I want my dog to catch dog discs yet I want to take him to the course.

[zenbot]

We just wound up with a 6 month Fox Red Lab 2 months ago. He's rambunctious and amazing. I want to throw discs with him but I don't want him to be a nuisance during friendly rounds. He's been good so far because I haven't introduced discs as an object to bring back.

Has anybody here successfully got their dog to know the difference between dog discs and golf discs?

 

[zenbot]

I would love to rip some Ultrastar drives for him in the park.

 

[4th Rock]

Would one of those Scented Wardens work? That way he may train on just the smelly disc vs your/others golf discs?

 

[bobmcnelly]

My dog has learned he is not allowed to pick other discs besides his. I designated a clear champ valk as his disc. When I take him out to the course he sometimes runs after drives but knows not to touch them.

 

[eric40817]

Could always train the dog to only chase discs when you allow him. Thats what my buddy did. If he gives the stay or sit command, he sits and waits behind the teepad until he says to follow. Then we lose a disc we say "Jackson find the disc!" and his nose is immediately on the ground until he finds.

 

[Moose33]

Either have a set command for him to get the disc, or always have one disc that is his disc and don't let him mess with others.

 

[UncleSweat]

Problem with my Lab is he cheats and takes off during my run up.

 

[JNichols]

I played with a guy in Washington, more than once, than had a Golden Lab that ran after every throw. She NEVER picked up a disc though, unless it was HER disc that he only threw every other hole, or so, just for her. I wish I knew how he trained her to do that, because it was Really Cool playing 18 holes, multiple times, with such a well mannered dog. She also wore saddle bags, in a sense, that carried the guys discs. She was his DG Bag. Amazing.

 

[Shuie]

Ummm.... I just started with throwing rollers with the same Disc for Cooper until he realized it was his disc. Then I would kinda tease him with it to get him jacked before tossing it for him and now the dog occasionally will bring me discs he finds in the rough.

 

[Nasty Nate]

Our dog always used to pick up my golf discs when she was younger but now she's more behaved. Despite that we had any number of doggy discs for her, she always seemed to gravitate towards my discs like she was just messing with me. But like I said, that's when she was more of a puppy so it might take some time before your dog understands how to play.

I think one thing that helps is to find a toy that your pup really likes. It took a long time to find a suitable disc, but fortunately enough I got a Lat 64 Bite and my dog loves it. She knows it's her toy and she will play with that instead of our golf discs. So that has helped tremendously because I got really tired of wiping slobber off my discs every 5 seconds!

 

[Noill]

I don't have anything that would be considered a disc dog... (lap dog for my girls... but she loves the woods so I take her with)... she is usually really good but I either have to have her sit/stay or warn ppl I'm with to fake throw so she'll run off down the fairway and not be an underfoot on the teepad... she does occasionally find my discs I think b/c she gets that is where I'm going to next...

yeah, I don't think I can train her much more than that... good luck with the pup

oddly, she does seem to mess with just one person I disc with and she does that a lot... kinda cracks me up but him not so much... :|

 

[zenbot]

My dog has learned he is not allowed to pick other discs besides his. I designated a clear champ valk as his disc. When I take him out to the course he sometimes runs after drives but knows not to touch them.

So, you just get a mulligan every round and blame it on the dog?

 

[torihanus]

I have yet to train my dog the difference between her disc and my own, but it is something I have had on my mind for a while now. She does have her own indoor disc that she plays with, and I have been contemplating bringing that out on the course with her. The disc is a flimsy fabric, and it is easier for her to grip in her mouth. The first time I took her out discing, her gums started to bleed, because she was holding onto the discs so tight.

My recommendation is to designate a softer plastic disc for your dog, if you plan on taking him/her out with you. For instance, a Discraft Soft Magnet putter might be a good fit for your dog. Also, I recommend starting your dog off by having him/her fetch discs for you at home and see if there is an interest. From there if there is interest, take your dog to courses where it is pet-friendly and/or hardly anyone goes to. Best of luck! Dogs are a joy to be around!

 

[Timeetyo]

Could always train the dog to only chase discs when you allow him. Thats what my buddy did. If he gives the stay or sit command, he sits and waits behind the teepad until he says to follow. Then we lose a disc we say "Jackson find the disc!" and his nose is immediately on the ground until he finds.

This is the key and the first step. It is very easy to teach (if you are consistent as with any dog training) to only retrieve on command. Once you have this, the rest falls in place easily. Depending on the dog's drive this may be a bit challenging at first but shouldn't take long especially if you dedicate a few rounds to just focusing on this.

I also recommend while you are doing this you get a super hero and use that as "his" disc. Over time he'll learn that it is the only one to chase and life becomes even easier.

 

[redwrath]

My dog is an incorrigible dachshund/bulldog mix and is rarely included in a round of golf because he makes me look like the keystone cops. Not saying he is a without redeeming qualities, he is just not as trainable as other breeds I have had.

He would literally run himself to death fetching discs, if given the opportunity. If given the choice between bacon or frisbee, his mind would probably be blown. He does, however, not fetch when I am on the golf course. I think he understands the difference because of the frequency aspect and my attitude/reactions, he is almost three now and fetches daily.

 

[zenbot]

This is the key and the first step. It is very easy to teach (if you are consistent as with any dog training) to only retrieve on command. Once you have this, the rest falls in place easily. Depending on the dog's drive this may be a bit challenging at first but shouldn't take long especially if you dedicate a few rounds to just focusing on this.

I also recommend while you are doing this you get a super hero and use that as "his" disc. Over time he'll learn that it is the only one to chase and life becomes even easier.

This and Eric's post are pretty much what I was thinking of. He's a Retriever so that will always be tingling the back of his neck. It's more a matter on teaching him out to stay.

 

[pmatt1969]

I would not recommend teaching your dog to chase discs if you want to take him to the course. They will think EVERY disc thrown is being thrown for them. Get him to fetch a ball if you want to play with him. My Nephew ruined my dog when I was on vacation for a month. This is with a very smart dog who has been through a year and a half of obedience training.

 

[Six Card Charlie]

My dog never got any discs and shows no interest in them on the course. Instill the "Leave it" command and tell him that before you throw and show him the disc. After a while he will just know that he isn't allowed to go after discs.

 

[tbird888]

Time, patience, and consistency. I would recommend a lot of training sessions (solo rounds) at the course.

 

[Broken Shoulder]

Return the dog and get a cat. Instruct the cat to retrieve every disc and on principle it will not retrieve any.

Or, here is an actual suggestion from my fiancé, a lead CVT and basically a veterinary practice manager:

Start by teaching retrieving only the dog disc and use a unique command for that action.
Add in discs that you don't want retrieved and reward when the specific dog disc is retrieved only. Continue adding discs you don't want retrieved, rewarding only for retrieval of the dog disc. Eventually the dog will learn they should only retrieve their disc.

Honestly, the cat thing seems easier.