Monthly Dog Tip (Apr 2010) - 23 April 2010

Once upon a time, a dog owner tossed a plastic disk for a dog and a canine sport was born. Now Frisbee is a popular competitive sport for dogs and people. Dogs get lots of exercise and also bond with their owners. All dogs have a natural prey instinct. They will tend to chase moving objects. In order to teach your dog to catch a Frisbee, you can try and tap into this instinct. Start by teaching your dog to fetch and return a tennis ball. Reward your canine with praise or a treat each time he returns the ball successfully. Next, throw the ball up in the air a short distance, close to your dog. There's a good chance the dog will naturally try to catch the ball before it hits the ground. Work with this skill until your pooch is good at catching and returning it. Now you're ready to start with short tosses of the Frisbee for your dog to catch!There are two main variations of the Frisbee sport - canines participate in distance catching. Short distance involves multiple throws of the Frisbee or disc during a timed event. In long distance, the longest throw and catch wins. Freestyle consists of a series of short routines choreographed to music and involves multiple discs.Frisbee is a sport which provides entertainment for the dog, the handler, and the spectator. And the best part? Almost any dog can participate in Frisbee due to its accessibility. All you need is open space and a plastic disc. Dogs with high energy and a good degree of athleticism tend to excel at Frisbee. Interestingly enough, a good number of dogs originally from animal shelters have been known to do well at Frisbee!

info courtesy:http://dog.lifetips.com