DG dog training

[anrew18]

Looking for tips or resources. I'm getting a 8 week old lab next week and would like to eventually train to to come discing with me. Also to respect my discs. Thanks in advance.

 

[ru4por]

Phew.....labs are exhausting. And one of the best all terrain, all purpose pooches around. I spent a lot of time putting in the backyard and keeping her off my discs. Lots of throwing a ball or kong to direct her to her own toys, with lots of praise and snick-snacks. She does not chase discs, but is pretty sure my putting practice is actually her play time.

Congrats on the new family member. Please keep your pup on a leash.

 

[ru4por]

I would always recommend most of their training time be spent on fundamentals at first. Come, Sit, Stay, Leave it, Drop it, not jumping on people.... Labs are all mouth as puppies, our last one was a bear to break of mouthing people. She would amble over to strangers for pets and nose them and grab their hand with her mouth. Typical Lab super soft mouth, not hard enough to concern anyone, but it always scared me that someone would freak out.

 

[tbird888]

I would always recommend most of their training time be spent on fundamentals at first. Come, Sit, Stay, Leave it, Drop it, not jumping on people.... Labs are all mouth as puppies, our last one was a bear to break of mouthing people. She would amble over to strangers for pets and nose them and grab their hand with her mouth. Typical Lab super soft mouth, not hard enough to concern anyone, but it always scared me that someone would freak out.

My least favorite thing to here after correcting my dog for jumping up on someone...

"That's OK. I have dogs so I'm used to it."

Good for you. I'd rather my dog not piss off people who do care.

 

[Monocacy]

I strongly recommend signing up for a puppy class, which helps with socialization as well as training. Caveat: We have had lots of dogs but I never started with a puppy, so this recommendation is based on research and advice from dog owners that I trust.

When your pup gets a little older I also highly recommend small group dog training classes. Group classes help your dog understand that (s)he needs to listen to you despite distractions. For a sociable dog, being around other dogs can be the biggest distraction there is. And labs can be pretty sociable.

After basic obedience class you might want to consider a Canine Good Citizen class, which works on training your dog in practical situations (people in wheelchairs, unexpected loud noises, greeting another person with a dog, etc.).

As others have said, basic obedience can help you deal with lots of situations. The "leave it" command with Frisbees, for example.

Good luck with your new pup!

 

[ILUVSMGS18]

Looking for tips or resources. I'm getting a 8 week old lab next week and would like to eventually train to to come discing with me. Also to respect my discs. Thanks in advance.

I'm in the same boat, but mines a Golden (I suggested a Lab, but my mom was set on a Golden, either way still a retriever). I'm hoping for an assistant in my field work (have a feeling I'm gonna need some junk discs).

 

[anrew18]

Thanks everyone. Yeah I am not even trying to bring it too the course for quite some time. I definitely will be working on the basic commands and socialization. sounds like pretty much the things I was going to work on as a baseline will be good for starters. Thanks for the putting practice tips. I have a basket in the yard that I work with. Lastly I'll always leash my dog. nothing is more annoying then dealing with someones dog... no matter how much I like dogs.

 

[hiflyer]

Previous dog owner here. I had a pit/lab mutt. I spent a lot of time training him myself. Having a general understanding of how learning works and lots of patience, I believe, is vital. You don't necessarily need to enroll in classes if you are able to spend a lot of time with the pooch. Just knowing about conditioned/unconditioned stimuli and responses will allow you to train a dog very well. Pavlovian conditioning works wonders for a truly kind, sweet, and obedient pup. The rest is mostly socialization, which also requires a lot of your time.

 

[BogeyNoMore]

I bet Martin Dewgarita has a tip or two... he's played a few rounds with his pooches.

I also think he's in the midst of a roadtrip right now. :\

 

[F.Luke]

I share my life with a Labrador and Catahoula cross. Take the dog with you always and keep a ball when you play and keep the dog focused on the BALL! Eventually you can transition to where the dog (unless hunting instincts supersede training) will ignore your plastic.

