Dogs from two teams race against each other over parallel lines of jumps. The jump height is based on the smallest dog on each team.

The dog hits a spring-loaded box in which a team member has placed a tennis ball; this releases the ball, which the dog catches and returns over the line of jumps.

For the baseball phenomenon, see Fly ball.

Flyball is a dog sport in which teams of dogs race against each other from a start/finish line, over a line of hurdles, to a box that releases a tennis ball to be caught when the dog presses the spring loaded pad, then back to their handlers while carrying the ball. Download high resolution version (1019x582, 123 KB)Dobermann following a line of flyball jumps Taken by Elf | Talk Nov 11 or 12, 2004, in Scottsdale, AZ, with a cheap digital camera. ... Download high resolution version (1019x582, 123 KB)Dobermann following a line of flyball jumps Taken by Elf | Talk Nov 11 or 12, 2004, in Scottsdale, AZ, with a cheap digital camera. ... Download high resolution version (1024x768, 168 KB)Tervuren hitting a flyball box Taken by Elf | Talk Nov 11 or 12, 2004, in Scottsdale, AZ, with a cheap digital camera. ... Download high resolution version (1024x768, 168 KB)Tervuren hitting a flyball box Taken by Elf | Talk Nov 11 or 12, 2004, in Scottsdale, AZ, with a cheap digital camera. ... In baseball, a batted ball can be called one of several various things, depending on how it comes off the bat and where in the field it lands. ... Dog sports are activities that involve dogs. ... Trinomial name Canis lupus familiaris The dog (Canis lupus familiaris) is a domestic subspecies of the wolf, a mammal of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. ... Hurdling is running over obstacles. ... For other uses, see Tennis (disambiguation). ...

Flyball is run in teams of four dogs, as a relay. The course consists of four hurdles placed 10 feet (3 m) apart from each other, with the starting line six feet (1.8 m) from the first hurdle, and the flyball box 15 feet (4.5 m) after the last one, making for a 51-foot (15.5 m) length. The hurdle height is determined by the shoulder height of the smallest dog in the team. Under current North American Flyball Association (NAFA) rules this should be 4 inches (10 cm) below the withers height of the smallest dog, to a height of no less than 7 inches (20.3 cm) and no greater than 14 inches (40.6 cm). Each dog must return its ball all the way across the start line before the next dog crosses. Ideal running is nose-to-nose at the start line. The first team to have all four dogs cross the finish line error free wins the heat. Penalties are applied to teams if the ball is dropped or if the next relay dog is released early. During a relay race, members of a team take turns swimming or running (usually with a baton) parts of a circuit or performing a certain action. ... The withers is the highest point on an animals back, on the ridge between its shoulder blades. ...

Invented in California in the 1970s, flyball took off during the 1980s. The North American Flyball Association (NAFA)[1] and theUnited Flyball League International (U-FLI)[2]were created to design uniform competition rules and to promote the sport. Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ...

Flyball provides an entertaining and active way to interact with one's dog and other dog lovers in an environment that is fun and allows the dogs exercise and enjoyment. It is especially a great way to burn off the energy of dogs with a high drive to work, such as Border Collies and Terriers. This working dog is a border collie mix. ... The Border Collie is a hardworking breed of herding dog that originated in the border country of England and Scotland. ... A Scottish Terrier and a West Highland White Terrier The terrier is a group of dog breeds initially bred for hunting and killing vermin. ...

A Border Collie jumps hurdles in a flyball demonstration.

A great part of flyball's popularity stems from the fact that it is one of the competition activities available to mixed-breed dogs, allowing rescued mutts to shine along side their purebred canine friends. Though herding dogs currently dominate the courses, many champion teams have mutts on them. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2817x2269, 3288 KB) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2817x2269, 3288 KB) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... A healthy mixed-breed dog shows hybrid vigor. ... Purebreds, also called purebreeds or pedigreed, are cultivated varieties or cultivars of a species, achieved through the process of selective breeding. ... A Koolie working with sheep. ... Mutts is a daily comic strip started by Patrick McDonnell in 1994, based around the foibles of pets and their owners. ...

