Flyball

[M&M's mummy]

I think this would be something Monty would love to do however the issue I have is that he does suffer with fear aggression with some dogs especially collies which seem a breed that do flyball :(

Although when playing ball he does focus on the ball and isn't fussed about other dogs.

Are flyball classes always aimed a people taking part in the sport? are their classes which are just for fun without going to events etc?

I would like to maybe try it out -but as you can see have some reservations.

Would interested to hear from those who are doing flyball for advice please :)

[MillieDog]

Interesting questions that I can't answer. But would be interested to see the responses.

Millie starts Rally training in a few weeks. Apparently she can't do Flyball or Agility until she's 2yrs, so Rally will have to suffice for now.

[embee]

They can start flyball at 12 months (and run as starters) but can't compete through BFA until 18 months - see http://www.flyball.org.uk/ for more info.

The best way to start is to find and visit some clubs or groups to see what a session is run like and how competitive they are.

Some clubs focus on competing while some are more relaxed and are happy to have dogs there for fun and exercise as well.

The club I go to isn't highly competitive but do go along to competitions about once a month and welcome dogs whether the owners intention is to compete or not.

Most clubs will let you have a free intro session to see how your dog gets on.

If you take a look at Flo's Diary on JoJo's blog there are entries about Flo's initial sessions http://www.mydogslife.co.uk/ along with pictures and a movie.

At the club I joined Flo was introduced to different elements on an individual basis. By week 2 and 3 she was running within a team of 4 where dogs are working in close contact. A good trainer will observe a dog who might be worried about the proximity of another dog and will gradually get you to release your dog closer to another.

Some training groups offer a more fun approach to flyball and agility for those not interested in competing at all.

[M&M's mummy]

Thanks Mandy for the info.

Flo is just brilliant and seems a natural at it.

She is very well behaved too :)

I would really like to do on a fun basis to see if Monty ( he is 4 ) would take to it and more importantly if he would get on with other dogs. He is ball mad and would play all day if you let him.

Could you PM the details of your club to me please? :)

[strof51]

I will try to answer your questions.

You can start when your dog is 10 months old, but they can't use the spring loaded box until over 12 months ( most clubs will have a adjustable box for young dogs and beginners ), and compete until they are 18 months.

A lot off the top teams are all Collies but most teams are made up of a good mix of dogs, and the hight of the jumps is determined by the smallest dog.

Clubs will normally have classes for beginners, intermediate and advanced dogs, and the people that compete will be in the intermediate and advanced class. So if you only want to do it for fun there would be no problem staying in the beginners class, but if you get hooked you will start to compete.

At competitions and classes dogs can get very excited and bark a lot, so it can be a bit much for dogs a first. to give you an example last weekend we competed at a 3 day event. Over the 3 days approx 500 dogs will have competed and the noise was at times deafening and dogs that would do well at a club night go to pieces as I can verifier.

You will find that some of the club members also work with animals and can help you with any problems you have with your dog. ( We have vet nurses and a dog behavior expert in our club, very handy ).

Flyball is great fun for you and your dog but can be very frustrating, as dogs will be dogs and from time to time just do their own thing.

Give it a try your dog will thank you for it.
But be prepared for early starts, being out in all sorts off weather, camping, and sleeping with wet dogs if you do start to compete.

[embee]

Col - Has Poppy run as a starter yet?

[JulesB]

Well you've inspired me and there is a local club so have emailed them about a taster session for Betty. I think it would be good for her as she is a but possessive over balls so hopefully this would help her learn not to be but also be goid to tire her out as she'll run after a ball for ever!!!

[embee]

Well you've inspired me and there is a local club so have emailed them about a taster session for Betty. I think it would be good for her as she is a but possessive over balls so hopefully this would help her learn not to be but also be goid to tire her out as she'll run after a ball for ever!!!

You'll really enjoy it - let us know how your taster session goes.

[JulesB]

You'll really enjoy it - let us know how your taster session goes.

I'm not sure when we will be able to do a session as i am off on hols in 10 days but hopefully can do one within the next month. Think flyball would be good exercise and stimulation, especially in the winter when her evening walks aren't so much fun! I'm quite excited about trying it with her!!

[strof51]

Col - Has Poppy run as a starter yet?

Yes, she has run in 2 starters competitions and 1 in division and the team came third despite my bad runs (handler error), no points yet.
Away to another competition at division on Sunday.

We are running as fifth dog in the division team and Poppy only runs if we are 2 legs up in a race, this way she is getting used to being in the ring and all the judges and timing equipment, very distracting for a new dog.

