Pedal Pushers Flyball

Our Team's History:

Like several of the Southeast Michigan based flyball teams; we formed at the Ann Arbor Dog Training Club during the 1980's. At first, we were known to many as the "Lab Club Flyball Team." We began with only four dogs. All were Labrador Retrievers --- Casey, Coal, Gulliver, and Laddie. As more and more people were able to experience it, flyball began to grow in popularity. Participation in the North American Flyball Association activities grew, and our team grew as well. People with different breeds of dogs; both large and small, short and tall; have joined with us since our humble beginnings. During the years, many people have spent some time with our team. Senior members have shared their experience. New members have brought additional dogs, fresh ideas, and more energy. By mid 2003 several members had changed hobbies, said goodbye to their best friend, or merged with other teams as they looked for a new direction. We stopped competing for a while, but our spirit remained. It’s 2009; Pedal Pushers is back, practicing at AADTC! We’re a small, revised team, with similar goals, to grow and get stronger while having fun with our canine and two legged friends. We continue with a variety of breeds and a few dogs in training. It feels great to to be a part of the pack!

 

What is flyball?

Flyball is a relay race with 4 dogs on a team. The course consists of a starting line, 4 hurdles spaced 10 feet apart and a box. The first hurdle is 6 feet from the start line and the box is 15 feet from the last hurdle for a 51 foot overall length. The dogs jump the hurdles and step on a spring loaded box that shoots out a tennis ball. The dog catches the tennis ball and then runs back over the 4 hurdles. When the dog crosses the starting line the next dog goes. The first team to have all 4 dogs run without errors wins the heat. Tournaments are usually organized in either a double elimination or round robin foramt. Double elimination is usually best of 3 or best of 5. Round robin is usually best 3 out of 5 and the first team to win 3 heats receives 1 point towards their standing in the tournament. The hurdles' height are dependent on the height of the dogs in the team -- 4" below the shoulder height of the shortest dog. 7" is the minimum height and 14" is the maximum height.