FAQ's

The following is a list of frequently asked questions to help the potential Disc Dog trainer to start this great sport! 

• Do you need to get a Border Collie or an Aussie to compete/play in this sport? 

No, although you see alot of that type of dog in this sport, there are plenty of Champions in most of the other breed's. One great thing is, there are no regulations on the type of dog that you participate with.  You can compete with any type of dog, mixed or pure breed. Of course some dog's may take more training than others, but certain breed's has little to do with it. 

• How old does my dog have to be to begin?

You can start basic catch and fetch training as soon as the dog can wrap its mouth around a ball! The important thing about Disc training is to keep your dogs health as your number one priority.  Most Disc dog trainers do not start to "jump" the dog until it is at least one year old. The reason for this is to let the pups growth plates to "fully" develop. Jumping/Vaulting a dog too early will limit its time in this sport dramatically in addition to potentially injuring the dog for life. Proper training will have you and your doggy competing/playing for years to come.  All training prior to one year should be limited to basic obedience, ground level catch and fetch and your basic parlor tricks (sit, stay, roll over etc.) Remember to Praise, Praise, Praise during any training period!  

• Okay I have the dog, its over a year old, now how do I get started in this training?

You accomplished the first step just by visiting this web site, you will soon find out that there is a ton of information on the WWW on how to train a Disc dog. Most of those sites are listed on our LINK'S page and I will not get into the actual training portion on this FAQ page. Join us at one of our Play days and we will love to help you get started. Or visit our  Calendar page to see where an actual competition is being held near you! By the way we love when strangers come up and ask "How'd you do that?"

• I see a number of Frisbee's/Disc's on the market, what type do I use? 

This is a great question. About 75% of the competitions the Frisbee that is required to be used is the Frisbee Fastback.  They are made of a softer plastic with rounded edges that is safer on the gums and teeth and are not that expensive. Another thing you will find out about this sport is, the further along you go in training the more "disc aggressive" your dog will become and the more disc's the dog will destroy. I  went through 500 disc's last year alone!. Discovering the World in Buena Park, is a great supplier of Frisbees and have "misprinted" Fastbacks for just over $1.30 each. They are listed on the LINK'S page, click on the Discovering the World link to visit their site. 

This is a very important question, if you use a Frisbee that is too hard or has sharp edges, you may damage gums or break teeth. The dog will then associate the sport with pain and you will lose any hopes of training a Frisbee dog. I highly recommend using the Fastback Frisbees. If you are starting out with a puppy there is no problem in using a cloth type disc, but as soon as the dog's teeth are developed change to the Fastback asap!

NOTE:  This FAQ page was developed about 3 years ago, since that time, Skyhoundz, who runs a series of local, Regional and World events, requires the use of the Hyperflite disc. This disc is also a safe disc and more can be found out about it by clicking here: Hyperflite 

• I have a very small dog, isn't the normal sized Frisbee to big?

Not really, you would be surprised how small some of the dog's that compete/play this sport are. One of the best dogs in the country is a Jack Russell Terrier and he uses the full size Fastback. If your dog is smaller than that, most organizers will allow the use of a variety of smaller disc's to compete with, just make sure to contact any judges prior to your competition to clear it with them. So no matter how big, small, male, female, Border Collie or your basic mutt! You can compete/play in the awesome sport of Canine Disc! 

• Can my dog get hurt doing this?

I won't lie and say it cannot happen, but it is NOT a common occurrence. The key to keeping a healthy dog is to listen to the pros, learn the safe way to train and "ALWAYS"  keep your dogs health in mind. There is a ton of knowledge in  this club, just ask and we will help you out. You will hear from the other K9 Sport participants that the sport of K9 Disc is dangerous, but to be honest, I personally have been involved in a few of the other sports and all of my dog's injuries have occurred while competing in the other sports. There are some risks to this sport and it is important to have your dog examined by a licensed vet prior to any K9 sport training, but tap your resources out there.  As I said earlier, there is a ton of information  in the form of the internet, books and videos. Take small steps to begin with, and remember most of the club members have achieved the levels they have through years and years of hard work, training and using their heads!.

• If I choose to compete, what does it cost to enter?

Unlike most of the other K9 Sports the greatest thing about K9 Disc is that it rarely costs a dime or a very small fee to compete. Plus you normally will be given a Certificate and a new Frisbee just for competing. And if you are lucky enough to win or place in the top three, most organizers offer great prizes! Can you name another K9 Sport that does the same?

• How often do you train your dogs?

The purpose of this page is not to get into the nuts and bolts of training, so I won't get into the step by step process. But to give you an idea of what it takes to train a world class Frisbee dogs.  I personally train my (Frisbee dogs) every other day approximately 15-20 minutes each.  I break up the training session in half to give the dog a short break (at this time offer water or make it available) I know you are saying that that seems like a short training period. You will find out that the dogs will give their heart and soul when they play and they get pooped out quickly. You want to keep the dogs super interested so One, you stop training while they still are "ready to go". Two, stop training on a good note (i.e. an easy catch) and Three, keep the Frisbees away from the dog except while training or competing. These are tips that will keep your dog "super" interested in the disc. When you show them the disc, they know it is time to play/train! Be aware, Frisbee Fastbacks are made of a soft plastic and are easily destroyed. Do not allow your dog to "eat" the disc as it may become lodged in the intestine's and cost you big bucks at the vet!  One more note, most of the top pros will tell you that they practice alone without the dog twice as much as with the dog. The dog will catch the disc as long as you make it catchable, learn new and innovated throws by yourself, then when you have them down pat, introduce them to the dog.

• I have started training and noticed my dog's tongue bleeding, what is wrong here?

There are a couple of reasons for this. One, the dog is new to the sport and just does not know how to hold its tongue while catching a disc. And Two as the dogs body gets hotter and hotter they "sweat" or relieve body heat through their mouths. As the dogs body heats up the tongue swells, thus getting in the way of the teeth and getting bitten. When you notice bleeding, stop training immediately, examine your dog and make sure it is not a broken tooth or something more serious. If it is just the tongue then offer water (water usually stops the bleeding immediately), give the dog some rest and resume the training. As the dog gets more seasoned the bleeding will be less of an occurrence.

• I have heard that there are two portions to most contests, Freestyle and Mini-Distance. What are these?

Correct, most contests do consist of Freestyle and Mini-Distance.  Freestyle is a choreographed routine set to the music of your choice for anywhere between 1 1/2 - 3 minutes. This is where you try to put together, in a smoothly flowing routine all of the tricks you and your dog have learned. Mini-Distance is a basic catch an fetch competition. Up to just a couple of years ago this was the only type of competition you could compete in. You are privileged to be part of the current expansion of this sport. New organizations are popping up each year with totally new types of contest to give you more and more options. Two of which are The Quadruped and the FDDO. Check out these sites to find out information on how to compete in their unique competitions!

These are most of the questions normally asked of us, if you have any more questions you think should be posted here, let the webmaster know and I will post them asap!

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The above FAQ's were donated/developed by Tom Clements and are copyright © protected.