DS330 Disc Dog - Freestyle Tricks

Winter is the perfect time to work on your disc freestyle routine! Oh, that snow and sleet and ice outside? No worries! In this class, we will focus on teaching new tricks that can be incorporated into any freestyle routine to add flow and style that will stand out from the rest of the competition. This class can be completed indoors in a small area with non-slick footing.

Course Details

Teaching Approach

This class is taught using a combination of written lectures and short video demonstrations. While week one has a lot of content, the work load slows down as the class progresses. Gold spot students are not expected to teach every trick, but rather pick and choose tricks that they'd like to teach. Lectures are released at the beginning of the week.

Syllabus

Week One
1. Benefits of tricks
2. Transition tricks
a. Go Around
b. Scoot
3. Pick an extra trick

Week Two
1. Arm Overs
2. Leg weaves
3. Dog Catch

Week Three
1. Rebound
2. Spin/Twist

Week Four
1. Hoop
2. Back around

Week Five
1. Backstall
2. Stand

Week Six
1. Sequencing

Prerequisites & Supplies

Sample Lecture

Before we can catch our dog while they are catching a disc, we need to teach them to love to be caught. The foundation for a disc-less dog catch is the same as the foundation for teaching a rebound which we’ll cover in a future lecture. To prevent your dog from randomly offering a dog catch and flying at your face when you least expect it (generally while you are trying to have a pleasant conversation with the new neighbors that just moved in), be very conscious about what body cue you want to use, even better to add a verbal cue on top of that.

Grab a chair, some treats and your dog in an area with decent traction. Handlers with young dogs, please be aware of how they’re dismounting, do not allow them to jump from your lap as repeated jumps can lead to growth plate injuries.

With you sitting in the chair, arrange your dog on your left or right side (keep it consistent). Put treats in your far hand and encourage them to jump into our lap. You may have to reward for two paws at first, or even just teach your dog to climb into your lap while you’re sitting on the ground. Once your dog is all four paws in your lap, mark and reward in position, then toss a cookie to encourage them to jump off. Repeat. The criteria that we are looking for is that they jump rather than crawl into your lap.

Once your dog is confident leaping into your lap while you are sitting in a chair, begin to place your arms around them as you are reward, as if you are catching them. If your dog seems uncomfortable about this step, ease into it. The criteria of this step is to “catch” your dog as if you were standing up. Don’t forget to reward each repetition, we want dog catches to be AMAZING to our dogs. You can add a verbal cue when you are happy with how your dog is performing this step.

The next step is to add height and slowly remove the landing platform that is your lap. Pile pillows or other objects under you to gradually increase into a standing position. Don’t forget to be mindful of your body and verbal cue. I generally stand with my catching side leg slightly bent to give a surface for my dog’s to aim for. I also open my arms to encourage my dog to jump up while saying “hop up”.

Instructors

Sara Brueske

Sara Brueske (she/her) has been training dogs for over 15 years, and has experienced a large variety of breeds and sports during that time. Having graduated as a Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner ...

Registration

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