Training a Dog NOT to fetch your disc

[VINCENT25149]

I came home one day to find my pup chewingmon one of my primary putters, I calmly grabed the disc from him told him NO! and lightly(and I really mean lightly) smacked his nose with it and let him hear a good NO! again. that was all I needed to do he knew he did wrong and won't do it again. for a couple days after I would pull out a disc and show it to him and would even wave it by his face to see if he would try and take it from me, no way. it was enough to know he disappointed me. he has absolutely no interest in discs anymore.

 

[prerube]

^^ Forest is canine-tastic!

I second this!

I have seen A LOT of stupid dogs running around the course causing a distraction, pooping on the fairway, stealing discs, ect.

Forest is one of only 2 dogs that I have ever enjoyed seeing on the course.

 

[Smigles]

Shock collars. I thought these things are jokes.

If your dog has good basic training, he will not chase your disc. I can easily get my dog to come behind the tee, sit, wait and look at the throw, and only start moving again after I gave him the command.

How : Keep working with him and training him. Every day. Sit and wait and fetch and whatever commands you give him. Mine knows at least 2 dozends commands by now. Start by having him sit&wait in specific locations, while you do all kind of stuff around him. If you can put his food in front of him, leave the room, come back a minute later and he has not eaten yet, then he wont run after your discs either.

But realy. Shock collars dont replace time invested. Just talk to him and work with him.

ps : i even use my old and too beat in discs to play fetch with him. He knows just by the tone of my voice if the disc is for him or not. It's all practice and repeptition and work. Do it.

 

[jtreadwell]

What Martin said about professional training is the way to go. The training is more for you than the dog - it teaches you how to communicate with your lovable beast. The trick I learned that helped the most with "leave it" was the walk of biscuits. This takes some setup but is invaluable to your dog. First, find out your dog's absolute favorite treat and get some of it. Also get some boring treats like biscuits that your dog likes but isn't crazy over. Take a walk around the block (without your dog) and place boring biscuits at regular intervals on the side of the road/sidewalk. Go back and get your dog and the super treats. Every time you pass a biscuit, say leave it and hold out a super treat instead. Repeat this several times, NEVER allowing the dog to have any of the boring biscuits, even later as this will teach the dog that leave it isn't absolute. After a few walks, downgrade the treats to identical boring biscuits, then to simple praise and affection. This works very well and the "leave it" command will work for discs.

 

[Bones2039]

Still working on it with my Australian Cattle Dog.............as of right now my answer would be don't take an australian cattle dog out on the course

My mother has two ACD's and one ACD/border collie mix. I completely understand what you are saying about not taking them to the course without a lot of training. They are great dogs but can be a handful at times.

When I lived at home I always kind of thought it would be nice to take one with me discing, but considering they are trained for disc dog events I knew it probably would NOT go well. The Cattle Dog/Border Collie mix would get all excited when I was trying to leave because she saw the discs and thought they were for her.

 

[Craig639]

It probably depends on breed. My mutt is VERY obedient. He chased the disc first time I took him out. I said "no" and gently spanked his rear and he hasn't picked one up since.
As for leashes, I've never had to use one as the dog sticks within 20 feet of me. I just use one when other dogs are near so the owners don't freak.

He does know the difference between his catch frisbee and other discs.

Guess I lucked out!

 

[mjoyce]

Dogs belong on leashes at the park. The dog is part pit? yea.

Are you one of those people? I have 1 pit and 1 pit/lab mix. I bring neither to the disc golf course. My pit/lab is 6 1/2 months and loses it everytime I practice putt. He'll chase the missed putts and pick them up, but don't chew on them. I just leave him home. He can deal with being in his crate for 2+ hours cuz well, he's a dog. If you really want to bring him, follow Martins advice. Professional training is the way to go if, and if you do it remember to not limit it to the classes. Dogs, puppies in particular, need to have that repetition in training, and actually enjoy it, so make sure to set aside like 20-30 minutes a day to go over the commands you learn in the class.

