During her years participating in flyball, Martha Allen, president of the Muddy Paws A-Flyin’ Flyball Club in Salem, has seen dogs with behavioral issues transform after joining the sport.
Allen recalled one club member’s dog that had been returned to a shelter three times for behavioral issues before the member adopted it.
“He ended up being a fabulous flyball dog,” Allen said. “Because he had flyball to go to and blow off that energy, (the owner) said it really helped him succeed in their household as a pet.”
Starting Friday, with a “demo day” to preview the tournament, the energy of over 200 dogs will be on display for Marion County Fair attendees. On Saturday and Sunday during the fair, the Muddy Paws flyball club is hosting the “Fun Fair All” tournament, with clubs from Oregon, Washington, Idaho, California and Canada.
Flyball combines agility and teamwork to create a fun, energy-burning, relay sport for dogs. In teams of four, dogs race down 51 feet of mat, jumping over 7-inch hurdles to retrieve the ball in a box at the end of the mat. To get the ball, dogs do a “swimmer’s turn” and bounce off the box, releasing the ball, catch it and run back down the mat.
To succeed in flyball, no dog on the team can make a mistake and all four must finish the course, one after the other, in under 24 seconds. Allen said she’s seen dogs run the course in 4 seconds.
With 22 clubs and 41 teams registering for the tournament, this year’s “Fun Fair All” brought in the most teams in the event’s history.
This week’s heat wave ended in time for Muddy Paws members to haul 70-foot foam mats into the Jackman Long building at the fairgrounds on Wednesday. The long mats are necessary for flyball races, which start at 8:30 a.m. and go all day, both Saturday and Sunday.
Flyball may not be known by all fair attendees, but the annual tournament has drawn crowds that filled the stands and lined the building walls. Muddy Paws members said that people usually watch the event for as long as they can endure the loud barking.
Besides the amusement of flyball, the sport helps dogs use up energy that never seems to go away.
“A lot of people have crazy dogs that have too much energy and they’re bouncing off the walls,” Allen said. “They’re looking for something that’s gonna give their dog a job to do, that’s gonna take the edge off.”
Anyone and any dog is welcome to take up flyball. Some breeds are more popular for flyball, such as border collies, Australian shepherds and mixed breeds.
The main requirement is age: dogs must be at least 15 months old to compete in official races, according to the North American Flyball Association rule book. To start learning flyball, dogs should be at least 8 months old, Allen said, as the sport could damage a young dog’s body.
For those interested in flyball, there will be a table in the Jackman Long building during the weekend with information about classes and a “try it” day on July 21 that allows people to try the sport before committing to it. Practices and the “try it” day will take place at the Polk County Fairgrounds.
Allen teaches beginner classes for her flyball club and enjoys watching new dogs, regardless of age or breed, learn technique and basic skills.
“It’s so fun to me to see people come with a dog that’s maybe timid and they just don’t think they wanna do this and by the end of six weeks they’re racing,” Allen said. “It’s rewarding to me to see the dogs make progress and to see the people begin to believe in their dog.”
Nicole Shayla, Muddy Paws’ media liaison, joined the club in September of last year with her dog Malikai. Before joining the club, Shayla said, Malikai had behavioral issues, which have subsided as he has learned the sport.
“On months we don’t have flyball, he is a hellion,” Shayla said. “He needed a job, a sport.”
Shayla and Allen said flyball teaches dogs basic behavior skills, like recall and patience, which transfer over to their lives at home and relationships with their owners. To Shayla, the most meaningful part of flyball is the bond between an owner and their dog, while Allen believes people stay for the camaraderie they find with other club members.
“It can make a difference for dogs as well as for their people,” said Allen.
Muddy Paws’ Facebook page posts about club practices and flyball classes.
Contact reporter Madeleine Moore: [email protected].
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Madeleine Moore is working as a reporter at Salem Reporter through the University of Oregon’s Charles Snowden internship program. She came to Salem after graduating from the University of Oregon in June 2024 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism.
