It's noisy and it's fast: Welcome to the world of flyball
If your dog loves chasing a ball and is always full of energy, then flyball may well be the sport for them.
This fast and furious game of fetch has been one of the highlights of Crufts since making its debut at the show in 1990.
Hundreds of teams from around the UK, each made up of four dogs and their human handlers, take part in competitions every year.
And among them are eager members of the Kiddy Monsters, who formed in 2006, and are part of Kidderminster Dog Club.
“It’s all very fast,very noisy and very competitive. A race is won in a matter of seconds, making it very exciting. The dogs love it, they always get excited when they realise they’re coming to training,” said Stuart Milton, who runs the club with his wife Karen.
Flyball was first seen in California in the early 1970s, when Herbert Wagner invented a ball launcher for demonstrations at his canine obedience graduations.
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It proved a huge hit with dogs, owners and onlookers alike, and he was soon asked to go on national television and Flyball grew from there.
By the early 80s the sport had taken off across America and Canada and today it is played by teams around the globe.
In the UK alone, more than 11,000 dogs have been registered to race with the British Flyball Association (BFA), and there are currently over 3,000 current active human members.
The sport sees two teams of four dogs and their handlers compete at the same time, using two parallel racing lanes.
The dogs take it in turns to run down while clearing four hurdles in succession before triggering a pedal on the flyball box at the end.
A tennis ball is then released which the dog must catch before returning over the hurdles to the start line. The first team to have its fourth dog across the finish line, with any part of the dog’s body, wins the race.
“It can all be over in 15 to 20 seconds. Most of our dogs can complete their turn in 4.2 to 4.6 seconds, but we have one young dog who can do it under four seconds,” explained Stuart, who lives in Halesowen.
Stuart and Karen train with their border collies Brianna, aged four, eight-year-old Maddison and 13-year-old Tiegan.
Although popular with many collie owners, it’s an inclusive sport that is open to any breed of dog and age, with the human club members ranging from 10 up to 70.
“Any dog can do flyball. We have collies, collie-crosses, spaniels, Labradors and others like a Jack Russell. There is a higher percentage of collies because they will work harder and for longer, but flyball is open to any dog. The hurdles will be set according to the height of the smallest dog.
“To succeed at flyball they need to be very much ball motivated, so they will fetch it and return with it. They also need to have a very good temperament and not mind being around other dogs or being in a noisy arena.
“All training is reward-based and rewards might be a treat, a ball or a tug toy. It’s designed to be fun for the dog and for the handler,” said Stuart.
The Kiddy Monsters run under four team names, depending on the speed of the dogs running at a particular show, and they also include Kiddy Minsters, Kiddy Minxs and Kiddy Minors – the Monsters are the fastest and the Minors are the slowest.
“Dogs can start to train when they are a year old, and compete when they are 18-months. They are at their peak at about five, and then are veterans at about eight, but they can carry on running for longer than that as long as they are still enjoying it,” explained Stuart.
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He believes there are many benefits for both owners and their canine friends. “It keeps us fit because we have to run too, and it keeps the dogs fit.
“They are like 100m runners and all of the running and usual walks keeps them very healthy. We are always watching our dogs running so we can notice any changes.
“We had a dog that was running slightly slower than normal so we advised the owner to take it to the vet for a check-up and they found a thorn stuck in one of it’s pads,” said Stuart.
The club has around 30 members including Rob Bolas, from Wolverhampton, who trains with his sons nine-year-old Alex and eight-year-old James and his collie-kelpie cross Rosie, 11.
“It’s great fun especially when you see how much the dogs enjoy it. Rosie is 11 but you wouldn’t know by the way she chases after the ball, she loves running and racing.
“There is also the social side for the owners and my children can get involved too. Hopefully they will be the next generation.
“It’s a sport for everybody and any breed of he dog,” he said.
The club, which is based in Wolverley and trains indoors during the winter months and outdoors during the summer, races in many competitions around the year and in July will be travelling to an event in the Isle of Mann.
Previous achievements include taking part in the European Championships in Belgium in 2009, where the team finished in sixth place after competing with more than 70 sides from across Europe.
For Stuart racing is always the highlight, as it’s the moment when all of the hard work in training is put into practice in a bid to record the fastest time.
“It’s a proper race because it’s so fast. You’re racing against four other people and their dogs and it’s great to see your dog running nicely and hopefully winning. But we wouldn’t do it, if the dogs didn’t enjoy it,” he said.
*Anyone wanting to try flyball can find out more at www.kidderminsterdogclub.com
