Some call flyball the world's fastest game of fetch. The sport got its start back in the 1970s when a group of dog trainers in southern California decided to create scent-distinguished hurdle racing at the end of the jump course by having a trainer lob tennis balls into the air.

Today's version of flyball is highly technical with the use of the electronic judging system, which uses lights and infrared sensors and a flyball box that is activated by each racing dog. Two four-dog teams race side-by-side down a 51-foot course, grab a tennis ball and dash back. In the process, they have to navigate four hurdles and activate a pedal on a flyball box, grab the ball, turn and race back over those hurdles. The first team to have all four dogs finish the course without any errors wins. Many teams run all four dogs through the course in less than 20 seconds. The NAFA World Record is now under 16 seconds (and closing in on 15).

Dog agility is one of the most exciting spectator sporting events for canines.

Agility challenges and rewards the working relationship between dogs and humans. It tests each competitor's communication, coordination, concentration and speed. And since the course layouts are constantly changing, agility is always an exciting competition.

It basically combines obstacles from military K-9 corps and has elements similar to equestrian jumping events. Dogs are timed as they maneuver through numerous obstacles such as an A-frame, see-saw, hurdles, tunnels and more. All obstacles are constructed with safety in mind for dogs of all sizes. Specific jump heights and obstacles are based upon the height of the dog at the shoulder and divided into three groups for competition.

Jack Russell terrier trials are perhaps the most exciting of all the terrier events. There are two types of competitions: course a lure and hurdles. In course a lure, a cloth lure is guided through an elaborate system of pulleys that motivates the dog's natural instinct to chase. The courses these Jacks compete on is much like an agility course, full of sharp turns, jumps, tunnels and hurdles.

Hurdle racing consists of up to six dogs running in a flat-out sprint to the finish line with several hurdles set-up before they reach the end. It is fast, furious and over in the blink of an eye. The first dog to the finish line wins.

This is the dog competition that everyone knows and loves. Disc dog is broken down into three rounds. Round one is "fetch." Using up to three discs, the handler tries to throw as many discs as possible in 45 seconds. Points are awarded based on distance. All points are combined for a total score. Round two is "jam." The dog and handler have 10 discs and 90 seconds to deliver the freestyle goods. Round three is "race." This is a race for the disc with two dog-and-handler teams striving to make two catches of 15 yards minimum and return across the finish line.

Teams are judged on presentation (the overall look and feel of the routine), accuracy (the number of successful catches during the jam) and variation (the type of throws and releases, and how much it was varied during the competition). After all three events have been successfully completed, the points are tallied from all rounds and the winner is announced.

In this sport, talented canines have the chance to show off their police dog skills as they compete in tracking, evidence searches, the compound search and criminal apprehension. All four events are based on real crime-fighting techniques that the dogs practice every day. A dog's sense of smell is thousands of times more sensitive than a human's, which makes tracking the strongest event for man's best friend. Handler-and-dog teamwork is challenged in the evidence search where points are awarded based on how many judge-placed items are found. In the compound search, the canine and handler must seek out and apprehend a suspect hidden somewhere on the property. The less time it takes, the more points the team is awarded. Street crimes are simulated in the criminal apprehension portion where the handler must be flexible while the canine is called upon to remain focused in a complex environment.

The sport of lure coursing showcases dog breeds built for speed: sight hounds, like whippets, greyhounds, Afghans and borzois. In this event, a mechanical lure is dragged along the ground by a motor-powered line strung around a series of pulleys on a field. The 10 breeds that compete in the sport of lure coursing are driven by natural instincts to run after any small, fast-moving objects. The white flag used as the lure in this sport is the perfect motivation to chase. During the event, the dogs are judged in five different categories: speed, agility, follow, enthusiasm and endurance.

This sport originated as a way to identify dogs with the potential to join law enforcement, and in some cases uses real human decoys. In this competition, dogs of different abilities and experience levels compete in the division that challenges them. Ring one is the least difficult level but still encompasses agility, obedience and protection tests. The agility event in this level involves hurdles. The dogs in ring two face more difficult challenges, both in the number and complexity of the exercises as well as the intensity of opposition from the human decoys. Finally, there's ring three. This is the ultimate test of a dog's abilities. It includes all the tests from both rings one and two, plus a few more, with the intensity and complexity level turned all the way up to 11. While every competitor in this sport aspires to eventually compete in ring three, each level has its own unique challenges.

It's cross-country skiing, with skier and dog working together to navigate the course. There are either one, two or three dogs per team. The dogs wear harnesses and are linked to the skier's belt by a simple towline, which is equipped with an instant-release mechanism for the dog's safety. In skijoring, the skier is not just pulled by the dogs; they need to ski working in unison with the dogs to navigate the curvy course in the fastest, most efficient way. This is a sprint, so teams could get up to speeds of 30 miles per hour during the four-mile race. The racers start over a staggered time-table, so teams are basically out on the course alone, racing only against the clock.

These fast and furious dogs run in heats of six on a 200-yard, long grass field chasing a lure. The course is always on flat, open terrain; otherwise, the whippets will lose sight of the lure, which is pulled along the ground by an electric motor. Once on the course, it's a sprint to the finish — the first dog across wins. Over the course of the day, the dogs run in numerous heats. Finish positions are tracked, assigning points to first, second or third place finishers. At the end of the day's races, each dog's points are added up and the highest score wins.