What is flyball?

Flyball is a relay race in which the dogs race over four hurdles to retrieve a ball from a specially designed flyball box. The dog must press the front of the box in order to activate the trigger mechanism that releases the ball. When the ball springs out of the box the dog catches the ball and brings it back to its handler returning back over the four hurdles.

In a Flyball team there are a minimum of four dogs and a maximum of six dogs with handlers, however only four dogs run at any one time. Each team also has a ball loader who stands at the back of the box to load the balls after each dog has triggered the box.

A whole run of four dogs takes less than 25 seconds, often under 20 seconds so it is very important not to make mistakes. You can be faulted for a dog going over the line too early, or a dog missing a hurdle, or even returning without a ball. If any of these faults occur the offending dog must re-run, thus costing the team a lot of time.

Dogs gain points whilst running with the team depending on the time they complete their runs, under 22 seconds is 25 points, under 26 seconds is 10 points and under 30 seconds is 5 points.  These are awarded by the British Flyball Association and when they reach certain numbers they receive an official certificate.

Any dog, Crossbreed or Pedigree can take part in the sport of Flyball.