Flyball

[Leo Walker]

I took Floyd to a flyball session today and we both loved it! Hes never done anything like it before but he just got it from the start. He was doing a line with 3 jumps by the end and he didnt want to stop. I am so proud of him. He was so well behaved and just a pleasure to have around. He is almost silent normally apart from the odd roo when he wants the cats food but he was so excited and happy today that he started singing. I've only heard it a couple of times before when I've taken Dylan racing. Its the most amazing noise, it makes all the hairs on the back of my neck stand up!

The club were really excited about him as well, hes super fast being a whippet, and he has such a lovely trainable nature that they think he will be really good at it. We've both come home on such a high and utterly shattered. Safe to say we will be going back!

I didnt get any pictures of him doing a run, but just because hes so handsome, here he is right at the beginning, watching the other dogs in a slightly bemused but very interested manner

And in the car just before we headed home, absolutely shattered but high as a kite still and not wanting to leave

Does anyone else do flyball with their dogs?

 

[Bellaboo18]

Oh my goodness what an absolutely gorgeous dog! Glad you both enjoyed it. I've never done flyball but used to do agility with my old dog; she was a border collie and loved learning new things and pleasing people. Flyball does always look fun!

 

[Leo Walker]

Hes absolutely beautiful inside and out. I just adore him.

We did some scentwork stuff previously and he loved that as well, but we stopped and never really got started again, and flyball was just something to fill the gap in before we started scentwork again, but I think we will stick to flyball. Hes had his tea and made himself a little nest and gone to bed!

 

[Oenoke]

I compete at flyball with my Border Collie girls


And I have a 10 month old Border Whippet that I hope to compete with when she's older

 

[Leo Walker]

brilliant photos! that is a very border collie looking cross!

 

[Oenoke]

brilliant photos! that is a very border collie looking cross!

She's a 2nd generation Border Whippet (both her parents are Border Whippets, both her grandads are Border Collies and both her grandmothers are Whippets), take away her coat and she's very Whippet, she loves to run, she outruns my Border Collies.

 

[Clodagh]

That whppet/border collie is amazing looking, she would make a great rabbiting dog I should think!

 

[Clodagh]

LW, I am glad you and Floyd enjoyed the flyball. My brother ran his labrador that his daughter normally competes, he said the timing was the worst bit but luckily he had someone shouting 'release' at the relevanty second.

 

[Leo Walker]

LW, I am glad you and Floyd enjoyed the flyball. My brother ran his labrador that his daughter normally competes, he said the timing was the worst bit but luckily he had someone shouting 'release' at the relevanty second.

Floydy was much better at it than I was. My running skills are zero and for once in my life I wasnt being loud or excitable enough They build it up step by step, so I'm hoping it gives me time to learn what on earth I'm doing. I'm still shattered today, but Floydy woke me up at 8.30 to tell me breakfast was late and could I please get up now before he starved to death!

 

[Karran]

Fantastic! Mrs Spaniel and I love our Flyball and have just returned home from our last competition of the year!
I've found that the whole flyball community is very friendly and welcoming to newbies
Who did you train with?

 

[BBP]

I love watching the dogs go, but I don’t think I could cope with the noise!!

 

[Clodagh]

I love watching the dogs go, but I don’t think I could cope with the noise!!

Same, it would give me a headache!

 

[Leo Walker]

Fantastic! Mrs Spaniel and I love our Flyball and have just returned home from our last competition of the year!
I've found that the whole flyball community is very friendly and welcoming to newbies
Who did you train with?

Northants Falcons. They train at a livery yard a few miles from me. I had no idea they even existed until I started looking for more scent work stuff to do with Floyd and came across their page. Really glad I did!

 

[Annette4]

Another Flyball whippet here and Dobby has just started training as well 😄

 

[Annette4]

Fizz is never going to be the fastest dog on our team but if I can crack her box turn I do think she’d be a potential 5/sub 5 second dog. At comps she’s much faster than at training and she’s a total weather diva but she loves it.

At Champs with her painted nails

At her first indoor comp where she picked up her first award and got her points for her second award

Dobby at his first training session (I have to hide when he’s training with OH which is why they’re far away 🙄)

 

[awelshandawarmblood]

I have a Sprocker & we did it for 2 year & loved it! Such a friendly group of people at training & tournaments etc. We had to give it up as she was getting noticeably stiff the days after training (suffered from a luxating patella as a pup) so didn't want to risk it. We both miss it & to this day she still goes nuts if I say 'ready, ready, ready' to her before playing ball lol. Hope you have great fun with it!

 

[Leo Walker]

We dont have training again until the new year sadly. Floyd thought we were going again last week and kept suggesting we get in the car We've been doing lots of training where we throw the ball and run in the opposite direction, well my OH has, and Floyd is suddenly ball obsessed. He broke into the lead cupboard yesterday and stole the ball and ball thrower. Very naught of him, but very funny!

He was a horribly uncoordinated puppy, but has hit maturity now and suddenly has control of his legs, and hes fast! My other dog did a lot of lure racing and was unbeatable in his day, but Floyd is giving him a run for his money now, so hopefully it will all come together nicely. If not, we both enjoy it anyway!

 

[hairycob]

Glad you enjoy it. OH is a Northants Falcons member (young sprocker called Pickle) and they are a friendly bunch

 

[Leo Walker]

Glad you enjoy it. OH is a Northants Falcons member (young sprocker called Pickle) and they are a friendly bunch

ooh I'll keep an eye out for him. We are the intro class at the minute so dont know many members.

 

[MrsMozart]

Gorgeous dogs.

All sounds a lot of fun!