Jour 1189 Blog # 6: Spring Break Day of Disc Doggin'

Seventeen members of the Minnesota Disc Dog Club (MNDDC), four guests, and numerous four-footed friends, sprang into the new season with a disc (Frisbee®) dog clinic held at Leashes and Leads in Byron, Minnesota on March 15, 2009.

The clinic began with throw training for the handlers. It’s important to throw correctly so the throws are safe and catchable for the dog. A variety of throws can add interest to a canine disc freestyle routine. According to Emily Northrup, “Roo and JG and Denise helped perfect my throwing...” This session became a trifle chaotic, because people were attempting new throws, and many of them went wild. It was a good way to work out your aggressions and plead “I’m just learning a new throw; I didn’t mean to kneecap you.”

After throw training, Abby Cline, of Pawsitive Vybe – Fargo, along with Andrew (Roo) Yori of Rochester, assisted individual teams. Some teams found new ways to build drive using the dog’s prey instinct, whereas other teams learned how to vault safely. Tania Lex shared a few thoughts regarding the training, “From watching Roo and Abby work with other players, I'm continuing to grasp the significance of tugging and bitework foundation and drive building work and beginning to add more of that to my practice sessions.” The use of the bitework also appealed to Jeff Johnson, who said when asked what a highlight of the clinic was for him, “…making a prey connection with my dog, Abby.” My dog showed absolutely no prey drive for discs. His only interest was the treats in my hand, and he’d have cheerfully bitten off my fingers to get at them, so our bitework was of a different nature.

Northrup concluded with sharing this the clinic: "I think the clinic was a great success. Everybody seemed to have a great time. I wish we did it every weekend!" It was a great time for all, and fortunately, the bites on my fingers have healed enough that I can type this blog about the event.

Note: Photo by D. Koster of Lex and Dori