Good luck and much patience to you.

 

[F.Luke]

Here's the boy (4 1/2 years later) wearing one of his discs as a hat:

 

[slowplastic]

From what I've seen, consistent positive reinforcement for behaviour you want them to do...negative commands should be taught too of course for when needed. Just don't send mixed messages. If they pick up a disc and you yell at them for doing so, if they drop it then they should get a treat or praise. Dropping the disc or leaving the disc can be a "trick" to them.

It drives me nuts when someone's dog runs off, they yell and yell at it until it comes back, then they scold it. The last thing it did was come back like you said...so make sure it knows it did the right thing so it will do it next time fast and consistently.

 

[BryanBowman]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=csyQOSSjxiw

 

[gradus]

I have an almost 2yr old lab. I'd suggest sticking to a ball and never any discs. If you let the dog play with discs, you can't go half way on the training. Worst case scenario is your training sucks, so dog gets stuck at home.

You say that will always use a leash. But you'll constantly see dogs off leash at courses in Charlotte and will likely do the same. Back to the first point ... you'll piss people off if your dog grabs their disc.

Talk to your vet about Parvo shots. Don't bring your cute new puppy to the course, or Petsmart or any places with unknown dogs. You'll need to wait for a minimum of the 2nd or 3rd Parvo shot (likely the 3rd). I had one vet say to wait until the 4th, but that's way too cautious and you miss valuable time for socialization. I got a second opinion from a different vet who was more reasonable.

 

[Darkgreen]

I have an almost 2yr old lab. I'd suggest sticking to a ball and never any discs. If you let the dog play with discs, you can't go half way on the training. Worst case scenario is your training sucks, so dog gets stuck at home.

.

That is excellent advice. We've owned trained lab bird retrievers and I have helped train a couple. Their instinct to retrieve is strong.

Once they get the idea that discs are for retrieving it is tough to go back. I've seen some guys that dedicate a specific disc for a dog and they sometimes get it, but it would be much easier to get them a tennis ball.

Good for you for wanting to involve you dog in your disc golf life and get your dog exercise. There are too many fat and bored labs in this world.

On a side note, my wife has her lab running partner/bird retriever lab and I have my disc golf partner mutt. It works pretty well. I will sometimes throw discs for the lab. Want to quickly learn a clean release forehand?- Get a tough premium plastic neutral midrange and a lab. You can get lots of throws in fast and the dog will love it.

 

[slowplastic]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=csyQOSSjxiw

Yeah that's ideal...the dog knows what disc is theirs and that's their toy.

Next best thing is dog ignores all discs.

Worst is they think any disc is a toy...

 

[gradus]

I would always recommend most of their training time be spent on fundamentals at first. Come, Sit, Stay, Leave it, Drop it, not jumping on people.... Labs are all mouth as puppies, our last one was a bear to break of mouthing people. She would amble over to strangers for pets and nose them and grab their hand with her mouth. Typical Lab super soft mouth, not hard enough to concern anyone, but it always scared me that someone would freak out.

Advice I learned from a police K-9 trainer about mouthing people. Every time the puppy bites your hand, stick your finger down its throat. Uncomfortable for the dog, but you aren't going to hurt it. The "timing" of the correction is perfect and the dog will quickly connect the biting with the finger down the throat. You may have to do this repeatedly (30x?, 50x?), but it will work. I've taught two labs this way.

Digging problems? Put a pile of their own poop in the hole and most will leave it alone.

Highly recommend puppy classes. Using positive reinforcement to teach the basics and while they are still young. The structure of weekly classes helps to keep you focused. I don't buy into the 100% positive reinforcement for a big energetic lab, but that's a different debate. Use the 100% positive stuff when they are still a baby with mush for brains.

 

[ru4por]

Advice I learned from a police K-9 trainer about mouthing people. Every time the puppy bites your hand, stick your finger down its throat. Uncomfortable for the dog, but you aren't going to hurt it. The "timing" of the correction is perfect and the dog will quickly connect the biting with the finger down the throat. You may have to do this repeatedly (30x?, 50x?), but it will work. I've taught two labs this way.

