billet teams from interstate.

Flyball Equipment

Tennis Balls

It is very important that you choose the correct size ball for your dog. Tennis balls or any soft ball that bounces and rolls may be used. Some handlers use squash balls for the little dogs if the tennis ball is too big. Cat balls/small tennis balls from pet shops and kids games can also be used. But the ball you use must be able to be bounced.

Hurdles/Jumps

The jumps are a set size and a basic design; they are easy for any handy person to make. The cross boards have to be standard white in colour and the side boards may be of any colour or sponsorship advertising can be use on the sideboards. Most clubs have two sets of jumps and will use their club colours, for example, one set will be blue and one set red. Then at demos and competitions the spectators know who is racing in the blue lane and who is racing in the red lane. This helps the spectators know what is going on and they can barrack for which ever team they like.
Some clubs have also made padding for the top of the jumps, which can be removed at any time, so that the jumps can be lowered for the different heights of the dogs, and then replaced on the lower board. The padding is attached to a metal sleeve that slips over the hurdle board. The padding must not change the height of the hump at all.

Boxes

There are various styles of boxes from which a team/club can choose. As long as they comply with the AFA rules of measurement and are mechanically triggered, they can be of any design. Many of the newer boxes used by teams in Australia are curved front boxes made by Steve Pitt of K-9 Sports and Equipment.
Flyball boxes can have one, two or three holes for the ball. The idea behind this is that dogs often turn better if the ball is off-centre. Some dogs naturally turn to the left, others to right. Smaller dogs may turn best if the ball is in the centre hole.

Electronic Timing and Starting Lights

The AFA has 3 sets of electronic start lights and timing equipment that are currently used in competitions in the eastern states of Australia. While electronic timing eliminates the inevitable inaccuracies when using hand held stopwatches, it is not necessary to have staring lights and electronic timing to conduct a sanctioned competition. However, electronic timing is required to have an Australian record recognised by the AFA.