About Flyball - by Daniel Allen-Ross
Flyball is a unique and adrenaline filled dog sport in which teams of 4 dog’s race against each other over 4 jumps and a rapid turn off the ball triggered box and back quickly to the handler over the jumps in a relay fashion to gain the quickest time possible winning the race.
The teams are made up of 4 dogs of any breed accompanied by the 4 handlers; up to two additional dogs can be named to a team to serve as substitutes which can be strategically subbed in and out.
The hardest element of teaching a Flyball dog is the box turn. The pressure sensitive box is a mechanical bit of equipment which triggers a ball from a hole once a dog applies pressure to the pressure plate of the box. The aim of this turn is to maintain a fast speed into the box, correct proprioceptive feet positioning, and correct positioning of head to catch the ball and a hind limb extension for the exit back into the lane maintaining this speed in one kinetic movement.
Dogs run back to the handler in a quick manner over 4 jumps keeping flat to the ground to then be rewarded for their correct running. Rewards can occur in a variety of things depending on the breed of dog you’re running. Border Collies usually rewards consist of tugs and balls, whilst your spaniels maybe food or furry based toys – every dog is different.
As Flyball is a fast and adrenaline filled compared to other sports, it is imperative we teach the dogs to execute the foundations in a precise manner to make sure they’re safe and no unwanted impact is put onto their joints. If taught incorrectly, subsequent actions from a hard box hit, bad foot placing or clipping of the jumps can lead to muscle damage, swollen joints and arthritis later on it age if not maintained.
We routinely visit chiro and physio for checks and treatments, but working as a scientist I spend a lot of my spare time researching different methods to enhance their performance, so light therapy has been of interest to me for quite some time.
Photizo Vetcare possesses efficient light emitting properties to accelerate the natural healing of tissue through increased energy production, heavily supported by scientific evidence and case studies.
Since adopting this device into our daily routine, we have seen nothing but success, propelling the boys into prime condition geared up and ready for next year’s competition season.
Daniel Allen-Ross - Dan and his dogs Ace and Jax are Flyball competitors.
Read more about Daniel here. You can also find Dan, Ace and Jax on YouTube, Instagram & TikTok
