[Skitlett]

I recently adopted an Aussie. She is full of energy and I need to give her an outlet! I always wanted a dog to play flying disc. The 9 month puppy will chase and receive rollers for about ten rolls then lose interest. I'm going to try stopping sooner while she's still interested.

However, if we're playing fetch with a ball, she can keep running for 20 minutes straight until she needs to rest then go at it again.

How can I make her as obsessed with the discs as she is with the ball?

P.S She seems more interested in floppy discs vs harder dog-grade discs. What's the best way to slowly introduce the harder discs?


Any suggestions would be welcomed!

 

[K9luv]

This is just a suggestion, you'll probably get better advice, but what I do is play with the disk or toy by waving it around as my pup jumps, bats at it and chases it. That's to get his attention on the toy and make it fun. When I throw it, he is automatically already revved up. When he brings it back he gets big praise and we play tug and bat at it again before throwing again. I also use my voice to make it exciting.

 

[Skitlett]

Yes, I already lost five pounds with trying to make the discs exciting!

With the balls, I can just stand in one place and throw the second ball each time she drops the ball back to me.

 

[K9luv]

Sorry, hopefully someone will come along with better advice then. At least he keeps you in shape haha! He also prefers the floppy frisbees. Better for batting! I think he's part boxer or cat!

 

[K9luv]

I just thought if she's an aussie, she might love treiball.

I just linked a random vid explaining this game.

 

[DaySleepers]

Just wanted to say if you're not already aware, at nine months her growth plates haven't closed and you want to be careful about repetitive, high impact exercises. Depending on how you play, fetch can be fine, but if she's running hard, jumping for the ball, making tight turns, etc. - especially if it's not on grass or another softer surface - it's a good idea to keep sessions short and avoid throwing in a way that encourages high jumps or turns. By 12-18 months you won't have to worry as much, as she'll be mostly done growing and have closed growth plates that are less vulnerable to injury, though of course all high impact exercise comes with some risk.

Have you tried rewarding a frisbee toss with a ball toss (or quick game of tug, if she loves that)? Associating something she's lukewarm about with something she's crazy about can increase the value of the lukewarm thing.

I know frisbees for dogs seem gimmicky, but hard plastic ones used by humans can wear down their teeth and cut mouths/tongues when they (inevitably) get sharp, ragged bits from being chomped down on. The ones for dogs are generally made to be more flexible and puncture resistant to reduce these risks. I'd stick with the ones she likes until she has more interest overall in the game - the harder ones can be uncomfortable for some dogs with sensitive teeth, or just harder to pick up. I've only tried the Kong Flyer personally, which is heavy rubber, very durable and flies pretty darn well despite my awful technique, but neither of my dogs were very interested so I never bothered trying other brands. My friend who does competitive disc dog likes Hyperflite discs, and they're commonly used in competitions, if you want to really go all in. The brand has multiple styles/sizes.

 

[Skitlett]

Wow, I never heard of that! My family loves football so this may get her herding instincts out. Thanks!

I'll try out alternating between ball and frisbee, that's a good idea. I only use dog grade frisbees like from hyperflite. I try not to keep sessions too long, but lately she is looking for the balls after chasing four rollers.

She likes the black floppy Kong flyer. The red one, not as much.

 

[DaySleepers]

Sounds awesome! Your pup's found a great home. Learning that tennis balls and normal frisbees are dangerous for dogs was something that took me by surprise when I found out, but it sounds like you're on top of things.

I checked with disc dog friend, and they suggested this for beginner resources: Home ⋆ Disc Dog University It's geared towards competition, but that still involves things like building drive for the disc!

EDIT: also this map of US clubs, if you want to reach out for some in-person help

 

[CptJack]

Hi! I rarely - very rarely - wander back here, but I am the disc dog friend above..

I'm going to fire off a few suggestions you can take or leave really quickly
1-) Soft, but structured discs. I like the ones sold by tractor supply company
2-) Smaller discs (Jawz hyperflex puppy, or hero atom 184s) are both softish and small
3-) Throw rollers. Ie: Throw the disc ON THE GROUND so it's rolling on its edge.
4-) If your dog tugs play tug with the soft disc.
and you know if all else fails to transition initially
5-) put the ball retrieve on a cue - Throw ball, say get it, reward when the ball comes back. When the dog understands the word do that with the roller on the ground. From there you can work toward throwing in the air, but 'chase it' is the first step.

 

[Skitlett]

Thanks, I'm slowly building interest. Sliding it upside down, rolling it, and throwing really low to the ground. I think the combination on your of throws is helping her continue chasing.

I tried alternative between ball and disc, but as soon as the pup realizes the disc isn't a ball, she'll stop chasing and return to me to wait for a ball to be thrown.

I'll try teaching her " get it." I like that idea. Thanks for returning to help me!

 

[Skitlett]

@captjack, off you're still checking the forum, what is the timeline you suggest until we work on catching in the air? We have a little more than three months before she's ready... What is the best way to get her ready?

We're keeping sessions short, 5 minutes or so of just rollers, chase, tug, and take, and stopping before she loses interest. She's still jumping and chasing after the discs while I am putting them away, so hopefully she is still interested at the end.

Am I on the correct path? Just continue with what I'm doing and slowly increase training sessions? How often should I have these sessions?

I'm also working on basic obedience with her, and I can work on disc trucks like stand on top of someone or sit pretty.

Btw, I'm hesitant on joining a disc club right now... COVID cases in my area is really bad.
Thanks

 

[CptJack]

You are on the right path!

Doing what you're doing and stopping while she's still into it is the way to go, but you should be able to add some duration as you go.

Transition to air catches involves targeting the rim for the catch - which you should have with rollers - and something called floaters - short, easy tosses that basically hang in the air a little bit.

and

Should be useful.

Once you have those down you'll want to work on your accuracy so you can have the dog sit, or go around your body and do a floater or just a short toss to put the disc just in front of her so she's coming toward it for the catch (instead of it flying at her).