Also, flyball is not limited to the size of the breed, as smaller dogs such as Parson Russell Terriers and Whippets often compete with great success in mixed-breed teams (teams consisting of dogs of various sizes and breeds). Smaller dogs are often prized as the hurdle height is based on the height of the smallest dog in the team. Their only limitation is whether they can trigger the release pad, and small dogs often have to fully jump on it to do so. A breed is a domesticated subspecies or infrasubspecies of an animal. ... The Parson Russell Terrier was the first Kennel Club recognized variant of the Jack Russell Terrier, first drawn into the UK Kennel Club in 1990, and into the American Kennel Club in 2001. ... For other uses, see Whippet (disambiguation). ...

Flyball is one of the non-hunting dog sports in which dogs and people work as a team. Many casual pet owners use their flyball time more as a way to relax and socialize with other dog owners than as a competition, and many champion flyball dogs are essentially pet dogs with a hobby, rather than dedicated sporting or working dogs. A hunting dog refers to any dog who assists humans in hunting, or whose breed was originally developed to do so. ... It has been suggested that Residential pets be merged into this article or section. ... It has been suggested that Residential pets be merged into this article or section. ...

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Flyball

• General information:

• • U-FLI
  • NAFA
  • Flyball Home Page
  • Flyball.com
  • i-Flyball

• Sanctioning organizations:
  • United Flyball League International
  • North American Flyball Association
  • British Flyball Association
  • Australian Flyball Association
  • South African Flyball Association

• Photography:
  • Flyball Photography

v • d • e Major dog sports
Agility • Carting • Conformation shows • Disc dog • Dogsled racing • Earthdog trials • Field trials • Flyball • Greyhound racing • Lure coursing • Musical canine freestyle • Mushing • Obedience • Rally obedience • Schutzhund • Sheepdog trials • Tracking Image File history File links Commons-logo. ... The Wikimedia Commons (also called Wikicommons) is a repository of free content images, sound and other multimedia files. ... Dog agility is a sport in which a handler directs a dog through an obstacle course in a race for both time and accuracy. ... Dog cart during Mardi Gras in New Orleans Carting is the dog sport or activity of carting, in which a dog (usually a large breed) pulls a cart filled with supplies, such as farm goods or firewood, but sometimes pulling people. ... In a conformation show, judges familiar with specific dog breeds evaluate individual dogs for how well they conform to published breed standards. ... Logo for the Quadruped, a disc dog organization Disc dog is the more generic name for what is commonly called Frisbee dog. ... Dogsled racing is a winter dog sport involving the timed competition of teams of sleddogs that pull a sled, on the runners of which the dog driver or musher stands. ... An earthdog trial tests Dachshunds and small terriers for their working abilities and instinct. ... A Spaniel Field Trial A field trial is a highly competitive event at which hunting dogs usually compete against one another. ... Several greyhounds before a race. ... Lure coursing is a sport for dogs that involves chasing a mechanically operated lure. ... Musical Canine Freestyle—also known as Musical Freestyle, Freestyle Dance, and Canine Freestyle—is a modern dog sport that is a mixture of obedience, tricks, and dance that allows for creative interaction between dogs and their owners. ... A team of six white, husky-type dogs Mushing also means playing on a MUSH. Mushing also can be used to describe the kneading behavior of domestic cats when they are content or are preparing to settle for a nap. ... An obdience trial is a dog sport in which a dog must perfectly execute a predefined set of tasks when directed to do so by his handler. ... Rally obedience (also known as Rally or Rally-O) is an American dog sport based on obedience. ... Schutzhund is a dog sport that was developed in Germany in the early 1900s to test whether German Shepherd Dogs (GSD) act and peform in the manner that the breed was intended, rather than simply evaulating a dogs appearance. ... A Sheepdog trial (or simply dog trial) is a competitive dog sport in which herding dog breeds move sheep around a field, fences, gates, or enclosures as directed by their handlers. ... A Tracking trial is an event to encourage dogs to make use of their strongest facility by emulating the finding of a lost person or article in a situation where the performance of the dog can be fairly assessed. ...