Treibball Equipment Resources

Like many dog sports Treibball has specialized equipment requirements. Look here for ideas of where to purchase or how to build your own.

This page is not intended to be an exhaustive list, but a starting point. We are always interested in learning new sources for things or different approaches to constructing your own props for practice or video titling. So if you find a good resource for equipment or a different way to built something, please share on the Facebook Members page or with a a member of the NATE Training committee and we'll try to update this page as well!

Back to Main Training Page

The Balls

Ball requirements are described in Chapter 5, Section 18 of the NATE Handbook.

To quote from the rules: "All balls must be made of durable, burst-resistant vinyl or similar material. Common exercise balls are fine." As a reminder, the balls for NATE may not be filled with anything but air! Also not all exercise balls are round; read the descriptions carefully.

Sourcing the right-sized balls for your teammate can be challenging. The sites/links listed below are just a few of the places to obtain balls.

Note: NATE does not endorse or receive compensation from any of the businesses or organizations listed below.

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/exercise-ball/s?k=exercise+ball
Wal-Mart (on-line): https://www.walmart.com/browse/sports-outdoors/exercise-balls/4125_4134_1078104_1078124
Big Box Stores: Meijer's, Wal-Mart and the like often have In-Store 'bins' of smaller balls that are suitable for XS dogs.
There is a worldwide project called “Buy Nothing” that allows members to post their needs https://buynothingproject.org/find-a-group/... One NATE member was able to procure 3 exercise balls in 24 hrs through that site.
FaceBook Marketplace or Yard Sales may yield lower cost 'used' balls.

Height Class	Ball Size (Diameter)	Allowable Size Range	Ball ½ Circumference
Mini	25 cm	18 cm-30 cm (7” – 11.5”)	28 cm - 47 cm (11” – 18”)
X-Small	35 cm	30 cm-40 cm (11.5” – 15.75”)	47 cm - 63 cm (18” – 24.75”)
Small	45 cm	40 cm-50 cm (15.75” – 19.75”)	63 cm - 78.5 cm (24.75” – 31”)
Medium	55 cm	50 cm - 60 cm (19.75” – 23.5”)	78.5 - 94 cm (31” – 37”)
Large	65 cm	60cm -70cm (23.5” – 27.5”)	94 cm- 110 cm (37” – 43”)
X-Large	75 cm	70 cm - 80 cm (27.5” – 31.5”)	110 cm – 126 cm (43” – 49.5”)

Stabilizer Rings

The use of Stablizer Rings are described in Chapter 5, Section 19 of the NATE Handbook.

Rings are optional but definitely aid in quick ball placement, ball stability on uneven surfaces and defense against movement on windy days.

Tubing or hose are specified as the preferred material for the rings. Section 19 in the handbook provides detailed size and construction information utilizing tubing and a short length of wooden dowel or smaller tubing. It includes a chart listing the optimum tube diameter and final ring size based on height class and the corresponding ball size.

For practice settings the membership has been creative in sourcing their stabilizers utilizing such things as varied as floral rings, needlepoint hoops and Frisbees!

Suggested Stabilizer Size by Height Class

Height Class	Ball Size (cm)	Tubing Outer Diameter (in)	Tubing Length (in)	Approximate Ring Diameter (in)
Mini	25	0.5	20	6.25
XS, SM	35, 45	0.5-1.0	24	7.5
Sm, Med	45, 55	0.5-1.0	31	10
Med, Lg	55, 65	0.5-1.0	38	12
Lg, XLg	65, 75	0.75-1.0	44	14

The Goal & Goal Line

The Goal requirements are described in Chapter 5, Section 8 of the NATE Handbook.

Key criteria include that the walls of the Goal must be able withstand dogs playing balls off of them and the Goal line must be visible but not obstruct balls entering the goal.

Goal Walls:

The Goal must have 3 "sturdy" walls minimally 3 ft. tall and 15 ft long by 5 ft deep. An existing fence may be used as the back wall. The exterior of the side walls may be reinforced with sandbags. "Feet" on the corners and ends will aid in securing. The Fencing set up must prevent balls from going behind the goal area.

Common materials for constructing the Goal are:

PVC Pipe, T's, corners and elbows (1.5" OD recommended)
Snow or Construction plastic fencing or Lattice or Other small web fencing material
Zip Ties
Fence posts (for more permanent installations)
Sandbags (for reinforcing the sides)

Below are some examples of Goals from our Membership. Thank you for Sharing:

from: Indy Treibball Club Match: Lattice Goal sides with expanding fence and sandbags to stabilize. White tape and cord for goal line and handler box. Low cones marking corners of handler box.

from: Christy Renee Note multi sections for back for portability.

from: Amanda Fleischsmith Note the "feet" for stability.

Goal Line: The Goal Line is the fourth side of the Goal, open to the handler area. The best material to mark the Goal line is very dependent on the location of the playing field. Tape may be highly visible on indoor astro-turf but completely "lost" on a grass field. Here are some frequently used goal markers:

Bright or fluorescent tape
Cord or rope
Chalk
Christmas tree garland (tape, end weights or garden staples to keep in place)
Spray paint

Goal Bumper to hold balls: An easy way to help keep the balls from rolling back out of the goal is to get some pool noodles, and string them on a cord, then stretch across the middle (not the front!) of the goal. Be sure to weight or tie down the cord ends to keep the noodle line relatively straight to prevent a tripping hazard. An example is shown below from the late Sandi Pensinger at "Living With Dogs".

The Handler Box

The Handler Box requirements are described in Chapter 5, Section 9 of the NATE Handbook.

The Handler box ideally ought to have a visible outline (5x25 ft) but one can, especially on Pop-Up field, use 4 cones to demark the corners and leave it at that. The danger of not marking the handler box perimeter is it makes it more difficult for the Judge to determine if the ball is inside before the Handler touches it or if the Handler has stepped on or outside the box. The call may not always go your way in close situations.

The same list of materials above for the Goal line are all acceptable for the marking the Handler box.

from Chris Roeder

Rope makes a great handler box. Tie a flat washer at each corner and where the goal sides are placed. We color coded our washers to make it even easier to lay out. Green for goal sides and orange for handler box corners

At the end of the session thread all the washers on a carabiner or shower curtain ring to keep them in order and ready for the next use.

Field Boundaries Distance Marker requirements are described in Chapter 2, section 4 of the NATE Handbook for Pop-up fields. The tip below is useful for anyone who doesn't have access to a Treibball field with 'permanent' distance markers from the goal.

from Chris Roeder

Don't have a measuring wheel or 100' tape measure? Simple rope to the rescue. Tie a knot or flat washer in the rope every 5' for 50'. Stretch the rope across the goal end of the field or side lines to help you quickly place the goal sides and distance marker cones. No more tedious measuring or pacing off distances. Thanks to Margaret Colvin for the idea!

Urban Herding Fences & Pens

from Sam Leitz, complete instructions for building PVC & Lattice fences:

Treibball Urban Herding Fences - Sam L.pdf

from Sandy White:

For home practice (not for video submissions) Bungee together the wings from an agility jump.

The panel doesn't have to be 'standard' Urban Herding size for the dog to learn, but it should be 'secured' with some sort of weight (sand bags?) to withstand the ball being pushed against it.

Contact NATE info@nationaltreibball.com PO Box 2306, Aptos, CA 95003