HISTORY OF FLYBALL
Flyball is a direct descendant from the canine activity called “scent hurdling”. Scent hurdling is
a racing sport where dogs jump over four jumps and pick up one of four articles that were previously scented by the handler.
The dogs wore a numbered jacket which corresponded with their item.
Flyball as a sport was invented in the 1970’s by a Californian dog trainer called Herbert Wagner. He developed
a ball launcher as a demonstration for his canine obedience graduations. As it was so much fun for both dog and handler
he was asked to show America on the Johnny Carson Show.
In the early 1980’s the sport became so popular that the North American Flyball Association (NAFA) was formed by
12 teams from the Detroit and Toronto area.
The British Flyball Association (BFA) promotes and organizes flyball events in the UK and was formed in 1993. A
World Flyball Association is currently being formed to foster International competitions.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally dogs were released from a sit stay by a whistle and the dog had to put the ball in a bucket before the next
dog could be released. The BFA uses lights similar to those used in auto racing.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Things have changed quite a bit from the original box designed by Herbert Wagner and there are many different types of
boxes.
