best DOG breed 4 disc golf!

[hawk12]

I prefer Labs/retrievers. I had a great full bred chocolate lab that learned to sniff your hand for scent, go find the disc and stand over the disc, whether he found it in the fairway, 4 feet of grass, or deep in a sticker bush. On command he would bring it to you without a mark on it... Best disc dog I ever had. Could second that with "Bear Dog" who is a very well trained black lab. He's to swim and get discs off the bottom of ponds, he's been a spotter at The Grange and USDGC for years with something like 5,000 discs retrieved. "Bear's" old now and retiring, but his little brother is learning the ropes from 'Papa Bear' (some of you know both the man and the dog I speak of.

My last dog was a border collie that was full of energy and fun, but could never be good enough for a even a local non-sanctioned tournament. Just too hyper, and loved the birds too much. great for rounds with friends, and she'd find a disc in the crap too.

My current dog is a lab mix, that is also a great dog for playing with by my side, and GREAT even in a tournament, as he will stand will with a 'stop sign' from me and not move. But he is part Chow and does not retrieve discs because he eats them - he tore up a treasured OOP putter as a puppy and I overly reprimanded him.... My mistake. My point is, take the dog as a puppy show him/her what you expect and be consistent. Work in the yard as a puppy and train your dog to what you expect, food is a good motivator. Start with some star or ESP discs that you can deal with teeth marks until the puppy 'figures it out'.

Sorry for you loss, and as you know, you are your dogs best friend (and for many of us your dog is your best friend too) - so enjoy every minute with them!!

 

[craftsman]

:thmbup:

I love rotties! Had one, and will get another at some point!

Brooklyn is my sixth! I wasnt crazy about her at first b/c she was wild but when my bro left for the usmc i couldnt imagine throwing her back to the shelter.
3 months of positive training and ever since people always are surprised at how friendly and well trained she is. Kids always get a kick out of her stopping and looking both ways when she crosses the street

I had four people throwing 30 putters at a basket in my yard. They were surprised she didnt go after em. When i told em she knows the difference between her superhero and my discs they laughed. Its true though!

 

[craftsman]

Does anyone have tips for retrieving discs?
My pup has a hard time getting them off the ground without scuffing them up.

 

[jchoate7]

I prefer Labs/retrievers. I had a great full bred chocolate lab that learned to sniff your hand for scent, go find the disc and stand over the disc, whether he found it in the fairway, 4 feet of grass, or deep in a sticker bush. On command he would bring it to you without a mark on it... Best disc dog I ever had. Could second that with "Bear Dog" who is a very well trained black lab. He's to swim and get discs off the bottom of ponds, he's been a spotter at The Grange and USDGC for years with something like 5,000 discs retrieved. "Bear's" old now and retiring, but his little brother is learning the ropes from 'Papa Bear' (some of you know both the man and the dog I speak of.

Bear Dog is a great dog! Was even well behaved enough for sanctioned events. I had the honor to play with Papa Bear at the Pine Tree Tussle last year and Bear Dog helped me find my drive on hole 17.

I have a chocolate lab myself, Marley. She tends to bite my discs to hard when retrieving them so I purchased her a Superhero disc and now she carries that on the course and she wants nothing to do with mine. She will find them though, just when she does she realizes that it isn't hers and moves on.

Sorry for your loss and good luck with your new best friend!

 

[hipster]

Chesapeake Bay Retrievers are trainable, loyal, and not overly friendly to strangers. They do have a bit of a stubborn streak. Get the dog from the local pound is the best thing I can recommend. I known a few exceptional pound puppies in my day...

 

[craftsman]

Bear Dog is a great dog! Was even well behaved enough for sanctioned events. I had the honor to play with Papa Bear at the Pine Tree Tussle last year and Bear Dog helped me find my drive on hole 17.

I have a chocolate lab myself, Marley. She tends to bite my discs to hard when retrieving them so I purchased her a Superhero disc and now she carries that on the course and she wants nothing to do with mine. She will find them though, just when she does she realizes that it isn't hers and moves on.

Sorry for your loss and good luck with your new best friend!

Lol...i imagined our dogs hangin out talkin about how ba superheros are over discs...lol

 

[MikePinchico]

Thanks guys, I have enjoyed all the opinions.


Does anybody have experience with German Shepherds at the course? I have actually looked into Goldendoodles and Labradoodles. I like them, but if I was telling somebody about my dog, I would refer to it as a mutt. Lol. I came back to GSD's because of the nose and there drive.

