ABOUT FLYBALL
What is Flyball?
Flyball is a fun sport for you and your dog and is the fastest growing dog sport in the UK.
Flyball is a relay race for dogs. You can have up to 6 dogs in a squad and 4 are selected to race in each leg or heat. The course consists of a starting line, 4 hurdles spaced 10 feet apart and a box. The hurdle height is dependent on the height of the dogs in the team -- 5" below the shoulder height of the shortest dog. 7" is the minimum height and 14" is the maximum height. The first hurdle is 6 feet from the start line and the box is 15 feet from the last hurdle making a 51 foot run in length. The dogs jump the hurdles and step on a spring-loaded box that releases a tennis ball. The dog catches the tennis ball and then runs back over the 4 hurdles. When the dog crosses the starting line the next dog goes. Teams race against each other at the same time and the first team to have all 4 dogs run without faults wins the heat.
Flyball is a relay race for dogs. You can have up to 6 dogs in a squad and 4 are selected to race in each leg or heat. The course consists of a starting line, 4 hurdles spaced 10 feet apart and a box. The hurdle height is dependent on the height of the dogs in the team -- 5" below the shoulder height of the shortest dog. 7" is the minimum height and 14" is the maximum height. The first hurdle is 6 feet from the start line and the box is 15 feet from the last hurdle making a 51 foot run in length. The dogs jump the hurdles and step on a spring-loaded box that releases a tennis ball. The dog catches the tennis ball and then runs back over the 4 hurdles. When the dog crosses the starting line the next dog goes. Teams race against each other at the same time and the first team to have all 4 dogs run without faults wins the heat.
Who Can Take Part?
Dogs of any size or breed can take part in flyball. We accept dogs over the age of 9 months for training. Dogs can take part in starters competitions from 12 months and they can compete in sanctioned open tournaments from 18 months.
IMPORTANT - we ask that you have a good recall before you attend classes!
IMPORTANT - we ask that you have a good recall before you attend classes!
Tournaments
Tournaments in the UK are organised on a round robin format where teams are placed in a division - usually 6 teams per division, they then race each team in that division. Each race is usually best of 5 legs and the first team to win 3 legs receives 1 point towards their standing in the tournament; the final placings within the division are decided by the total number of points each team achieves. In the event of a 2-way tie the placing is decided by which team won the race between the two, in a 3-way tie you can sometimes get a run-off or usually it is decided on the fastest times each team has run that day.
