Train Your Dog To Be Your Frisbee Playing Buddy
Heather Wallace
On the surface playing Frisbee with your dog may seem like just a
bit of fun, but this activity actually holds other benefits as
well.
1. Certain breeds are accustomed to an active lifestyle, so, when
they are forced to remain idle, they tend to create interesting
diversions to entertain themselves. Unfortunately, their idea of
fun may be something that you consider to be destructive
behavior. Playing Frisbee with your dog may help to curb some of
your dog's destructive behavior by giving your pup an outlet for
all of his pent-up energy.
2. Playing Frisbee will also provide both you and your dog with a
bit of exercise. This is a great way to help your pet keep in
tiptop condition.
Herding dogs are more adept at fetching a Frisbee, but other
breeds can certainly be taught. There are even different discs on
the market that are suited to different types of dogs. If you
want to begin training at an early age, then you should look into
purchasing a miniature disc for your puppy as a regular-size disc
would be much too large for his tiny mouth.
Frisbee. It's What's For Dinner
Your first step toward molding your dog into a
Frisbee-catching-master should be to replace his regular food
dish with a Frisbee. Flip the disc over and serve up some chow,
but be sure to remove the disc as soon as your dog has finished
eating. The last thing that you want is for the Frisbee to become
a chew toy. Your dog, who will come to associate the disc with
supper, will gladly chase after it when you start tossing his
"food dish" through the air.
Didn't Your Mother Tell You Not to Play Indoors?
Well, for this next step you are going to have to go against
mom's advice. Take a seat on the floor and start rolling the
Frisbee a few feet along the ground. Next, encourage your dog to
chase after the disc. If your dog obeys, then be sure to provide
ample praise. If your dog doesn't go for the disc don't become
discouraged. Never become angry or frustrated with your dog
during his learning experience. It is vital to the process that
your dog view this as the greatest fun that the two of you could
ever share. Just keep trying. He'll get it eventually.
From Fetching....
Now you are going to teach your dog to return the disc to you.
Play your usual game of roll the Frisbee, but this time call your
dog's name and tell him to come back to you with the disc. Even
if the dog returns with out being told, this step must not be
skipped as it teaches your dog to retrieve the Frisbee. There are
additional steps that you might need to try if your dog doesn't
bring the disc back to you when called.
1. Tempt your dog to return by offering another Frisbee in
exchange for the one he's got. After you have rolled the first
Frisbee and your dog has picked it up, call his name, tell him to
bring the Frisbee to you, and show him that you have another
disc. Your dog will most probably come running for the other
Frisbee. Roll the second disc and repeat this process.
2. If your dog proves to be a little stubborn, then you may have
to resort to using a training lead of about 30 feet. After you
have rolled the first Frisbee and your dog has picked it up, call
his name, tell him to bring the Frisbee to you, and then gently
pull him back toward you. If your dog drops the disc while being
reeled-in, then stop pulling him toward you. Get up, retrieve the
Frisbee yourself, and begin the rolling process over again.
....To Catching
When your dog has mastered bringing the Frisbee back to you
without the offer of another disc or the aid of a lead, then it
is time to move outdoors as he is now ready to begin learning to
catch the Frisbee. Care needs to be taken at this point that you
do not actually throw the Frisbee at your dog. Some dogs may not
try to catch the Frisbee and will, instead, be hit by the disc.
This will cause them to become fearful of the disc and then
training them to play with it will become a very difficult task.
Stand a few feet away from your dog and toss the Frisbee into the
air. While doing this say "Catch". Repeat this process until your
dog completes the task. Be patient as this process may take
months for your dog to accomplish. When your dog finally manages
to catch the disc be sure to provide a reward and a lot of
praise.
You are now ready to move onto the next and final step. If you
are right-handed, then take a position on your dog's right. Those
who are left-handed should simply reverse their position in
relation to their dog. From this position throw the Frisbee a
short distance in front of you. When you dog becomes adept at
catching these short throws, then you can progress to throws of a
greater distance.
Congratulations! You now have a Frisbee catching buddy. Take your
playmate out to the park and show off his new skills. Don't
surprised if the two of you draw a crowd of very impressed
onlookers.
Heather Wallace is a writer whose work has been published in
national, regional, and online publications. Additionally, she
has written articles as a newspaper correspondent. Visit
http://www.fetchingsites.com/SitStay.html to learn how to turn a
bad dog into the perfect pooch in record time. Also, sign-up for
a free weekly newsletter jam-packed with dog obedience training
tips.
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