MUSCATINE, Iowa — More than 60 dogs barked happily as they awaited their chance to compete in flyball races at the Muscatine Humane Society Activity Center Saturday and Sunday.

Owners added to the noise by yelling their pets’ names and sometimes hollering out yodel-type sounds or a high-pitched squeal of encouragement that their dogs recognized.

“I usually just yell their names but I have one dog who gets too excited, so I have to be calm and quiet, and just say ‘Ready! Go!’ on the takeoff,” said Jessica Love, 32, of Columbus City. “I can’t holler or it’s ‘Oh, my God, I’ve got to get back to my mom’ and (he) goes berserk.”

Love participated on an open team during the tournament. Some of the clubs and teams have quirky names such as the Dog Gone Devils, Natural Disaster and the Skidmarkz.

According to the North American Flyball Association flyball races match two teams of four dogs, each racing side-by-side over a 51-foot-long course. Dogs run in relay fashion over four jumps which are barricades that are raised a number of inches based on the height of the smallest dog on a team.  The dogs trigger a spring-loaded flyball box at the end of the course that releases a ball. The dog must retrieve the ball and return over the jumps. The next dog is released to run the course but can’t cross the start/finish line until the previous dog has returned. The fastest team of four to finish the course without error wins the heat.

The North American Flyball Association, Inc.  was established in 1984, when 12 flyball clubs in Michigan and Ontario banded together to guide the development of flyball in North America.

Ten clubs participated in the tournament and each team was allowed to bring six dogs, according to Peggy Schilling of North Liberty.

The Disorderly Conduct club of Cedar Rapids hosted the show and said they choose Muscatine because of the spacious facilities at the Humane Society, 920 S. Houser St. Teams from Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa and Nebraska participated.

This was the first time Muscatine hosted a flyball competition.

Some dogs appeared calm in their running stances as they prepared for takeoff. Others were held tightly by their owners, their feet flailing and pawing at the air. They were so excited to bolt that they could hardly contain themselves.

Molly Sisson of the BC Boomerangs out of Illinois and Wisconsin participates in one or two tournaments a month with her 7-year-old border collie, Zoomer. Zoomer’s fastest time to ever clear the course is 4.09 seconds.

She said in order to prepare a dog for flyball, owners have to play a lot of chase games and get them interested in the ball and the tug, a long toy made of rope or cloth that some owners use to reward the dog. Many dogs race down the track and back to their owners, who are holding the tug. Some dogs grab hold of the tug and swing through the air or try to pull it away from their owner.

“You and your toy should be the biggest reward,” Sisson said.

The competition requires timing the release of the dogs and hoping that the dog ahead doesn’t miss the ball when it’s ejected.

“I watch the turn and the stride waiting for the right time to release. You also have to take into account the speed of the dog ahead of them,” Sisson said.

Many of the dogs at the tournament were rescued from shelters or towns hit by disaster. Others are bred for the sport. Border collies and Australian shepherds were the most common breed at the tournament, but there were also greyhounds, black labs, dachshunds and other breeds on the course.

The owners use the races to bond with their dogs and allow for fun time and the dogs were clearly excited to be there.

Chris Tresch, 47, of Racine, Wis., is also from the BC Boomerangs Club. She adopted a Portuguese Podengo puppy that was rescued after Hurricane Katrina. She named it Mojo and trained it to race.

“He runs about 4.2 (seconds) which is pretty uncommon for a 53-pound dog,” she said.

Dawn Roth, 37, of the Dog Gone Devils club  raced her 2-year-old rat terrier, Sparky, who she adopted from the Muscatine Humane Society. Though Sparky isn’t the fastest little guy, Roth said doesn’t care.

“We have a great time,” she said.

Results

Flyball tournament  first-place winners

Saturday

Division 1 — Omaha Speed Racers team Curve!

Division 2 — Hawkeye Hustlers team Flybys

Division 3 — Dog Gone Devils team BS

Division 4 — Natural Disaster team Tornado

Open division — Skidmarkz team roasted

Sunday

Division 1 — Hawkeye Hustlers team Warhawks

Division 2 —All Ruffed Up team Parolees

Division 3 — Skidmarkz team Decaf

Division 4 — BC Boomerangs team Outback

Open division — Skidmarkz team roasted

To participate

Persons interested in participating in flyball should contact the Muscatine Humane Society at

563-263-7358.