Digging problems? Put a pile of their own poop in the hole and most will leave it alone.

Highly recommend puppy classes. Using positive reinforcement to teach the basics and while they are still young. The structure of weekly classes helps to keep you focused. I don't buy into the 100% positive reinforcement for a big energetic lab, but that's a different debate. Use the 100% positive stuff when they are still a baby with mush for brains.

Really good suggestion. Never thought of it. Used to employ something similar in simply jamming my hand to the back of the jaws. Not hard enough to hurt, and it was pretty effective for me. But like most training it works well until everyone else scratches the pups head when she mouths them. Awwww....look at the cute lab telling me to pet her.

 

[hiflyer]

Advice I learned from a police K-9 trainer about mouthing people. Every time the puppy bites your hand, stick your finger down its throat. Uncomfortable for the dog, but you aren't going to hurt it. The "timing" of the correction is perfect and the dog will quickly connect the biting with the finger down the throat. You may have to do this repeatedly (30x?, 50x?), but it will work. I've taught two labs this way.

That's what I learned during my years at PetCo as well. (It also works with cats, but you must be even gentler). I used this method on Indy (my pit/lab) and I never had any biting or mouthing problems.

 

[foo_g]

Thanks everyone. Yeah I am not even trying to bring it too the course for quite some time. I definitely will be working on the basic commands and socialization. sounds like pretty much the things I was going to work on as a baseline will be good for starters. Thanks for the putting practice tips. I have a basket in the yard that I work with. Lastly I'll always leash my dog. nothing is more annoying then dealing with someones dog... no matter how much I like dogs.

My advice to you would be to take him/her with you as often as you can in order to get them acclimated to the situation and teach them boundaries.

My dog showed up at my house when he was about 8 weeks old, about a month or two after I first started playing DG. I took him with me every time I played, which was almost always a solo, casual round. I kept him on a leash, tethered to my bag. In order to get him used to staying put and not wandering off (and dragging my bag behind him), I used a pinch collar. Eventually I progressed to using a retractable leash in order to give him a little extra room to roam. After a few months of watching me throw, he didn't have much interest in chasing after discs. All the while, I worked with him at home to teach him how to fetch, bring, and give using tennis balls and other toys. Later on, I got him his own frisbee to chase after. He was good at understanding the difference between mine and his, and very rarely showed any desire to go after mine. So I started carrying his dog disc in my bag when I played a round. At the END of the round, I would get it out and throw rollers (he had a hard time following air shots) for him to chase after and work off a lot of his excess energy. I feel like if I were to have him fetch before the round, he might have a hard time turning that off -- at least early on. At the time, I had the luxury of going out almost every day during the summer to play. He seemed to look forward to it as much as I did. But it just takes time and patience (and treats).

8 years later, he knows when he's allowed to chase after a disc. He's got his own (usually a Bite or a Superhero) that I still carry in my bag, and occasionally we'll team up for roller practice. (It's amazing how quickly he can cover 300-400 feet!) Being a terrier mix, he was probably was a little rougher on plastic as a pup than what your lab might be. Eventually he calmed down and now he rarely bites down hard enough to leave a mark on any of my golf discs. Somewhere along the way he learned how to track his disc through the air, chase it down, and catch it. But it's not something we spent a lot of time on.

Depending on the situation, I still take him with me nearly every time I play. Sometimes during a casual round, I'll give him some free range time if possible, assuming there aren't any opportunities for him to get in trouble. But that's just about developing trust, knowing that he'll behave and listen. During a competitive round or when the course/park is busy, he stays hooked to my bag and we make a point to stay behind or at the back of the rest of the group. So far, I've never had any complaints about him during or after a round. Almost everyone we've played with has been very complementary and made a point to say how well behaved he is and how still he sits while everyone throws.