What is Flyball?

Flyball is a sport and fun for all breed and cross breed dogs having a huge range of temperament.

Comparing to agility it has the advantage that it is not demanding being of shape of the dog handler.

Two teams of 4 dogs race against each other on 2 same racing lanes. Each lane consists of 4 same jumps and boxes releasing the ball.

Dog handler giving the command go but not leaving or crossing the start line sends the dog on the lane who runs in turn over 4 jumps, triggers the box relasing a ball and when making the „swimm-turn“ returns over the 4 jumps carrying the ball.

At the same time the first dog is crossing the start/finish line the next dog can ran through the start line. The team wins when all 4 dogs are the first returned with all balls of course.

Very important is the best team entirety and very good tolerance between all dogs is required. Dogs are changing on the start/finish line and ideal the changeover is done „nose to nose“ without assaulting each other. This is nothing for evinious dogs not undergoing the next passing dog having the ball. The changeover is the moment which might decide on in or loose.

Team racing is usually very thrilling and in this moments FLYBALL becomes the real adrenalin sport. Till the last moment it is not decided which team will win as in split second it can happen anything.

Sometimes but not very often also a couple or triple membered race can take place but this kind of racing is not being such interesting like team racing. Individual race which took place in the past are not hold anymore.

FLYBALL has been set around the year 1970 in North America and extended very fast. It got popularity especially at handlers of playful and sportful dogs who being out of shape or being higher aged were not able to train other dog activities or sports e.g. agility etc.

New kind of sport inspired a lot of American people but it took almost 13 years of show and non-official races to get the high level the first indipendent race has been organised.

To consolidate the rules and to quote the best results the North American Flyball Association (NAFA) was founded in the year 1985. The majority of all Flyball rules across the world are based on NAFA rules.

In the short time FLYBALL extended also all over Europe (especially Great Britain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy and Austria), within Australia and South America.

Some of the countries have their own rules, but for the international races usually NAFA modified rules are used. For Europe all the distances and other measures are recounted (feet and inches into meters and centimeters).