Tyne Tailwaggers Flyball teams
Flyball is a fun sport for you and your dog.
Dogs of almost any age and size can take part; owners of any age and size can also take part!! If your dog is fit enough it can play flyball - you may also find you get fitter too!
The only age restriction is that your dog must be at least 18 months old to take part in a sanctioned flyball tournament. This age restriction is purely to safeguard the dog's long-term health.
Flyball is a team sport. Each squad can consist of up to 6 dogs and from this 4 are selected to take part in each heat. It is basically a relay race with 4 dogs and their owners/handlers in each team for that heat.
An important member of the team is the box loader and whilst they are not running one of the dogs they are critical to the team's performance and have to make sure the ball is ready and in the right place for each dog. They have to know the preference for EVERY dog in the team AND have to be very nimble fingered to reload the box in time for each dog.
The dogs race against a team in another lane over 4 hurdles, retrieve the ball from a box and return it to the handler, the next dog does the same and so on until all 4 dogs have run.
The winning team is the first to get all 4 dogs over the line without any faults.
The sport is the fastest growing dog sport in the country and it also played world wide, using the same rules, in countries as diverse as USA, Canada, Japan, Australia as well as many European countries.
It is a very social sport with many teams opting to "camp" at the various weekend tournaments - resulting in a lively social life for you and your dog.
Run times and 'crossing' (the next dog may not cross the start/finish line until the previous dog has returned over it) is monitored via electronic sensors and timing devices as is the start which is similar to a formula 1 grand prix style lights countdown...the start dog may not cross the line until the green light has come on but by using the countdown lights handlers can judge when to release the dog to achieve the best start possible, by releasing the dog some 30 or 40 feet from the line it has chance to build momentum before reaching the racing lane, the same is true when subsequent dogs are released to pass...with both dogs running flat out you want them crossing nose to nose within the timing sensors to achieve the best possible time, it is being able to judge this 'passing point' and adjust where necessary that makes a good handler, races are won and lost on 100ths of a second!
If a lead dog gets two consecutive false starts or a following dog crosses the line too soon (before the previous dog has returned over the line) it is considered a fault and that dogs fault light will be switched on by the line judge...handlers must keep an eye out for their dogs fault light (each position 1st to 4th has a different colour) because their dog will have to run again as a '5th dog' as a penalty. Fault lights will also be switched on if the dog does not trigger the box correctly drops its ball before crossing the line or misses a hurdle. In the event that a dog runs out of it's racing lane and crosses to the opposition the race is immediately halted by the judge (in the interest of safety) and the leg is automatically awarded to the opposition on the grounds of interference.
The combination of noise, shouting, lights and the speed at which everything is happening makes competition quite daunting for novice handlers...it's not as easy as it looks!