Barkshire Bandits Flyball
Barkshire Bandits were formed in 1996 and is currently led by our team captain Penny who has over 30 years’ experience in teaching old dog’s new tricks. We are currently running two teams - The Bandits and The Bullets. Both teams regularly run at British Flyball Association (BFA) competitions across the country and consistently placed within the top three within our divisions at each comp. It’s not all about the racing and getting 1st place, the dogs and humans love the social aspects of it too.
Diana Brimblecombe Animal Rescue Centre (DBARC) are very generous in letting us train within their grounds in Hurst and in return we help fundraise for them whenever we have the opportunity.
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We are always looking for new members so if you are interested in finding out more then just leave a message on our contact page and Penny will get in contact with more information and hopefully we will see you at our next training session.
What Is Flyball
A flyball race sees two teams of four dogs each, racing side-by-side over a 51 foot long course. There are different tournament formats but each format involves racing between two teams at a time. Within a team, each dog must run over the jumps, trigger a Flyball box releasing a ball, retrieve the ball and then return over the jumps. The next dog is released, in relay fashion, to run the course but can't cross the start line until the previous dog has returned over the finish line. The first team to have all 4 dogs finish the course without error wins. Each race comprises up to five legs, and the team that wins the most legs wins the race. Each flyball team consists of four dogs, plus up to two reserves that can be interchanged after each leg. An electronic judging system that uses lights and timing sensors is used on the start / finish line to determine accurate times, and the winner when both teams complete the course in quick succession.
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Tournaments are run in divisions based on the fastest speed of the team in a previous competition or a time declared by the team captain. Arranging divisions based on speed enables the racing to always be competitive.
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