Flyball - the sport for ball-crazy dogs

Flyball is a team sport for dogs and humans!

When the traffic light turns green, it begins! Your pet runs over the starting line and jumps over four hurdles to the flyball box. Once at the flyball box, your furry friend is confronted with a challenge: With his little paw, your dog has to trigger the ball machine, which shoots the balls out in an arc via a catapult.

Are you curious now? Then get to know the rules, disciplines and requirements of flyball!

What is Flyball?

Your pet should be ball-crazy, fast and healthy - these are the most important requirements for flyball. The still relatively young dog sport from America works like a kind of relay race in which the dogs jump over hurdles, catch a ball and run over the hurdles back to their owner.

Imagine: In just one movement, also called a swimmer turn, your dog grabs the tennis ball, turns on the sloped flyball box and makes his way back. The turning point is particularly tricky - if your dog masters the retrieving of the ball and the turning with flying colours, you will save a lot of time here.

Since flyball is a team sport, your dog should master the course as quickly as possible. Each team consists of two dog-human teams that compete against another team. It's especially nice that you, as the owner, communicate constantly with your pet during the relay race - you can motivate him lovingly with loud cheers and commands.

Many dogs enjoy flyball

Of course, your dog is only suitable for flyball if he is healthy! Dogs with breathing or joint problems suffer from the physical strain of this sport.

The good news for short-legged pelt-noses: The height of the hurdles is always based on the smallest dog in the team.

In addition to a good level of fitness, your furry friend should also have these prerequisites:

• A love of movement: Does your four-legged friend love running, sprinting and romping? Then flyball is just the thing. Because whoever reaches the goal first wins! Speed and stamina are clearly an advantage here!
  
• Fetching pleasure: If your dog loves fetching, he will get his money's worth with flyball. Your dog has to catch the ball and bring it to you as quickly as possible.
  
• Basic obedience: Flyball as a dog-human team is only fun if your dog has mastered basic obedience! The most important commands are "come", "off" and "sit"
  
• Social compatibility: In team sports, it is important that all dogs get along well with each other. This is because there can be several dogs in between on a flyball course with several teams.

Flyball training: What awaits you and your furry friend

Flyball is a team sport and is also the most fun in a team! Having a quick chat with the other team members, getting tips and tricks from the handler and dog trainer - these are important aspects that strengthen the team spirit and sense of community. Fortunately, the flyball trend from America has been popular in Europe for a long time, so that there are also many dog clubs and dog schools in Germany where you can train flyball and then take part in competitions.

Would you like to see if flyball is something for you and your furry friend before training? Then you can divide the procedure into individual steps and practise these disciplines in the garden or on a meadow:

• Ball work: Take a tennis ball and throw it so that your furry friend can catch it easily.

• Hurdling: In this competitive sport, your four-legged friend has to jump over hurdles. In the garden, you can use an upside-down flower box as an obstacle over which your pet jumps on command.

• Training the turning point and releasing the box: These two disciplines are best learned in a club with the help of a professional. Because operating the ball-throwing machine, catching the ball and running back to you at full speed is complex! If this movement is trained incorrectly, it can take all the fun out of flyball for you.

Flyball in competition: avoid these mistakes

Flyball is a competitive sport with fixed rules. To avoid having to repeat the relay race at tournaments, dog owners and dogs should avoid these mistakes:

• Your dog crosses the finish line before the other dog has crossed it.

• Your dog does not jump over all the hurdles.

• Your dog leaves the course.

• Your pet catches the ball but does not retrieve it to the finish line.

The complete set of rules for flyball can be found at the German Kennel Club (VDH).