Competing in Young Kennel Club Flyball competitions

• 4 handlers
• 4 dogs
• 1 box loader 
• 1 team captain 

• 2 reserve handlers 
• 2 reserve dogs
• 1 additional person to act as runner / ball collector (aged 6 years and up to, but not including, 25th birthday. If the additional person is over 18, this will count towards the total number of 18-24 year olds

• At least one flyball box (a spare box is advised) – spec to meet that of standard Kennel Club flyball
• Approved balls may be of any size, colour or design and must bounce and roll – same requirements as for standard Kennel Club flyball
• • Teams may switch the named handlers/dogs for named reserve handlers/dogs between races

• Members must be aged 6 years and up to, but not including, 18th birthday and one handler can be aged 18 years and up to, but not including, 25th birthday
• All handlers must be a fully paid up member of the Young Kennel Club before entering a flyball competition
• Please bear in mind that handler’s ages are calculated on the first day of Crufts
• Handlers who are 25 years and above by the first day of Crufts are no longer eligible to be a Young Kennel Club member and can therefore not compete
• Handlers may not compete for, or captain, any other Young Kennel Club flyball team

• Box loaders must be aged 6 years and up to, but not including, 25th birthday. If a box loader is over 18, this will NOT count towards the total number of 18-24 year olds
• The box loader must be a fully paid up member of the Young Kennel Club before entering a flyball competition
• Box loaders may not compete for, or captain, any other Young Kennel Club flyball team

• Members must be aged 6 years and up to, but not including, 18th birthday and one handler can be aged 18 years and up to but not including 25th birthday
  • If the main team already has a member who is aged 18 years and up to but not including 25th birthday then that team must only use members who are aged 6 years and up to, but not including, 18th birthday as reserves
• Reserve handlers must be a fully paid up member of the Young Kennel Club before entering a flyball competition
• Reserve handlers may not compete for, or captain, any other flyball team

• The team captain does NOT have to be a Young Kennel Club member, the team captain should be a responsible adult (18+)
• The team must appoint a team captain to become the point of contact for the team. The team captain may assist the team in the ring
  • Assistance should be in the form of: attending judges briefing, organising the team, transferring used tennis balls back to the box loader between races, helping small or young Young Kennel Club members to restrain large dogs while not competing
  • Assistance should NOT include releasing the dog to perform a run whilst a race is in progress
• The team captain may not compete for, or captain, any other Young Kennel Club flyball team

• Only dogs of eighteen (18) calendar months of age and over on the day of competition are eligible for entry
• A dog may not be named in more than one (1) Young Kennel Club flyball (even as a reserve)
• A Young Kennel Club handler is permitted to run a dog in the Young Kennel Club flyball final which is also being run in an adult competition
• Unlike standard Kennel Club Flyball, there are no restrictions on breed of dog in the Young Kennel Club flyball competition
  • i.e. all dogs may be the same breed if desired

Dogs will all compete at the same height:

1. The jumps will have an inside width of 30” 
2. The jumps will be a total height of 9 inches  
3. The 1” topslat will be flexible / breakable and will contain padding

• The YKC Flyball competition at Crufts will be held as a single elimination tournament where each place (down to 8^th) is determined. This means that once a team loses, they cannot win the competition, but all teams will race 3 times.
• The draw for the final at Crufts will be conducted by the Young Kennel Club management team once entries have closed. This will be adjudicated and witnessed by another member of kennel club staff unaffiliated with the Young Kennel Club
• The team that wins the best of three (3) races will move forward to the next It is up to the judge whether all three (3) races will occur if a team wins in the first two
• The Final of the YKC Flyball competition (to determine 1^st and 2^nd place)  will be held in the main arena.

• No persons shall carry out punitive correction or harsh handling of a dog at any time
• A dog must attempt to clear every hurdle. However if a hurdle is knocked down, the dog must not be penalised, provided it clears the hurdle as if it were standing
• A dog must re-run at the end of the line if:
  • An early start is indicated
  • It does not attempt every jump
  • It does not trigger the box
  • It does not return with the ball
  • Its handler’s feet cross the start line during its run (with the exception of resetting a jump or retrieving a lost ball)
  • It started its run before the preceding dog had reached the start/finish line
  • The box loader is faulted for assisting the dog
  • If a dog or any team member obstructs the opposing team during a race, the offending team will forfeit the race
    • A dog chasing a loose ball is not necessarily causing an obstruction
• The first team to have all four dogs successfully back across the line (after any necessary reruns) wins the race.
• Only dogs & handlers who are members of the original team, or named as reserves on the entry form, will be permitted to compete in the final (in exceptional circumstances, replacement dogs or handlers will be considered but must have signed written approval by the Crufts working party before the final)