Disc Dog Training

Locke

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#81
All you guys looks great! I cannot wait to get a dog to start disc with!!

I'll be adopting an adult dog, what are things I should be looking for in terms of structure, drive, temperament, etc.?

I think I'm mostly interested in Toss and Fetch, but elements of Freestyle interest me.
 

SaraB

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#82
All you guys looks great! I cannot wait to get a dog to start disc with!!

I'll be adopting an adult dog, what are things I should be looking for in terms of structure, drive, temperament, etc.?

I think I'm mostly interested in Toss and Fetch, but elements of Freestyle interest me.
Toy drive is a huge one!

As far as structure, you want a sound dog. Dogs that have longer backs tend to drag toes, squarely built dogs tend to pop more. For temperament, a reserved dog is going to have a harder time in a competition setting versus a dog that is unflappable about their surroundings.
 

Locke

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#83
Toy drive is a huge one!

As far as structure, you want a sound dog. Dogs that have longer backs tend to drag toes, squarely built dogs tend to pop more. For temperament, a reserved dog is going to have a harder time in a competition setting versus a dog that is unflappable about their surroundings.
Do you think it is better/safer to get a puppy from a good breeder as opposed to rescuing an adult dog?
I'm not big on puppies, and don't really want to wait a year for them to grow up to start working on big air throws and such.

I much prefer square built dogs to long dogs, so that's good.

Are injuries common? Is it necessary/good idea to factor physical therapy into my dog budget?
 

SaraB

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#84
Do you think it is better/safer to get a puppy from a good breeder as opposed to rescuing an adult dog?
I'm not big on puppies, and don't really want to wait a year for them to grow up to start working on big air throws and such.

I much prefer square built dogs to long dogs, so that's good.

Are injuries common? Is it necessary/good idea to factor physical therapy into my dog budget?
Nah! I would go with an adolescent rescue. That way you can see toy drive, you can see temperament and you don't have to wait as long! I rescued Zuma around 10 months and it was perfect timing for sports.

To be honest, the majority of disc dogs out there are rescue dogs. As a community, it is really pro-rescue, which is great!

As long as you are jumping your dog smart and not playing over your head, there aren't very many injuries at all! Injuries happen when handlers have poor throws causing the dog to land bad, or if the dog just doesn't know how to jump/land properly. Or when people push their dog beyond their capabilities. So just be smart. :)
 

Locke

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Nah! I would go with an adolescent rescue. That way you can see toy drive, you can see temperament and you don't have to wait as long! I rescued Zuma around 10 months and it was perfect timing for sports.

To be honest, the majority of disc dogs out there are rescue dogs. As a community, it is really pro-rescue, which is great!

As long as you are jumping your dog smart and not playing over your head, there aren't very many injuries at all! Injuries happen when handlers have poor throws causing the dog to land bad, or if the dog just doesn't know how to jump/land properly. Or when people push their dog beyond their capabilities. So just be smart. :)
Awesome! Thank you! Can't wait to get started. I'd likely go here http://www.allaboutdogs.ca/discdog.html for some classes as I'm not experienced as a sport dog handler, but at least I can throw a disc no problem.

Are Skyhoundz discs the same or similar to discs used in Ultimate?
 

Sekah

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#87
What might you recommend for Cohen? She's never had a good full bite tug, and prefers to hook things behind her canines. She seems to prefer a lighter disc. My agility facility sells Jaws discs, so maybe I'll pick up a couple. They seem to cost an arm and a leg though! I imagine ordering online is a better option, but then I have to wait... How many should I get for a basic freestyle routine?

Thanks so much for the write up. That was very helpful. I'll want to go back and try some of that stuff out soon for sure. I think the zigzagging will be helpful, but I'm concerned I'll not get enough drive out of Cohen to really dig in and run to catch the subsequent ones. Maybe she'll surprise me! I'll figure it out when I finally get out to a field to see.
 

SaraB

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#88
What might you recommend for Cohen? She's never had a good full bite tug, and prefers to hook things behind her canines. She seems to prefer a lighter disc. My agility facility sells Jaws discs, so maybe I'll pick up a couple. They seem to cost an arm and a leg though! I imagine ordering online is a better option, but then I have to wait... How many should I get for a basic freestyle routine?
Jawz discs cost and arm and a leg because they are heavier discs built for hard biting dogs. They are one of the most durable discs out there.

I really like euroblend fastbacks or Hero Air's. They are light, easy to throw and cheap. The Air's are a bit more grippy but are softer overall.

Generally you will get the best price buying through a club as they get discounts for buying in bulk. I pay about $2/disc for fastbacks and Air's. The more durable discs like the Super Hero's or Jawz tend to be $8/disc or higher. If you are buying online, look for blemished discs, they are cheaper.
 

Sekah

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#89
Cool! I'm excited to get started! Thanks for all the pointers.

How long do you suggest routines be? The length of a full song?

That also always stymies me -- picking the right music. Most of what I listen do isn't exactly upbeat danceable catchy stuff, but that's what works best at shows... Maybe my husband will help me find something fun. Is a 2 minute routine too long? Too short?
 

SaraB

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#90
Cool! I'm excited to get started! Thanks for all the pointers.

How long do you suggest routines be? The length of a full song?

