Flyball is one of the world’s fastest growing dog sports. It combines basic obedience skills with the athleticism of agility, the fun of playing fetch in the backyard, and the thrill of drag racing. The idea of Flyball began in the late 1960s and early 1970s in California when a group of dog trainers started running scent hurdles with their dogs. As a reward for the dogs, a man at the end of the race would throw a tennis ball for the dogs to chase. Soon, a throwing-arm box was created to replace the man, then the scented lure was removed. What remained was nothing more than four hurdles and a dog-operated ball thrower. From such humble begins, Flyball has now grown into the fast-paced racing sport open to all different breeds and mixes of dogs competing the world over.

 

What is Flyball? (as taken from the North American Flyball Association website) “Flyball races match two teams of four dogs each, racing side-by-side over a 51 foot long course. Each dog must run in relay fashion down the jumps, trigger a flyball box, releasing the ball, retrieve the ball, and return over the jumps. The next dog is released to run the course but can't cross the start/finish line until the previous dog has returned over all 4 jumps and reached the start/finish line. The first team to have all 4 dogs finish the course without error wins the heat.” Dogs earn points based on the overall speed of the team, so even small and slower dogs can get titles. And, your team doesn’t have to actually win the race to get points and titles.

 

Every dog has the opportunity to compete in Flyball; there are no rules regarding size, shape, age, or purity of pedigree to keep dogs and their handlers from enjoying this exciting sport. Smaller dogs are in high demand as the height of the hurdles is based on the smallest dog’s height at the shoulders. Tall dogs have an advantage over any size hurdles. As for older dogs, there is a special division for canines over age 7. They may be older, but many dogs are still running well (and at amazing speed) into their teens. Mixed breeds are welcome and, in some cases, encouraged to join. The multibreed division requires any competing team to have four dogs of four separate breeds – mixed breeds count as one breed. There are even specially-bred mixes (terriers and Border Collies) that bring small stature with great speed to any team.