Scunthorpe Obedience & Agility Training Club

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FLYBALL What is Flyball?

Flyball is essentially a relay race.  A team of 4 dogs independently race down 4 hurdles, collect a tennis ball from a box and race back to the handler, negotiating the 4 hurdles on return.  Once the dog has crossed the start/finish line, the next dog then takes its turn.   If a dog drops the ball on the way back or does not come back over the jumps, the dog is required to run again. 

The winning team in the first team back with 4 clear runs.

 A team can consist of up to six dogs and handlers, but only four compete in each round.  The Ball Loader has to ensure a new tennis ball is loaded on each occasion and shouts instructions to the dogs.

The sport is fast and frantic, and of course noisy!   All breeds of dogs can take part as the hurdles reflect the height of the smallest dog in the team. 

However, it is Border Collies that dominate the sport due to their speed, agility and desire to work.  Scunthorpe do however run some very quick Labradors and Crossbreeds in their teams. 

Training - A very noisy occasion!

We currently have no spaces for new flyball members.  But watch this space as during the summer the teams will be reviewed.

Summer Training

Winter Training

Winter training is currently taking place in an indoor riding school close by whilst our flyball team prepares for Crufts in March.

We are currently looking for new juniors to start a new junior team as our previous juniors have all grown up!   To qualify as a junior you need to be aged between 6 & 24 (inclusive)

For information on training and the next New Starters / Juniors course please contact us via the contact page.

Meet our Trainers

Bell McLeish

Bell has been training handlers and dogs to do flyball since 19XX before the sport really took off.   Bell and her team first started off doing flyball displays at local village shows, etc.  In 2001 when Crufts started to hold Flyball competitions  the team decided to give it a go and incredibly the came 2nd and qualified for Crufts in 2001.  These days, Bell is in charge of training the adult teams and has had much success with them qualifying virtually every year since 2001.

Vaughan Bailey

Vaughan is the trainer for our junior teams.  Vaughan started training our juniors in 2005 and since then, they have qualified for Crufts every year.   When not training juniors Vaughan is assisting Bell and keeping a close eye on the change-overs.

 

So.....are we any good?

In 2001 we entered our first Crufts Qualifying Competition, came second and incredibly qualified for the Crufts Finals.  Unfortunately inexperience meant we went no further, and did not progress beyond the first round at Crufts. 

We have continued to qualify for Crufts almost every year since 2001.

2008 saw us qualify two teams for the 2009 Crufts Finals – The Scunthorpe Steelers were knocked out at the quarter final stage but The Scunthorpe Hustlers won their quarter final qualifying them for them for the semi final.  Unfortunately they were knocked out at this stage by the eventual winners.  

In 2009, the Kennel Club decided to change the box to the BFA style box for health and safety reasons and so we formed a new team.   We attended a qualifier and once again qualified for Crufts. 

Our team going to Crufts this year will be:  

Scunthorpe Steelers

Captain and Ball Loader:	Bell McLeish
Line Manager:	Vaughan Bailey
Team Members:	Alex Bailey with Jo Jo Caroline Booth with Jazz Ed Lidget with Mac Michelle Smith with Dooley Tracey Warren with Skye Lindsey Waters with Chance

 

Flyball is great fun and the dogs love it.

If your dog loves tennis balls and is fast over the ground, why not give it a go! 


General Information

*	Reward based methods only – NO Harsh handing, no full check chains or physical punishment etc. allowed.  Always bring treats and a favourite toy.
*	Always keep your dog on a lead unless the instructor says otherwise.
*	Always clean up after your dog – bin provided near the gates are of other dogs and owners, respect their distance for safety’s sake.
*	It is wise to arrive early to exercise and toilet your dog before class.  Try not to feed your dog a meal before training.
*	No bitches in season please – but do attend class yourself if you can!

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