Puppy and disc golf

[Salmon McCloud]

Saturday I took our new puppy out to play a round of disc golf. I've been trying to find various ways of wearing her out for the day. She is only 2 1/2 months old and she surprisingly did really well. She sat next to me on the tee and attempted to chase the disc down when I threw it, but always got side tracked part way to the disc. She only ever made it to the disc when it was throw short distances and even then she just sat on the disc and waited for me to pick it up. Those of you with dogs on the course, am I exposing her too early to the sport or should I wait a little while? Right now she can only make it through 9 holes before she decides she isn't walking anymore. Gave her water breaks every couple of holes and filled a frisbee I hardly use with some bottled water. Took us nearly two hours to do 9 holes because she loves to play, but I didn't mind it was a good time.

 

[bobmcnelly]

I wouldn't think it's ever too early. Sounds like the perfect way to train your dog to find your discs.

 

[gradus]

Not too early, but you should be focused more on training on a leash and less on play time. When my dog was a pup (9yrs old now), dog training became a pretty big hobby for a few years. I'm also a big fan of e-collars since it's a great ballance between control and letting your dog play when you allow it (but should wait until at least 6 months old and already know numerous commands). No matter what method you pick, you should focus on teaching her commands and control now.

 

[ru4por]

Never too early for leash training. Getting her out there, working with commands. Getting her used to the leash, other people, other dogs and unfamiliar environments are all great to help you dog focus on you, and not all the worlds potential distractions.

 

[Timeetyo]

Not too early, but you should be focused more on training on a leash and less on play time. When my dog was a pup (9yrs old now), dog training became a pretty big hobby for a few years. I'm also a big fan of e-collars since it's a great ballance between control and letting your dog play when you allow it (but should wait until at least 6 months old and already know numerous commands). No matter what method you pick, you should focus on teaching her commands and control now.

This ^^^

I started this spring with my lab puppy on my home course which especially in the spring is used rather lightly - with me often the only one on the course. We've now been going for 4 months playing together and I couldn't be happier. Others are shocked at how well behaved he is and that as a lab he doesn't chase discs. The first few times I did as you did and let him off leash as the park was completely empty...but decided against it as I quickly realized that if I were to play with others I needed him to have solid DG manners - staying with the group - not chasing discs - not being distracting when someone is on tee / putting.

**disclaimer** My pup was also getting non-dg obedience training - this wouldn't have worked if he didn't already have some basic obedience.

What worked best was quite simple. Attach the leash to my bag. Require either a sit or down stay anytime my bag was on the ground. Of course it was tricky for the first few times out and required some extra patience as I'd have to break my DG routine to correct the stay...but it quickly became second nature. As he got older and had this ingrained (as well as a solid recall) I now do allow him off leash at appropriate times and now can go back and forth between the 2 based on the course, who I'm playing with, and other traffic on the course. He'll still sit & stay anytime my bag is down if I have him with the group.

I now no longer have any qualms taking him to any course that allows dogs - or to take him to play with groups (obviously as long as it isn't a competitive setting - not that I worry about him but don't want to disrupt others).

The only bad thing is when I do go out for a competitive round and he sees me grab my dg shoes and bag - he about revolts when I don't take him - but I can live with that.

 

[Timeetyo]

Oh - and I probably don't have to say this but - make sure you clean up after your pup. Nothing turns off others to dogs on the course than land mines in the fairway.

 

[KniceZ]

It's never too early to train a dog (or children) to have good behavior. You may want to break the instinct to chase after thrown discs. It will be distracting to other players in your group.

While I don't have a problem with it - I expect the "dogs on leashes at all time" folks to jump in soon. opcorn:

 

[smyith]

I would focus less on playing and more on training for the first several times. Go out to a non busy course with a few friends and really work on etiquette with your pup, you shouldn't even be playing. It's a good time to train all the basics, sit, stay, come, stop, no, and good (the only treat a properly trained dog should need). When your pup starts to get it then move to a park with lots of people, still dont play. Since its a puppy its going to take extra work and focus but will pay off huge in the end.

shock collars are not needed ever! thats just a bad trainer plain and simple. sorry if that offends you but its true.

maintain your dominance with calm focused instruction and any dog will follow. and if you feel the need to discipline the easiest thing to do is simply grab their muzzle and hold it shut while giving them a look of disapproval. yelling and hitting are not effective training tools.

 

[Improbably]

Controlled dogs on the course are fine.

