Treibball - When the Dog Herds a Balloon

This is really what this sport is about – herding balloons. The aim is the same as for herding sheep, get all the balls into the gate. And do not be mistaken, treiball is not only for herding dogs. You can do this sport with dogs of any race, size and age.

This is really what this sport is about – herding balloons. The aim is the same as for herding sheep, get all the balls into the gate. And do not be mistaken, treiball is not only for herding dogs. You can do this sport with dogs of any race, size and age.

Treiball was invented by a Dutchman living in Germany. His original aim was to keep his herding dogs busy when they did not have anything to do. The sport was spotted in the Czech Republic for the first time in 2010 during a seminar and its first course took place two years later. But nowadays, three competition categories and two size categories already exist.

It is always about moving a certain number of balloons in the shape of a triangle into a gate in the shortest time. Faults such as helping by hands or legs or leaving the goalmouth are penalised. The difficulty increase from one balloon up to eight balloons in the distance of 20 metres. And do not think that treiball is good only for herding dogs. You can do it with dogs of any size, breed and age. Unlike other sports, it is not so demanding for the locomotor apparatus and that is why even smaller dogs might enjoy it.

And neither is it demanding for the dog handler. So, if you do not want to do agility with your four-legged companion and rush after him all the time, this may become your favourite sport. Even not so sporty people and dogs can enjoy this sport and spend some quality time together. And you don’t even need any expensive special equipment for training. You need only 1 – 8 gymnastic balloons (the diameter of 40 – 70 cm) and flat surface without bumps. To mark the gates some sticks or cones are enough. If you have this option, the perfect place would be a football pitch. There is no need to mark the gates.

Related articles

Dog History III: Balto

In this series, we will get to know famous dog personalities. Dogs play an important role in our life, so let’s take a look what they have already achieved during the time of our lives together. With his determination, Balto saved lives of many people...

How does a dog affect human health

Already since about 100 thousand years ago, when people started with domestication, we have been aware of positive effects of living together with animals. And this doesn’t concern only healing methods. Already the very presence of our pets helps us to...

Cat-sitting

If you have a cat at home, you have certainly encountered the issue of who will take care of it at times. Especially now, at the time of holidays and departures for vacations. Relatives or friends are not always able to come over and to take the cat...

Manual fostering of kittens

The time of kittens is getting closer. Outside, however, the kittens may lose their mum from various reasons. Besides, people will start getting rid of unwanted family arrivals. So it can easily happen to you, that you will find little cat new-borns....

Dogs with a yellow ribbon

You may have already met a dog with a tied yellow ribbon on its collar or on its leash in the street. Did you know, that it is not a fashion accessory, but a message for the passers-by?