Trend dog sport Dog Frisbee: How to teach your dog

Dog Frisbee or disc dog is a dog sport from the USA: In August 1974, Alex Stein illegally went onto the field with his dog Ashley during a baseball game break in Los Angeles and threw a Frisbee for him, which he caught in his mouth with impressive jumps from the air. Stein then founded the Ashley Whippet Invitational (AWI), which hosted its first world championship just one year later.

Your dog doesn't have to start competing right away - first you need to get him used to the disc and find out whether he enjoys this fast-paced game.

You can find out how to do this in this article by dog frisbee trainer Angela Tederke (Instagram: @zoomintomylife_mr.zoom ).

What you need for Dog Frisbee

Dog Frisbee is particularly suitable for very agile and sporty dog breeds such as Border Collies, Terriers or Australian Shepherds. Young dogs should not play Frisbee. Their bones and joints must first fully develop and harden.

Basically, your dog should enjoy playing. Very important: celebrate every small success with exuberant praise - this will bond you more and more into a special team.

Every dog is different and training should be adapted accordingly. Start by using soft discs (e.g. made of rubber or neoprene) and then switch to a normal Frisbee.

Your equipment:

treats
your dog's favorite toy
soft Frisbee

Step 1

Make friends with your dog with the Frisbee: let him sniff it or eat a dog treat from it.

Then you can place the disc upside down on the floor and work on prey motivation: by wiping it on the floor or rolling the disc away from you on the floor so that your dog runs after it and retrieves the disc. You can always praise with treats, voice or play.

Step 2

Hold the Frisbee as a take (person holds the disc without throwing it) at the dog's head height and the dog will take it from your hand while running.

If that works, you can start with a light lift (floater). With a normal lift, the disc should be in the air in front of your body. As you spin, the Frisbee is given the necessary height with your throwing hand. To do this, you also lift it up with your hand. To make the lift work well, the Frisbee must not be held too loosely or too tightly. Your dog's job is to catch the Frisbee in the jump and bring it back to you.

Step 3

Later, another Frisbee is added. Through communication – for example: CATCH/DROP – your dog learns to swap prey. Always position the discs in the direction the dog is running.

Step 4

Later you can also incorporate tricks into the game and then throw a confirmation disc.

This is how you combine tricks with throws.

Step 5

Now you can put together a “freestyle” step by step – your own little routine that includes different throwing techniques, tricks and maybe even acrobatic elements – there are no limits to your imagination.

Always play what you and your dog enjoy the most - 5-10 minutes of training 1-2 times a week is okay - but remember that dog Frisbee is a sport that demands a lot from the dogs' joints and bones.
Make sure that the training field is free of holes, molehills and stones.
For further professional guidance, seminars or experienced trainers are recommended.

Have fun training!

Trend dog sport Dog Frisbee: How to teach your dog

What you need for Dog Frisbee

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Step 4

Step 5

You might also be interested in

In the spotlight: The perfect tongue photo of your cat

trick sock removal

Fit with Dog