A dog that goes after any disc is not an acceptable presence.

 

[bfowler]

This ^^^

I started this spring with my lab puppy on my home course which especially in the spring is used rather lightly - with me often the only one on the course. We've now been going for 4 months playing together and I couldn't be happier. Others are shocked at how well behaved he is and that as a lab he doesn't chase discs. The first few times I did as you did and let him off leash as the park was completely empty...but decided against it as I quickly realized that if I were to play with others I needed him to have solid DG manners - staying with the group - not chasing discs - not being distracting when someone is on tee / putting.

**disclaimer** My pup was also getting non-dg obedience training - this wouldn't have worked if he didn't already have some basic obedience.

What worked best was quite simple. Attach the leash to my bag. Require either a sit or down stay anytime my bag was on the ground. Of course it was tricky for the first few times out and required some extra patience as I'd have to break my DG routine to correct the stay...but it quickly became second nature. As he got older and had this ingrained (as well as a solid recall) I now do allow him off leash at appropriate times and now can go back and forth between the 2 based on the course, who I'm playing with, and other traffic on the course. He'll still sit & stay anytime my bag is down if I have him with the group.

I now no longer have any qualms taking him to any course that allows dogs - or to take him to play with groups (obviously as long as it isn't a competitive setting - not that I worry about him but don't want to disrupt others).

The only bad thing is when I do go out for a competitive round and he sees me grab my dg shoes and bag - he about revolts when I don't take him - but I can live with that.

That is awesome. I've got a Golden that I'm training now. We only in the backyard now working on loose leash walking and other basic commands. I did try hooking him to my bag and put him into a stay. He did pretty good except for once he decided to run and ended up dragging my bag down the gravel road.

I haven't tried taking him to the course yet.

 

[Photoguy]

Oh - and I probably don't have to say this but - make sure you clean up after your pup. Nothing turns off others to dogs on the course than land mines in the fairway.

And not only that, but don't be one of those dog owners who bags their dog's "bombs", but then leaves the bag sitting on the trail/fairway/etc. That's the worst sort of lazy. It's just going to sit there forever until someone else goes through the trouble of picking it up for you. At least a bare turd will eventually compost into dirt. The plastic bag isn't going anywhere.

</rant>

 

[gradus]

shock collars are not needed ever! thats just a bad trainer plain and simple. sorry if that offends you but its true.

Not true. Have you ever used one correctly or looked at how to properly train a dog with one? It's the most effective way and it's also humane. Many collars have a vibrate feature and all decent collars can be adjusted to very low levels of stimulation. Biggest issue is that many people don't train correctly and just start hitting buttons - which is horrible for you dog.

Yes you can do it without an e-collar, but it takes significantly more time and isn't as reliable. I've interacted (on forums) and spoken to numerous trainers on both sides of the debate. I did my homework and reached my conclusion. Knowledgable trainers come to 2 conclusions.

1) Pro e-collar trainers = fastest, most effective and reliable way. Can be bad when used incorrectly.
2) Anti e-collar trainers = They are a crutch and aren't usually necessary. Can be effective when done properly, but most family pets don't need one. Can be very bad when used incorrectly.

 

[smyith]

Not true. Have you ever used one correctly or looked at how to properly train a dog with one? It's the most effective way and it's also humane. Many collars have a vibrate feature and all decent collars can be adjusted to very low levels of stimulation. Biggest issue is that many people don't train correctly and just start hitting buttons - which is horrible for you dog.

Yes you can do it without an e-collar, but it takes significantly more time and isn't as reliable. I've interacted (on forums) and spoken to numerous trainers on both sides of the debate. I did my homework and reached my conclusion. Knowledgable trainers come to 2 conclusions.

1) Pro e-collar trainers = fastest, most effective and reliable way. Can be bad when used incorrectly.
2) Anti e-collar trainers = They are a crutch and aren't usually necessary. Can be effective when done properly, but most family pets don't need one. Can be very bad when used incorrectly.

LMAO
it is most definitely a crutch and the mark of a bad trainer if they use one. it only speeds things up if you are a bad trainer, if you actually know what you are doing there is no need for one because its already fast.
not gonna argue with you though. ive said my piece and thats where i am leaving it. tootles.

 

[gradus]

LMAO
it is most definitely a crutch and the mark of a bad trainer if they use one. it only speeds things up if you are a bad trainer, if you actually know what you are doing there is no need for one because its already fast.
not gonna argue with you though. ive said my piece and thats where i am leaving it. tootles.