[JulesB]

Well I have had a reply from the local club and work and traffic allowing, we will be going for a flyball trial on Wednesday evening!!! I am really looking forward to it!!

[embee]

Well I have had a reply from the local club and work and traffic allowing, we will be going for a flyball trial on Wednesday evening!!! I am really looking forward to it!!

That's great. Look forward to hearing all about your first session.

Flo has her sixth session on Tuesday evening. She's doing really well apart from a tendency to want to chase the dog just finishing it's run rather than concentrating on going straight for the jumps when released. Last week the trainer started bringing the 'change overs' closer together though and we are gradually breaking the habit :rolleyes:

[Cockapoodledoo]

Sadly I can't find any flyball close enough to me. I think Rufus would be fab at it bearing in mind he shoots off down an agility course the second I take his lead off! Who wants to wait?!! I'll keep an eye out for a club but we still love agility nonetheless. :)

Karen x

[embee]

Sadly I can't find any flyball close enough to me. I think Rufus would be fab at it bearing in mind he shoots off down an agility course the second I take his lead off! Who wants to wait?!! I'll keep an eye out for a club but we still love agility nonetheless. :)

Karen x

I've stopped doing agility with Flo and now just do flyball as it suits her better I think.

She has never had any kind of 'wait' at agility and since starting flyball - where you want them to get really excited and keen to go as soon as you release them - she got even worse and kept flying off to the nearest bit of equipment as soon as I let go of her.

Do you do fun agility or are you competing with Rufus?

[Cockapoodledoo]

I've done a couple of competitions within our club but haven't had the opportunity to compete out there in competition land yet. On one of the competitions I was in a run off for fourth place. Rufus was amazing. We won the run off to get fourth place but his time was 2 seconds faster than the winner! ....

I'm really restricted as my husband works most weekends as he is in the entertainments industry and it's not easy with my youngest. He often shouts out and makes funny noises in his wheelchair and can freak some dogs out! ........Hmmmm, could be my secret weapon! Lol!

I'd love to compete properly with Rufus, and one day I'm sure I will. I am competing at Loseley House on Sat 25th Sept at a big country show but it is just our club again - which is huge it has to be said. I'll let you know how we get on. :)

Karen x

[JulesB]

I've stopped doing agility with Flo and now just do flyball as it suits her better I think.

She has never had any kind of 'wait' at agility and since starting flyball - where you want them to get really excited and keen to go as soon as you release them - she got even worse and kept flying off to the nearest bit of equipment as soon as I let go of her.

Do you do fun agility or are you competing with Rufus?

This sounds like Betty flying off after a ball. The one thing i worry about is she hates sharing her ball and is very possessive so i just hope she doesn't end up being badly behaved with the other dogs!!

[embee]

This sounds like Betty flying off after a ball. The one thing i worry about is she hates sharing her ball and is very possessive so i just hope she doesn't end up being badly behaved with the other dogs!!

She won't need to share her ball :D She'll have to be motivated enough to run over 4 jumps to get a ball then come back over the jumps and give it to you for a treat!

[JulesB]

She won't need to share her ball :D She'll have to be motivated enough to run over 4 jumps to get a ball then come back over the jumps and give it to you for a treat!

Knowing Betty she'll want all the balls!!! She'll run and get a ball but giving it to me may be the tough bit as she likes to run off and lie down with it and play with it!!!

[embee]

Knowing Betty she'll want all the balls!!! She'll run and get a ball but giving it to me may be the tough bit as she likes to run off and lie down with it and play with it!!!

OK - maybe go armed with a bag of tasty treats (cheese, sausage, fillet steak!) that she will happily exchange her ball for. Or maybe a tug toy if tug is a higher value game then 'catch me if you can with my ball'! When they finish their run you do need to get them back to you promptly with a good recall as having dogs running around with no recall can cause general chaos. The trainers will help and only introduce elements in a way that is appropriate. Where we have had dogs that tend to come off their run then run amok in the field the owners have positioned them selves in the mouth of the netted run so they can 'collect their dog and reward them. Look forward to hearing how your first session goes :D.

[JoJo]

We will could have our own Flyball Team on here soon...

After reading how much Mandy & Flyball Flo (it has a great ring to it... ) enjoy this activity. My hubby really wants to do it with Oakley, I am hoping to find them a course to go to maybe next year, Oakley is a great runner and an active cockapoo.... I hope it will suit him, he is focused on all ball games ..

However Honey is more interested in chasing Oakley :) thats my girl .... cute but a little unfocused at times ... so sweet though ...

Please us all posted.. I would love to hear how your dogs take to this fun activity ..

