Flyball is part relay race and part drag race with dogs. Four dogs and their handlers race on each team. At a flyball tournament, teams are grouped into divisions based on their seed times and vie for placement in round robin or elimination formats.

The Handlers set up their dogs at the far end of the racing lane, called the Runback Area.

The Race Judge confirms that both teams are ready to start the race. The Race Judge activates the Start Lights which count down from red to yellow to green. The dog cannot cross the start line before the green light is on (as verified by the Timing Sensors and the Line Judge) or the run is considered a false start.

The dog runs down the lane over four Jumps (51 feet from start line to box), triggers the spring-loaded box, takes the ball, pushes off of the box and sprints back down the lane, again over the four jumps, to it’s handler.

Now here is where the fun begins! The second dog cannot cross the start line before the first dog crosses back (verified by the Timing Sensors and the Line Judge). If the second dog crosses too soon it is considered an early pass, the Error Light goes on and the dog is “flagged” by the Line Judge. That dog has to run again after all the other dogs on the team have run in order to complete the heat and earn points for placement and titles. The team with the fastest time with no errors (dropped ball, running around the jump, early pass) or all reruns completed is the winner. Currently, the World Record is 15.54 seconds (each dog averaging less than 4 seconds to run over 120 feet!).

Competitive handlers “push the envelope” to save time anywhere they can. They try to get the start time close to 0.000 seconds as possible without being “early.” It is also important to get the dog to dog passes at the start line “nose to nose” without an early pass so that a minimum of time is wasted.

Many teams are composed of three large dogs and one small dog. The height of the Jumps is based on the height of the smallest dog at the shoulders minus 4 inches. The shorter the jumps the faster the dogs can run. Flyball teams cherish their “Height Dog”--they can make or break your team!

The sport of Flyball (it’s not a game, it’s a Race!) was developed in California in the late 70's. By the early 80's it had become so popular that the North American Flyball Association (NAFA) was created to formalize racing rules, regulations and titles. The United States and Canada are divided into Regions. Hyper Flight is in Region 5. Check out our Links page for more information about tournaments and clubs in your area.

Whether it’s Flyball, Agility, Confirmation, Herding, Obedience, Tracking or just a walk around the block, GET OUT THERE WITH YOUR DOG!