I'm sorry for your loss as a life long dog owner I know your pain. I have a German Shepard mix and she is a great disc golf dog. Her only problem is that she always wants a stick thrown for her. She will never touch your disc and will stay out of the way (until she hits you in the back of the legs with her stick). Shepards are extremely smart but very high strung. You can teach them to do anything and they are loyal as hell. My dog is from the shelter but I got her at 8 weeks old. I would go by the shelter no need to spend hundreds on pure breeds. Good luck and post when you get your new pup!
My German Shepard:

 

[jdawgl]

I overheard my brother telling strangers he had a 'mix' breed instead of a labradoodle, then he told me how much they cost .

We rescued a Doberman mix from the local humane society. I am part of that 'most fantastic dog ever club'. She's 2 years old and too high strung for tourneys atm. She loves to chase rollers. The discs come back in pristine condition.

 

[Mongo97]

It's all about the training. If you take the time, any dog has the potential. Some dogs just take a lot more time that others.

 

[brian j]

i'm partial to cattle dogs and dobermans. cattle dogs are better if you're looking for a frisbee dog, none of our dobies have been great fetchers.

 

[apparition]

I've enjoyed training my retriever/terrier mix NOT to be a "disc" dog. My goal since he was a puppy was to make him ignore golf discs, especially thrown discs. Not difficult at all since I started his training on the third day we had him. He's great on the course and I can leave discs around without the slightest fear he'll even touch them. I suggest finding the best truffle hunting dog you can (no idea what that would be and too lazy to google) and train it to ignore discs. Then train it to sit/stay (for course behavior), be friendly and relaxed around other people, and foster the tracking abilities

 

[NOStheBOSS]

I've enjoyed training my retriever/terrier mix NOT to be a "disc" dog. My goal since he was a puppy was to make him ignore golf discs, especially thrown discs. Not difficult at all since I started his training on the third day we had him. He's great on the course and I can leave discs around without the slightest fear he'll even touch them. I suggest finding the best truffle hunting dog you can (no idea what that would be and too lazy to google) and train it to ignore discs. Then train it to sit/stay (for course behavior), be friendly and relaxed around other people, and foster the tracking abilities

I can see your point, but everything else equal I would love for my dog to chase my drive and then wait for me where it landed. Sure would make finding discs easier.

 

[apparition]

I can see your point, but everything else equal I would love for my dog to chase my drive and then wait for me where it landed. Sure would make finding discs easier.

I can see that being an advantage, but it can be difficult to train them only to chase your drives. It's definitely not impossible, though. Especially if you are able to pay attention and give him commands when others are driving. My dog responds really well to sit, stay, and wait. I make him wait before he goes through doorways, before eating, or whatever. I've never tried to have him wait and release him when I throw, but he's still a puppy and right now keeping him controlled and restrained is really important to me on the course.

 

[VINCENT25149]

dogs

. She's 2 years old and too high strung for tourneys atm.

I love dogs but they have no business being at Tourneys. leave them at home.

 

[apparition]

I love dogs but they have no business being at Tourneys. leave them at home.

Here we go again :doh:

 

[Lewis]

I would worry more about the dog's energy level and temperament than about its breed. Breed plays a factor in the dog's needs, but don't stereotype before you meet the dog, because that's racist.

I've never met a border collie that wasn't a high-energy workaholic, but they probably exist, and I'd rather have that one-in-a-billion calm, low-energy, low maintenance border collie with me on the course than a neurotic, out of control, high-energy bulldog (they probably exist as well). But I wouldn't recommend a border collie to anyone without a LOT of time and energy to devote to exercising and training it -- especially exercising it -- because you never want a border collie to get bored.

 

[Will Burke]

I would advise against a Shih Tzu for disc golf. Never tried to take mine but she has a 4 second attention span and only 20 minutes of energy every couple hours.

 

[Lewis]

I can see your point, but everything else equal I would love for my dog to chase my drive and then wait for me where it landed. Sure would make finding discs easier.

Anyone you play with would HATE that behavior. Don't encourage your dog to "chase" anything on the dg course, at all. Really, you shouldn't be letting your dog run on the course. It stirs up chaos, controversy, and trouble. Better to train it to "wait" or "heel" patiently, and only begin to track your discs when you tell it to.

 

[jdawgl]

I love dogs but they have no business being at Tourneys. leave them at home.

I agree. I was going to bring her to an occasional random doubles when she settled into adult-dog behavior. It's quite common in my area to have a dog tag along once in a while.

I find it distracting enough to play my best without keeping a constant eye on my dog. She's been known to pee whenever/wherever the mood strikes. Although I would like to take her so I could spectate an A-tier event.

 

[jdawgl]

We owned a Shetland Sheepdog (similar to a border collie). She was a sweetheart and extremely intelligent, but they are meant for self-driven farm work. I would not recommend this breed for a dg companion.