Treibball

About 2 months ago I took my Australian Shepherd, Abby, to the vet for her shots.  While I was talking to one of the employees about agility they asked me if I had heard of Treibball.  When I told them that I hadn't, they explained that it was basically herding large balls.  I was instantly interested and started to look up more information about it.  Here is what I found from Wikipedia:

"Eight balls of approximately 45–75 cm are set in a triangle formation, similar to billiards, with the point ball farthest from the goal. The object of the game is to get all eight balls into a confined space the size of a soccer goal within a set time period, usually about 15 minutes. The handler may not move outside of an area that contains the left half of and several feet beyond the goal area. The dog works in close cooperation with the handler, who is only allowed to use whistles, verbal or hand signals to direct his dog. No verbal or physical corrections are used in Treibball. The dog and handler must communicate effectively to herd one ball at a time into the goal, in fifteen minutes time. The dog and handler team are scored on cooperation and direction, within that fifteen minute time limit,and can earn extra points or accrue demerits accordingly."


You don't have to have a herding breed to play this game.  Any dog can have fun with it.  Even if your dog isn't a "ball dog" they will enjoy this game.  Dogs of all ages will enjoy this activity since it can be modified for puppies or senior dogs.  As you may have experienced with agility or another sport Treibball can greatly help with a dog's confidence.  


Check out this YouTube video of Treibball:

Treibball's popularity is rapidly growing so keep an eye out for a Treibball class if you are interested.  I hope you all have enjoyed learning about a new sport!


Lindsay Shuler
Rascal and Abby