Game #7 · Health & Fitness
Frisbee Toss
Improves mid-air tracking skills and coordination.
- What you need:
- A soft, dog-safe flexible disc or rubber frisbee.
How to play
- Roll the frisbee on its edge across the ground like a wheel for them to chase.
- Once they love catching the rolling disc, toss it low and flat right to them.
- Slowly increase the distance and height of your throws.
- Always praise immediately when they catch or retrieve it.
Coach's notes
- Skip frisbee entirely for dogs under 14 months — growth plates are still open.
- Flat, low throws only for the first 20 sessions; leaping catches are how dogs blow ACLs.
- Use a soft, flexible disc — hard plastic chips teeth.
- 3–5 catches, then a break; over-arousal is where injuries happen.
If your dog loses interest
Quick fixes when engagement drops mid-session.
- Not chasing? Start with a soft disc (not hard plastic) and roll it on the ground before you throw.
- If catches keep failing, throw lower and shorter — most dogs learn to catch from 6–10 feet, not 30.
- Losing interest = usually a sore mouth or overheating. Check their gums and give a water break.
Why it works
Zink's rehab data links flat retrieves and short throws to markedly lower orthopedic injury rates versus high-arc disc work.
References
- [8] Zink, M. C., & Van Dyke, J. B. (Eds.) (2018). Canine Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation (2nd ed.). Wiley-Blackwell.
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