[strof51]

Well back from another day Flyballing.
Up at 4am left home at 5am for a 2.5 hour drive to the event.
After a good training session this week thought that we would get our first points today but not to be. But a lot of progress for Poppy and I on the steep learning curve of competing.
Maureen and I are getting lots of advice and encouragement not just from fellow team members but other competitors. It such a friendly sport.
We are both BFA members looking toward next year when we could be running Poppy and Rosie in the same team, plus Maureen is learning how to do the time recording for the team.
This was our last summer competition we are doing, next the winter season indoors venues should be fun:eek:.

An update to my last post.
From 12 to 18 months old your dog can compete in starters competitions

A link to a video showing how loud the dog get.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0u2bUxcvhrM&feature=player_profilepage

[wilfiboy]

Eventually got around to emailing one of my local clubs.. just awaiting response I really think Mable will love Flyball, fingers crossed x

[JulesB]

Betty has just done her first flyball session and loved it!!! They started her off just going over the jumps then her running over the jumps to me for the ball and by the fourth go she was running to the board, getting the ball (from someones hand at the moment) and running back to me. Two other new dogs were significantly worse than Betty and wouldn't hold the ball, wouldn't fetch it, would drop it and run back. Will defo be going back as its great exercise for Betty!!

[embee]

Betty has just done her first flyball session and loved it!!! They started her off just going over the jumps then her running over the jumps to me for the ball and by the fourth go she was running to the board, getting the ball (from someones hand at the moment) and running back to me. Two other new dogs were significantly worse than Betty and wouldn't hold the ball, wouldn't fetch it, would drop it and run back. Will defo be going back as its great exercise for Betty!!

Sounds like Betty will really enjoy flyball - it's interesting when some dogs just take to it while others just don't get it or aren't motivated. When we did 'have a go' sessions at Norwich All About Dogs some did amazingly in just 10 minutes while other showed no interest at all and we spent 10 minutes just trying to catch them and get them back on lead :D

[JulesB]

Sounds like Betty will really enjoy flyball - it's interesting when some dogs just take to it while others just don't get it or aren't motivated. When we did 'have a go' sessions at Norwich All About Dogs some did amazingly in just 10 minutes while other showed no interest at all and we spent 10 minutes just trying to catch them and get them back on lead :D

There was one collie that just kept wandering in circles and wouldn't carry the ball but then also knocking the little jumps as it was half hearted efgorts at running over them. The problem with Betty is keeping her back til she is ready to go!!!! She flew over the jumps!!!! She was good at waiting her turn too. Am on holiday for the next two weeks but will defo take her when i'm back as its good exercise and training for her.

[M&M's mummy]

That's great news re Betty :)

[JulesB]

That's great news re Betty :)

In response to your post that started this thread, the dogs there were all on leads most of the time so you could stay as close or as far away from the other dogs as you liked. But what i actually found was that Betty was so intent on watching what was going on, she wasn't that bothered by the other dogs and it wad the same with most of the other dogs there. They all had bit of a sniff round towards the end and when they had finished but by that time they had settled a bit. I did just sit on a nearby bench for 5 mins before joining in so Betty got used to the noise etc as a lot of the dogs were so enthusiastic they were barking!!

I'd defo recommend giving it a go if you have a ball crazy dog!! The club i went to was the Barkshire Bandits who train in Maidenhead.

[M&M's mummy]

In response to your post that started this thread, the dogs there were all on leads most of the time so you could stay as close or as far away from the other dogs as you liked. But what i actually found was that Betty was so intent on watching what was going on, she wasn't that bothered by the other dogs and it wad the same with most of the other dogs there. They all had bit of a sniff round towards the end and when they had finished but by that time they had settled a bit. I did just sit on a nearby bench for 5 mins before joining in so Betty got used to the noise etc as a lot of the dogs were so enthusiastic they were barking!!

I'd defo recommend giving it a go if you have a ball crazy dog!! The club i went to was the Barkshire Bandits who train in Maidenhead.

Yes we will give it a go ( going to try Mandy's club) but we have decided to put it off till next year now as Hubby is having some work issues.

Keep us posted on Betty's progress though :)

[wilfiboy]

Pleased to hear that Betty Boo enjoyed fly ball...weather permitting im going to watch tonight and then there are newbies starting in Oct ... cant wait x

[strof51]

Great to see Betty enjoyed it (another one hooked maybe).

Karen are you going to The Doghouse Flyball Club for a look.

[wilfiboy]

Great to see Betty enjoyed it (another one hooked maybe).

Karen are you going to The Doghouse Flyball Club for a look.

