More on Flyball
Flyball is a relay race with 4 dogs on a team. The course consists of a starting line, 4
hurdles spaced 10 feet apart and a box. The first hurdle is 6 feet from the start line and
the box is 15 feet from the last hurdle for a 51 foot overall length. The dog jumps the
hurdles and steps on a spring loaded box that shoots out a tennis ball. The dog catches the
tennis ball and then runs back over the 4 hurdles. When the dog crosses the start/finish
line the next dog goes.
The hurdles' height is dependent on the heights of the dogs on the team -- 4" below the
shoulder height of the shortest dog. 8" is the minimum height and 16" is the maximum
height.
In competition you race against another team in a second lane. A judge will start the
teams together using either lights or an audible count. The first team to have all 4 dogs
run without errors wins the heat.
Tournaments
Tournaments are where we can compete with other teams around the Northwest. Flyball
is a unique sport in that dogs of ALL levels can compete and earn titles and ribbons.
There are two ways to succeed in Flyball. You can earn NAFA (North American Flyball
Association) points in every heat you run, whether or not you win the race. NAFA points
are determined by the total team time, and every dog running earns those points for a
particular run. NAFA points can be accumulated over time to earn titles according to the
chart shown below.
NAFA Home Page
The dogs earn points towards Flyball titles based on the team's time:
less than 32 seconds: Each dog receives 1 point
less than 28 seconds: Each dog receives 5 points
less than 24 seconds: Each dog receives 25 points
The titles the dogs can earn are:
Abbr Title Points Award Type
FD Flyball Dog 20 Certificate
FDX Flyball Dog Excellent 100 Certificate
FDCh Flyball Dog Champion 500 Certificate
FM Flyball Master 5000 Pin
FMX Flyball Master Excellent 10000 Pin
FMCh Flyball Master Champion 15000 Pin
ONYX ONYX Award 20000 Plaque
FGDCh Flyball Grand Champion 30000 Plaque
You can also compete for tournament points. These are earned by beating the teams you
are running against. Tournament points earn you placement in that tournament, and may
result in ribbons or prizes (but not money).
Teams
A team competing in a tournament can consist of 4 to 6 dogs, although only 4 dogs run in
a given heat. You must submit a list of the dogs in a team with your tournament entry,
but the lineups can be changed right up to the morning of the tournament
Races
Most tournaments here are run in a round robin format. This means that you run against
each of the other teams in your division once, although if it is a small division you may
race each team twice. There are generally 3 to 5 heats per race. Sometimes it will be best
3 out of 5 (as soon as one team wins 3 races, you stop), sometimes it is 5 straight, and on
rare occasions it is 3 straight.
Running a Race
In its simplest form, each dog in the 4-dog lineup runs down, grabs the ball, and returns
so the next dog can go. In real life it gets much more complicated than that.
A dog's run is not complete unless he performs it without mistakes. If a mistake is made,
the dog must run again at the end of the lineup, making it very difficult to beat the
opposing team or get NAFA points.
Box Loading
The Box Loader is a very important part of the team. His/her job is every bit as critical as
the handlers running the dogs.
The basic job of the box loader is to load the correct ball in the proper hole so that each
dog has something to retrieve and return. This can be combined with verbal
encouragement to the dogs running the race. This seemingly simple job can be
complicated by different sized balls, multiple-hole boxes, and reruns. Communication
with the folks at the start line is next to impossible due to the decibel level at a
tournament. Combine this with taking a beating from dogs that ram the box like a
locomotive, and you begin to appreciate the position.