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What
is Flyball? |
Flyball
is a relay race between two teams of dogs and their handlers.
There are 4 dogs per team and they race alongside each other.
The racing lanes are usually around 15' apart. The race track
is 51' long and the dogs have to jump 4 jumps on the way down
to the flyball box. The flyball box is a spring loaded box
that ejects the ball when the dog steps on it. The dog has
to catch the ball, hold on to it, and then come back over
the four jumps, carrying the ball, to the handler. The next
3 dogs are sent, one at a time, until all 4 dogs have completed
their runs.
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Axle
FM (Flyball Master) showing how it's done!
(Owned by Cheryl Smagala) |
If
any dog makes an error by missing the jumps, dropping the ball,
etc, that dog must run again. The first team to run all 4 dogs
without any errors wins the race. The jump heights are dependent
on the smallest dog on the team. The dogs are measured 4"
below the shoulder height - 7" is the minimum height and
14" is the maximum height. |
As
of 2007, there are more than 350 flyball clubs in existence
and over 6,000 active dogs!
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Flyball
Classes |
Training
with Kindness has flyball classes several times a year. Each
dog must have completed a basic group obedience class first in
order to get the dog used to working around other dogs. Since
this is a team sport, dogs must have a reliable recall and be
friendly with all other dogs and people. |
Once
the dogs have completed the basic flyball training course, the
dogs can join the Great
Balls of Fire team practices with an eye towards competition.
The team travels to 5 or 6 tournaments a year from Maryland to
Vermont. |
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