I have seen that listed .. will have another look, its Springers, it is on the British flyball list, why do you know of the Doghouse Club?. I contacted Springers as they did nt appear to be all collies, although I suppose if newbies are starting Oct you dont know whose going to be there, and they did nt appear as competitive. Not that I have anything against collies just dont want to be disadvantaged and the only one who cant/wont do it :D

[strof51]

They were at the Drax competition.

Don't worry about what breed of dog are at a club, we have collies that haven't got a clue and dogs with medical conditions that can give any dog a run for their money. All the clubs I have come across so far are very friendly and would welcome any breed of dog to join them. Saying that I had the same reservations when I was looking to join a club.

[embee]

Would love to hear how you are all getting on with flyball.

Flo still trains once a week and is now in a set team and entered for her first starters competition in Surrey on December 4th. She was timed last Saturday and ran in 5.46 seconds :D:D:D

[strof51]

We are training every week. Poppy did go back a bit and just wanted to play but we have got her focused again .We are not competing at the moment as all the comps are now indoors and I don't want to undo the work we have done in the last few weeks. The club have just found a indoor venue for the winter at an equestrian centre so with a bit of luck we should be back competing early in the new year. Poppy's times at training are about the same as Flo's but in her last comp she did a sub 5.3 run, but she was running for Maureen and not me so I can't take the credit.
I take Rosie with us to training and she has a great time running around playing with Cherry, Emma's three leg Staffy puppy as we set up the equipment, then a good run with the big dogs at the end of training.
Good luck with your first competition.

[embee]

They are running at comparable speeds then - so I now have the challenge of getting her down to 5.3 :D Not sure what Flo will make of her first competition especially if it is indoors so we'll see.

I have had to adopt a strange way of starting her as she has been getting too over excited in the line up so I now have to hold her just by the start but facing away from the dogs running then turn her around just before she goes. I have to say she is now a lot more settled and focussed when I let her go. The trainer wants to break her habit of getting over excited and eye-balling the dogs finishing so she is more focussed on running and can ultimately run in any position. Flyball seems so simple but starts to get quite challenging once working towards competition.

Is Poppy quite straightforward to handle or do you have challenges with her???

[strof51]

Poppy has been a challenge to handle as she doesn't get excited so I was trying to work her up and this was having a negative affect. So now I hold her loosely and just give her the command GO, and it is working at the moment.
Also had a problem with her spiting the ball but that has been solved by using a soft ball (Slazenger Solo). It has to do with the spaniel soft mouth.
We do train with all the equipment set up as it is at a competition, so they are running with a dog in the other lane, but it is completely different at a competition with the timing equipment, tables and strange interesting people, lots of noise.

My advice from my own experience is:-
1. Keep calm, hard to do
2. If you have a bad run forget it.
3. Don't worry about individual times. You will see that 4 slow dogs can win with clean runs.
4. Never loose you temper or tell your dog off.
5. Lots of praise.
6. Watch the division dogs, they make mistakes too.
7. Have fun.:):):)

[embee]

Colin, Have you got a flyball box and jumps you use at home for practice? I'm thinking about getting one for Flo but need to find something of decent quality but at a reasonable price - say £200 all in?

[strof51]

Don't have any equipment at home, but i could borrow an old box the club has. The equipment is very expensive from £300 to £450 for a box and £100 for a cheep set of jumps. The box's change hands secondhand for about £150.

We trained last night indoors at a local equestrian centre, a wast of time with Poppy and all the spaniels, too many nice smells and poo.lol. Going back to basics with Poppy to get her to work in this environment.

[embee]

Don't have any equipment at home, but i could borrow an old box the club has. The equipment is very expensive from £300 to £450 for a box and £100 for a cheep set of jumps. The box's change hands secondhand for about £150.

We trained last night indoors at a local equestrian centre, a wast of time with Poppy and all the spaniels, too many nice smells and poo.lol. Going back to basics with Poppy to get her to work in this environment.

I'll see if I can get a secondhand one for home practice then could also bring it along to Olympics for demo then.

I've never tried Flo indoors and we've got a starters comp on 3rd Dec which I guess will be indoors :eek::eek::eek: it could all go horribly wrong as Flo is easily distracted too :o:o:o

[strof51]

Hi Mandy
The secondhand box's that come up on the BFA forum are sold within day or so, they are as rare as chickens teeth.
For the Olympics demo I will be able to bring the clubs training box, it only has a centre ball trigger but will be ideal. we have some old jumps as well.
Looks like your starters comp could be on a ice rink or a sports hall so no horse poo to contend with, just be very noisy, it was last night and there was only 15 dogs.:D