For those of you looking for a fun activity to share with your dog, let me recommend the sport of flyball. Two teams of four dogs compete against each other over a series of three hurdles. When the starter says go, the lead dog for each team is released. It runs and jumps over three hurdles to a box that contains a tennis ball. When the dog hits the box, the ball pops into the air. The dog grabs it, turns around and runs for home over the three hurdles. When the dog clears the finish line, the next dog is released. The height of the jumps is set for the smallest dog on the team which leads to some interesting tactics. As you will see in the video, the team nearest the camera is made up of three big dogs and one small but fast one. His owner is seen huddling with him close to the start line so he doesn’t have to run any further than necessary.
Like any athlete, your dog should have a physical examination before embarking on this rigorous sport. Enjoy!