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| A "change over": as Breeze returns with a ball and Quiz sets off down the course for his ball |
What is Flyball?
Flyball is a sport in which two teams of four dogs race against each other. Each dog must:
Run – away from his/her handler – down a course, 51 feet long, over four hurdles
Retrieve a tennis ball from a device at the far end of the course called a box
Run back down the course – over the hurdles, with the tennis ball – to the handler.
The two teams compete at the same time, running down parallel courses, and the team of four that achieves the fastest
overall time wins the race. The fastest times ever are currently between 15 and 16 seconds, but these are exceptional and
timings in excess of 20 seconds are the norm.
In tournaments, the teams that enter are allocated to different divisions depending on the team's official time.
A division is made up of six teams, each of which races against all the others in that division. A race consists of several
legs, the winner being the team that wins the most legs. The teams in each division are then ranked according to the number
of victories.
| CHLOE DEMONSTRATES ... |
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| Nearly Got It . . . |
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| HOW TO RETRIEVE A TENNIS BALL |
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| Nearer . . . |
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| . . . FROM THE BOX |
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| Now it's mine! |
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Big dogs are often (though not always) faster than smaller dogs. However, small dogs earn their place in flyball teams
because the height of the hurdles is determined by the height of the smallest dog in the team.
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| Breeze in action |
History of Flyball
Flyball was developed in California in the 1970s by Herbert Wagner. Following a television broadcast, the sport grew
rapidly and soon spread to other countries including the UK.
Today flyball is the fastest growing dog sport in the world, with teams active throughout the United Kingdom. the United
States, Canada, Australia and several European countries.
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| Racing Herts dog handlers line up ready for a flyball race |
Main Roles in Flyball
Club Captain – Leads the teams and selects the dogs for the tournaments we enter
Dogs – Race a fast as they can
Handlers – Supervise and motivate their dogs
Box Loader – Makes sure that a ball is ready in the box to be retrieved by the next dog.
Flyball in the UK
Flyball clubs generally serve the area where they are located. Racing Herts is based in Hertfordshire.
Most of our members come from the Hertford - Welwyn / Hatfield - St Albans area, though others come from much further afield.
If you're looking for a flyball team in another county, please see our Links page, which lists a number of flyball clubs around the UK.
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