That also always stymies me -- picking the right music. Most of what I listen do isn't exactly upbeat danceable catchy stuff, but that's what works best at shows... Maybe my husband will help me find something fun. Is a 2 minute routine too long? Too short?
Depends on the competition format and what level you are entered in. Generally novice levels have 1 minute or 90 second freestyle routines, 2 minutes for the Pro levels.

I pick songs that I like, that I can jam out to. I also pick based on my dog's personality, Zinga's song is by far more ridiculous than Zuma's is.

One good guide line that I've heard is to pick a song that has around 110-120 bpm.
 

Sekah

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#91
Phew. Much shorter than I thought. Again, I don't know if I'd do any competition, but I'd like to format my routine to meet the standards just in case I ever feel like branching out.
 

Babyblue5290

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#92
Just wanted to update. The last 2 days when we practiced Talon did amazing! I was able to use my sisters two frisbee's plus my two which made a really nice constant go at it. He caught really well, he's moving faster and much better at jumping since I'm getting better tosses :)

I'll get a video tomorrow!
 

Kootenay

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#93
Following this thread with interest! Disc is something I really want to get involved with. Think it's going to have to be with nextpuppy though...neither of my boys are drivey enough for it. Can't wait!
 

Sekah

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#94
Okay, disc training is a lot harder than I thought it was. :p I still can't throw, and Cohen still hasn't quite grasped the concept that it's the catch that I'm looking for, not the retrieve. Plus, she prefers to carry the frisbees upside down. Ugh.

I'll back track a bit to set up some proper catches, but any pointers on breaking the dog of the habit of flipping the disc over to carry? Tugging with it? Abstaining from rewarding upside down carries? Short ranged catching drills?

Thanks a million!
 

k9krazee

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#95
ETA - It's much harder than I thought too & I realized how bad I am at rolling and throwing! (And My SO is MUCH worse, I thought I could count on his help! Lol)


I ordered some Hero Air discs. There are so many disc options it's hard to choose and I hope these will work for lil man.

Anything has to be better than the hard plastic grocery store frisbees, right?!

We were trying to do rollers the other day (it's finally getting warmer!!) and he body slams into the disc & then picks it up...and I think that's mostly because they're too big & hard.
 

SaraB

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#96
Okay, disc training is a lot harder than I thought it was. :p I still can't throw, and Cohen still hasn't quite grasped the concept that it's the catch that I'm looking for, not the retrieve. Plus, she prefers to carry the frisbees upside down. Ugh.

I'll back track a bit to set up some proper catches, but any pointers on breaking the dog of the habit of flipping the disc over to carry? Tugging with it? Abstaining from rewarding upside down carries? Short ranged catching drills?

Thanks a million!
First, work on your throwing without your dog as much as possible. Grab somebody and go play catch. Find a chair or hoop or something to throw into if no one can play with you.

Catches will happen when you are more consistent with your throwing, you want a nice floating toss so the dog can accurately judge timing. Keep them closer to you right now as well, don't worry about distance. Mark the catches! Make a big deal when she actually catches. As far as flipping the discs over, that won't be such a big deal once she's catching more. Otherwise, I personally would just amp up the game a bit more and use multiple discs. Get the next throw out early so she realizes the quicker she is about grabbing the disc, the quicker the game continues. Keep play sessions super short, less than 5 minutes right now. And yes, tugging will help too!
 

SaraB

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#97
I ordered some Hero Air discs. There are so many disc options it's hard to choose and I hope these will work for lil man.

Anything has to be better than the hard plastic grocery store frisbees, right?!
.
I have a bunch of Airs. I really like them, softer than fastbacks, but are a decent disc to play with!
 

SaraB

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#98
So I did rads on Zinga's legs a couple of weeks ago, her growth plates are all closed up! Which means exciting new tricks in disc. :D

We are currently working on vaults, overs, flips and leaping for the disc. As well as sequencing little things together. Even though her growth plates are closed, because she's so new to this stuff and doesn't quite have the landing knowledge of a more experienced dog, we are only practicing this on the super mats. So basically this is my "don't try this at home with your 1 year old dog unless you have awesome mats and know their growth plates are closed" warning. ;)

This video shows a little sequence at the beginning. Flip, leg over to a go around out throw. The next trick is called a rut, it's a through to a flip. I was trying to sequence that with a leg vault but she's still iffy on those. Trick after that is just a back stall, trying to get her to collect and stay on my back rather than fly off. Then the camera goes blurry for no reason, but you can still see some stuff. We are practicing reverse chest vaults and finally chest rebounds.
[YOUTUBE]TpwioHdMzVI[/YOUTUBE]
 

Sekah

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#99
You guys look wonderful. She's so dang springy. It's clear that you guys have been working hard.

How do you teach a vault off your body? That's one that's been eluding me for a while. And do you try to differentiate the chest rebound from a jump-into-arms cue? So far I've been unable to. :p
 

SaraB

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You guys look wonderful. She's so dang springy. It's clear that you guys have been working hard.

How do you teach a vault off your body? That's one that's been eluding me for a while. And do you try to differentiate the chest rebound from a jump-into-arms cue? So far I've been unable to. :p
My verbal cues are different for each and so is my body language.

As far as the reverse chest vault vs a rebound, I taught the rebound first (very similar to how you teach a dog to jump into your arms but your reward placement is where you want the dog to land), and then just added the disc. As long as they have decent drive for the disc they are going to go for it. I incorporated the verbal cues for both right away. "Hit it" is my rebound cue, "Fly" is my vault cue.
 

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