Yeah don't be one of those people unless you're implying that because your dog is part pit it is an awesome dog that wants to please you and is willing to learn. But can be a bit stubborn.

I have two pit mixes that have only gone disc golfing a few times. I always keep them leashed and while it's impossible to play by myself with both of them I find if I have a playing partner (who's willing to assist with leash holding) it's not bad at all to take them with me.

As for off leash training, Martin's suggestion is the best. You want your dog to have a good core obedience foundation. The most valuable commands they need to learn for you are sit, down, stay, and leave it. If you want to have your dog off leash in a public park your dog needs to be able to perform these commands within shouting distance off leash. And they need to be able to perform these commands no matter what. So if your dog is chasing a squirrel or another dog and you're 50 feet away and you tell your dog to leave it, sit, stay your dog stops what it's doing and sits where it is.

You don't need a whistle or a shock collar please don't do that to your animal. A clicker might be a good investment. Positive reinforcement is the way to go. But I would work on the obedience away from the course so there may be less distractions until you're comfortable with your ability to control your dog.

Peoples opinions vary on this. I'm not trying to flame you. My opinion on off leash dogs is that even if they're off leash they should behave like they're on a leash. I.E. walking next to you and obeying all of your commands.

Good luck. Training your dog can be super rewarding. If you ever get a chance to play a round with Martin Dewgarita and Forrest it is truly awesome to see a dog that well trained and that well behaved on the course. (And forrest is awesome at spotting your disc in the rough)

 

[ishkeener]

I am glad I started this thread. I respect other dog owners who correctly trained their pooch.

So, I will not be getting a shock collar (I always felt uneasy about it anyways) I have been getting lazy in the repetition training so I need to get back at it. She is a smart dog that aims to please, so the ease of training her has allowed me to get lazy.

I understand some peoples frustration about dogs on the course... as I have played multiple rounds with dogs that are just annoying to play with. That is why I want to get Izzy to the point where I feel good about bringing her out.

Thanks again for everyones feedback.

 

[jasonc]

While I believe common sense is the only tool needed to train dogs, some people feel that it is necessary to pay others to teach them how to use common sense in order to train dogs.

I trained my dog on local disc golf courses and it takes A LOT of time and patience. While he is an excellent disc golf dog that does not care about discs, he did not learn to do that overnight.

I used basic distraction methods...meaning that I taught him to focus on sticks and dog toys instead of the discs.

The most difficult part was ensuring he did not interfere with me or others while on the teepad. I would suggest playing solo rounds with your dog until you know without a doubt that your dog will do exactly what you want, when you want.

Finally, make sure he listens to your voice without having to repeat yourself.

 

[Shuie]

I trained my dog to chase the discs I throw by firstly giving him his own disc, that I would throw to him last but while I was teeing off I would give him it to chew. Eventually he gave up and now only retrieves discs when told. PS. He's chocolate lab, really all it takes is consistent commands an positive reinforcement and you can train your dog to do just about anything.

 

[b-mart]

There are a ton of great tips on this thread, which I did not expect. There are enough people trolling this site that I'm impressed by this. I work with dogs and I only bring mine to the course if it's a private course or if it's pouring rain (see: empty park). My dog likes to chase my discs when I do field work, but he's learned not to pick them up (except the Roc I gave him). This could be partially due to the low flying Teebird he took in the ribs, but it's more because he's well trained in general. He has great recall and knows "leave it". There have been times on the course where he'll wait for a blind lie and bring it back or stand expectantly/distractingly 10' in front of the teepad, but overall he's been great. There are different methods to train your dog, but positive reinforcement is the best. Do not use something negative like a shock collar or he'll essentially think that going disc golfing is a punishment. My other dog refuses to even come out in the field with me because he thinks the violent gestures of throwing a disc are a threat. Pretty sure he was abused before he was abandoned.