Flyball is a sport that the club has been involved in for a number of years, with our first competition at Melbourne Royal in October 2000.

It is a fast, thrilling and action‑packed sport involving jumping, catching and retrieving. It is an opportunity for dogs and handlers to work together and with their team mates, and above all it is FUN.

Flyball is conducted as a relay race between two teams of 4 dogs. Each team usually consists of 6 dogs so the dogs can be rotated throughout the day.

The course consists of a starting line, 4 jumps (hurdles) and a box. Each dog runs down the lane, jumping over the hurdles and step on a spring loaded box that shoots out a tennis ball. The dog catches the tennis ball and runs back over the hurdles. When the dog crosses the starting line the next dog goes. The first team to have all 4 dogs run without errors wins the heat.

The height of the hurdles is dependent on the height of the shortest dog running in the heat.

Competitions are sanctioned by the Australian Flyball Association and are held throughout the year. Dogs compete as a team in divisions determined by total team time, and each dog also competes for their own individual titles.

All breeds of dog are welcome to participate.

As with agility, a fixed collar or flyball harness is used. You and your dog can begin training once your dog is 6 months old and is under effective control.

FLYBALL TRAINING TIMES

Beginners – Setup at 11:15 then training at 11:30 to 12:30

Teams – 12:30 onwards.

Please note – Training does not happen every week. It is scheduled around competition commitments and is subject to instructor availability.