FAQs

If you can’t find the answer to your question here, please get in touch.

About Lichfield Flyball Club

Where do you train?

We have two venues

  • Hilton Indoor Equestrian Arena in Essington
  • a private field just off Junction 11 of the M6

Why are you called Lichfield if you aren’t based in Lichfield?

We were previously a part of a dog training society from Lichfield, hence the name. A number of our members still live in Lichfield and the surrounding area, and we are proud of our connection to Lichfield city.

Can I come and watch you train?

If you’re interested in coming to one of our beginners courses you are very welcome to come and watch first. Please get in touch with us by email or message us through Facebook or Instagram to arrange this with us. Please don’t turn up without contacting us in case we aren’t training that week.

If you’d like to watch the team race, the best way to do this is to attend one of our demonstrations.

Starting flyball with your dog

Do you take beginners?

We run four week beginners courses for people and dogs who are new to the sport. If you’re interested in learning more, please take a look at our training class information.

We are unable to accept new dogs directly into our flyball teams. We are a small club with under two hours training time per week and a handful of volunteer trainers.

We do take promising new starters from our beginners course when we are able, but this is reliant on us having suitable spaces on our teams. We pride ourselves on our friendly atmosphere and when people join, we are delighted that they stay with us a long time. However, this also means that there aren’t constantly new spaces.

Why does my dog need basic obedience and other training before we start flyball?

We train a number of dogs together in the same space and it’s important that everyone has the basics so that the group can train effectively and safely.

Our classes are flyball specific and unfortunately we do not have the training time available to work through more basic dog training first.

We are happy to recommend some fantastic dog trainers if you and your dog would like to brush up on your foundations first.

Why does my dog have to be 1 year old before we can start flyball with you?

We want to look after our dogs and their long term health. Repetitive turns at speed and jumping from height are not recommended for puppies who are still growing. Most dogs’ growth plates are closed by 12 months, though for some larger breeds it may be later.

There are some flyball foundation exercises that are safe for younger dogs but we are unfortunately unable to offer flyball for this age group due to limited training time.

If I join your club, do I have to compete?

We love competing and would love to share that love with you.

When you and your dog are ready to start foundation level competitions, you may be invited to join in. It is absolutely your choice whether you decide to do so or not. You are welcome at our training classes regardless.

I’ve been on your waiting list for a long time and haven’t been contacted yet. What’s taking so long?

We’re sorry that you’ve been waiting a while. Ideally there would be no wait and there’s nothing more we’d love than for everyone to start a beginners course straight away. However, as the most established club in the area, our courses are in high demand.

Given our competition and events schedule, we can’t run new beginners courses all year round.

While you’re waiting, you’re welcome to come visit us and meet the team on a Monday evening. There’s also some flyball foundation exercises we can give you to help your dog get a head start when the time comes to start classes. Please get in touch to arrange this with us.

We completely understand if you don’t want to wait. We’d just please ask you to let us know so that we can remove your details from our list.

If you’re happy to hang on for us, we promise we’re worth the wait!

Flyball skills

What makes a good flyball dog?

Dogs of all shapes and sizes can make excellent flyball dogs! We have trained the biggest boxer to the smallest jack russell over the years.

More important than breed is temperament and fitness. Dogs need to be fit, healthy, eager to learn and well socialised.

If they show some interest in a tennis ball, that sets us up for success but, contrary to popular belief, a ball-obsessed dog can be really hard to train for flyball. If ‘ball is life’, there might be some groundwork needed first.

What makes a good flyball handler?

It certainly helps to be physically able and have good timing, but if you have willing to put the work in with your dog, have a sense of humour and are a team player you’ll fit in just fine!

Flyball is a team sport. It is important to us that our members enjoy each other’s company and have a good time socially. We look for new members who share our values, outlook and positive style of training.

I’ve got my name down for your flyball beginners course. Is there anything I can practice with my dog while I wait?

Absolutely!

  • Recalls, lots of recalls! Especially recalls around distractions, like in a park
  • Playing with a tuggy toy
  • Dead ball retrieves. Lots of dogs are used to balls being thrown for them and it can be confusing when they’re asked to fetch something stationary
    • Pop a ball on the ground a few feet away
    • Release your dog to fetch the ball
    • Give lots of praise when the dog brings the ball back
    • Increase the distance as your dog becomes confident
  • Swapping toys
    • Engage your dog with a toy
    • Drop it and pick up another
    • Entice your dog to leave the first toy and play with the second one
  • Practice ignoring other dogs when you’re out and about, so other dogs don’t always mean play
  • Ask trusted people to hold your dog and play with them while you watch from a short distance away. This encourages your dog to be less reliant on you and happy being touched and interacted with by other people