Flyball in or around the Birmingham area

Hi All,

I try to allow my dogs as much exercise off lead as possible alongside more formal training at home, in the garden and at training classes etc.

As they are all incredibly quick on their feet, (particularly Murphy who has dodgy back legs because he was previously mistreated), I was wondering about getting them all involved in flyball.

Does anyone know of anywhere I could take them, anyone I could talk to about it, or anyone fancy just getting together and doing it ourselves?

Laura xx

Hey Laura,
Whereabouts in Birmingham are you? There are a few clubs round there... The Wolf Pack train at Portway just off the M42, Anne their team captain is the area regional rep and if you go to the BFA site and go to contacts, regional rep you can find her phone number etc. http://www.flyball.org.uk/official/regional.php.

Kiddy Monsters train at Bewdley and are a very good team, there are also Nuneaton and Hinckley (again good teams and nice people!) and a couple of teams in Coventry (Kereskey K9's train on Saturdays at Bretford Village Hall - they came to train with is this week and are a nice bunch and also the Scallywags but can't remember where they train)
Or there Hatchford Brook who compete at Crufts and Train at Wythall Rugby Club on a Friday night and also Water Orton who have just started...

Hi,

Wow - that's a lot of flyball just onmy doorstep and I didn't even realise it.

I live in Sheldon, with my back garden almost joining the runway at Birmingham airport so I'm within spitting distance of the main A45/Coventry Road, M42 and M6.

I'll make some calls and see what I can find out and if my dogs can begin flyball sometime soon.

mayn thanx.

Laura xx

Yeah, very lucky! Unfortunately though not so many shows in the Midlands as there has been previously whichis a shame
We started a club in Charlecote nr Stratford in June and can't believe how many people wanted to do flyball... now the problem will be finding local shows for those who have got the flyball bug and are desperate to compete!

Hi,

Is it possible to request pofessional judges attend a certain location etc to organise a formal competition/show? I can't imagine it being difficult but having never done it, I wouldn't know!

Of my 3 dogs here, the one I think would do best is Murphy, who is a Rough Collie/GSD x breed. As he was a rescue dog he was badly treated by his previous owners and has something wrong with his back legs where he has to "bunny hop" to jump on things. Having said that, he's the fastest of all of them when it comes to basic speed and I lves to see them run anyway. To combine runing with the art act of fetching a ball at high speed is heaven to watch (IMHO) nad you can see just how much the dogs enjoy it.

(If I didn have a stumpy leg myself, I'd probably gie it a go too!)

Laura xx

Hey Laura, I may have misunderstood but are you asking about organising a flyball show? The way I understand it happens for BFA flyball is that team(s) apply to the BFA to put on a show and as long as there isn't another one on the same weekend within a 50(?) mile radius then permission is normally granted.
As for judges, the people organising the show would ask some of the BFA judges to judge for them in a division they weren't competing in and organise a head judge for the show and then the various teams entered assist by doing ring party duties. I think the logistics of judges etc are fine it is just finding suitable venues, particularly indoor ones for winter, and having the man power, money and time to run the show. The prices of venues is always going up too, and places that have previously had flyball show are now just to expensive to make them viable