100% recall for a 9 month old puppy is fast? You're a better trainer than 99.9% of dog owners. For mere mortals, do your research.

 

[Timeetyo]

That is awesome. I've got a Golden that I'm training now. We only in the backyard now working on loose leash walking and other basic commands. I did try hooking him to my bag and put him into a stay. He did pretty good except for once he decided to run and ended up dragging my bag down the gravel road.

I haven't tried taking him to the course yet.

Lol, yeah. Have to make sure his stay is solid before using the bag as an anchor. Thankfully I already had that basis beforehand from other obedience work. Not to say he hasn't pulled it over and spilled my discs a time or three...but never has dragged the bag thankfully.

 

[bfowler]

Yeah, it was a pretty comical site. He dragging the bag and it scaring him so he's freaking out more and I'm chasing him down the road.

 

[gradus]

LMAO
it is most definitely a crutch and the mark of a bad trainer if they use one. it only speeds things up if you are a bad trainer, if you actually know what you are doing there is no need for one because its already fast.
not gonna argue with you though. ive said my piece and thats where i am leaving it. tootles.

One last post on this topic.

Here's a good web forum example from lab-retriever.net, where I learned a lot of information early on for my dog. ALL types of members that cover the spectrum from dog trainers, to overly extreme rescue people to new dog owners. Like any forum - good and bad advice.

Not a single poster there is as extreme as your opinion on e-collars. Your opinion was common there at one time, but not anymore.


A good summary from this thread.
http://www.lab-retriever.net/board/training-tips/418-collar-recall.html

From one of the more respected trainers on the forum:

We lost so many threads on e-collars and also threads on e-collar converts when the server crashed. Might be able to find some cached around the web, specific to the board. I think the converts found out something similar to what you're finding with your dog. When the distraction is better than the treat, guess which one the dog is going to pick? The e-collar introduces a consequence, either with a zap or some wierd (to the dog) vibration around the neck. The dog then learns to avoid the consequence, kinda similar to humans. Glad you're realizing the limitations of treat training and I hope you continue the research further to realize that there are many many happy dogs out there that have been trained with an e-collar. It really isn't as bad as some people make it out to be. It is a tool and any tool can be abused. Many people are surprised at the efficiency of the tool too. You can have noticeable results in a few days. With continued training in different areas, you may be called a smart *ss by a park ranger. He came over to gripe at me about the dog being off leash in a leash required park. I saw him coming and used a hand signal for the dog. By the time the park ranger got to me, the dog was sitting nicely by my side. Him: You know leashes are required? I held up the transmitter and said, I have one. That's when he called me a smart *ss, lol.

Voodoo, had me cracking up with the sarcasm. The truth is, most people who are determined to get their dogs trained reach a point of frustration where they actually start looking at other options. For me, been there many times. Deal with enough dogs and there will always be one that tests everything you know and then some. (That's where we learn new stuff, like that thread I posted where I used an e-collar on an aggressive dog.)

 

[Clonan]

This is an awesome thread! Saving it for when I get me a furry Disc fetcher.

 

[Disc Golf Live]

I used to take my dog on the occasional round when she was young enough to enjoy it. I'd clip her lead onto my bag so she was somewhat tethered. I'd tell her to Sit and Stay every time I'd put my bag down (with a thud) and it didn't take too many rounds before she'd sit right down on her own every time I set my bag down. Good girl! Only had to chase my bag down a few times. A poorly trained dog on the course is very bothersome, so I always recommend associating sit/stay with putting the bag down. Give it a try.

She's 15 now and doesn't go golfing anymore. Seems at times reluctant to go for neighborhood walks, but celebrates getting home by running around a big circuit inside the house at full steam for a few minutes.

 

[Salmon McCloud]

She knows to sit when I tee off, but not any other time. She is really good at sit and stay commands, but when we are out in the grass of the fairway, all she wants to do is run around and play in it, she loves grass. She will usually stop when I tell her to sit, but if I don't go and pet her and tell her she is good, she goes right back to running around. I keep her clipped to my bag and she isn't strong enough to pull it around yet, so she just gets in a tangled mess with the bag. I did 18 holes Tuesday night and she made it all the way through, but it took me nearly 3 hours. Partially because some groups that I caught up with wouldn't wait for me to catch up until 3 holes later, but mostly because she was having a good time running around and playing in the grass, and I can't blame her for that since she doesn't have that kind of freedom at our townhouse.