You want a Frisbee dog, you’re seen
the way cool YouTube video with a Collie doing flips and grappling a Frisbee out
of the air. Now you want your Chow or Pit Bull to catch a Frisbee. First, best
of luck buddy, and second, bring a boat load of patience.
A dog has a natural instinct to
chase squirrels and rabbits, we wish to mold this behavior to chase a ball or Frisbee.
A puppy is easiest to train, roll the ball or Frisbee pass them, at about 3
months of age they will suddenly turn and jump on the ball/Frisbee, now you
have them for the rest of their life. They will become devoted to the game and
enjoy it without end; they will constantly pester you to play. Enjoy the game
with your companion, the flips, leaps and cavorting will emerge from the dog’s
natural personality. One note of caution, the dog will become so determined to snag
this substitute flying squirrel that they might hurt themselves. I had a Blue Healer that blew out a knee cap catching the Frisbee; after he recuperated I
had to keep the Frisbee throws at a low effort.
An adult dog that missed the
opportunity to learn ball chasing as a pup will need a two step training
process. The “Carry” command and the “Hand” command. I teach these commands to
all my dogs as the two commands can be used as a foundation for many complex
tricks. The Carry command teaches the dog to carry something, actually
anything, in their mouth, while the Hand command teaches the dog to hand you
whatever they have in their mouth. Once the command as been firming placed, you can stand back a few feet and say Carry while tossing the Frisbee, the dog will catch the Frisbee, now use the Hand command to have the dog return and give the Frisbee to you. Continue to increase the distance and eventually drop the verbal commands. Now you have a Frisbee dog.
There are many websites detailing
the many methods for instilling these two commands so I will just be general
here. I teach the commands while I watch TV or cruise the internet, I use
anything available, envelopes, remote control, pack of cigs, pencil, etc. The
main point is repetition, since I’m not doing anything worthwhile online this
exercise can continue for hours.
The truly major point is the carrot
and stick training method, the stick never works while the carrot always works.
I have observed dog owners that become flustered with a dog that runs away,
when they finally catch the dog or the dog returns, they beat the dog for
running away. The dog does not get the lesson. The dog does not remember the
running away part, while the dog does remembers the coming back part and the getting
beaten part, the last two are close enough in time for the dog to connect them. These dog masters are teaching their dog to not come to them.
I will give the dog a treat for
getting close to the desired behavior, positive reinforcement works every time.
There is no predicting the results of negative reinforcement, never use it.
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