Dogs
Flyball is a sport and the players are athletes. As with any competitive sport, the athletes need to be in shape to be successful. Your dog can begin light training for flyball if slightly overweight, however, if your dog is obese, it would be best to begin conditioning him/her before attempting flyball training as this will be safer on the joints and heart.
All dogs that run in tournaments for Flying Underdogs are expected to maintain a Body Condition Score of 4 or 5 (https://oregonvma.org/files/Purina-Dog-Condition-Chart.pdf) and be in good physical health. A regular tournament consists on average of 24-30 heats/day of sprinting over jumps at full speed. After a two-day tournaments, even a very physically fit dog that gets regular exercise, can get tired.
For more information about exercising your pooch.....
All dogs that run in tournaments for Flying Underdogs are expected to maintain a Body Condition Score of 4 or 5 (https://oregonvma.org/files/Purina-Dog-Condition-Chart.pdf) and be in good physical health. A regular tournament consists on average of 24-30 heats/day of sprinting over jumps at full speed. After a two-day tournaments, even a very physically fit dog that gets regular exercise, can get tired.
For more information about exercising your pooch.....
Humans
Don't be fooled into thinking that the dogs do all the work. Handling a dog in practice or in a tournament requires a lot of running on the part of the human. Therefore we suggest you wear comfortable clothes and shoes to train in. Also, you may want to bring a bottle of water.
