Flyball helps dog go from shy to super-fly

Slim wants to tell you a secret that’s not so secret. He’s awesome. And he’s been working hard on a new skill to show off his awesomeness. When this stunning gray-and-white pup with the smiling face arrived at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, he was a bit shy, leading to some nervous energy and occasional jumping on people. But with the help of his caregivers, he’s learning how to channel that energy and wants to show off his new skill: flyball.

Flyball is a dog sport where teams of four race over hurdles, trigger a spring-loaded box to release a tennis ball, and return over the hurdles to their people with the ball. It’s a great way of turning a dog’s excess energy into something that’s productive, relaxing, and fun for them.

Best Friends’ goal is for all shelters to reach no-kill in 2025, and one thing that means is giving pets like Slim the individualized care and training (including flyball training) they need to be matched with new homes.

Best Friends caregiver Ryeleigh Campbell began a modified version of flyball training for Slim with a humble, wooden box and taught Slim to jump on and off the box. Initially, the box was level, and once he learned that jumping on and off the box was fun, she angled the box so that he could bounce off the angled part.

Ryeleigh then added a toy to the box for Slim to tug and retrieve, which made it even more fun for him. Once Slim knew what to do, she added some tension and excitement by holding him near the box and asking him in a playful voice if he was ready. Finally, she let him go, and he joyfully burst from her arms, grabbed his toy as he bounced off the box, and ran back to Ryeleigh with his tail wagging a mile a minute.

This type of engaging training was just what Slim needed to help channel his nervous energy and turn it into a fun activity.

“Playing with your dog is such a good way to build a bond with them,” says Ryeleigh. "One thing I've learned over the years, especially when working with shy dogs, is that if you can get them to play with you, you'll become best friends, making training much easier."

Ryeleigh notes that behaviors like laughing and clapping to show a job well done greatly improve training effectiveness. She’ll play a brief tug-of-war game with Slim and his ball; then she’ll let Slim take the ball and run around with it. While he’s gleefully bouncing around with his ball, she’ll start parading around him, clapping and laughing to encourage him to bring the ball back to her. This type of playful engagement helps Slim realize that if he brings the ball back, they can keep playing, which is the reward.

“Slim is such an intelligent and eager-to-learn pup,” says Ryeleigh. “He loves the actual motion of doing things. So when he was engaging in some of the jumpy behavior, I thought flyball might help harness that energy and turn it into a positive and fun thing for him. A large dog jumping on you isn’t ideal behavior, but if you harness that energy and turn the negative into a positive, it’s a win-win for everyone.”

And after his play/training sessions, this handsome pooch is content to chill out and quietly chew on a toy bone. In fact, at the end of the day, he just wants to go inside and lie on his cozy bed (we can relate). When Ryeleigh comes in to give him a goodnight treat before she goes home, he won’t even get off his bed to come get it; that’s how pleasantly tuckered out he is.

“I’ll ask him if he wants the treat, and then he just opens his mouth and I have to put the treat in his mouth,” says Ryeleigh. “He’s so silly and sweet, and I love him so much. He’s an amazing dog.”

The moral of this story? Slim is most decidedly awesome, and we’re so proud of his fun, new skill. He’s teaching us the power of play is, well, powerful. It’s an essential and joyful part of learning and bonding with your pet — and a great way to help a homeless pet calm down and be more ready to meet the family of his dreams.

Our goal at Best Friends is to support all animal shelters in the U.S. in reaching no-kill in 2025. No-kill means saving every dog and cat in a shelter who can be saved, accounting for community safety and good quality of life for pets. 

Shelter staff can’t do it alone. Saving animals in shelters is everyone’s responsibility, and it takes support and participation from the community. No-kill is possible when we work together thoughtfully, honestly, and collaboratively.