What is Flyball?

Flyball is the fast growing sport of dog relay racing.  It consists of two teams of four dogs racing each other over four jumps, triggering and catching a tennis ball out of a special box and returning over the four jumps.  The team that completes the run the fastest and clean wins the race.  This sport is open to all breeds (including mix breeds) and sizes of dogs.  In North America, the sport is governed by the 
The North American Flyball Association (NAFA).  It has be promoting the sport since the mid 1980's.

The dogs jump over hurdles set between 8" and 16" high.   This height is set by the shortest dog on the team, so fast small dogs are usually in high demand.  The hurdles are spaced ten feet apart, with six feet between the start line and the first jump and fifteen feet between the last jump and the flyball box, for a total racing lane length of fifty-one feet.  Two lanes are spaced at least ten feet apart and two teams compete against each other to determine the winner of the race.

Points and Scoring

Dogs are awarded points toward titles based on the team's time to complete the race.  Each of four dogs runs in turn, but if a dog makes a mistake, such as dropping the ball or missing a jump, that dog must re-run, incurring a time penalty for the team.  If all four dogs complete the racing pattern in under 32 seconds, each dog on the team is awarded 1 point.  If all dogs complete the pattern in under 28 seconds, each dog is awarded 5 points.  And if all dogs complete the pattern in under 24 seconds, each dog is awarded 25 points.

NAFA Titles are awarded to dogs with the following accumulation of points:

 
 If you have any questions about the sport or are interested in getting your dog involved, please email us barknmad@flyballdogs.com.