Using toys and games as rewards isn't new for my dog but use of the frisbee has only been used in training recall (nothing will bring him back like a flash of a frisbee)....


Today for fun I decided to try the frisbee in our general training and uh...wow....

The Good First: these are the commands that worked...all at lightning speed, the fastest I've ever seen him respond...and he's usually pretty quick. All for a frisbee throw.
Sit
Down
Viking (his command to bark and keep barking like a scary dog until tell him to stop...named after the nickname of this hypersexual creepy guy who used to bug my roommates and I)
Heelside (sit on my left ready to heel): he did this in midair...it was scary
Take A Bow
Weave: usually I have to tell him "weave" each time I want him to run between my legs...not today, he went back and forth and when I stopped walking (but didn't tell him to stop) he ran these lightspeed figure eights around my legs.
Sit Pretty (sit up and look cute)

What he didn't perform (that he is normally consistent in inside and out)

Heel: he did stay beside me at the right angle and moved with me....but he spend 60% of the time in the air
Stay: he would stay if I told him not to move, but wouldn't hold any other command (usually he'll hold a down if I tell him to stay while he's laying down...today he defaulted to sit whenever I moved away)
Bang Bang (play dead): Wasn't so much a "play dead" as it was "rise from the grave and terrorize the public"
Roll Over: he did do this one...he just didn't stop. Until I threw the frisbee he kept rolling until he sort of lost the rythm and started spinning around on his butt shaking his head
Back (back up): I got only a step back or so an lots of barking

I also couldn't keep him off of me, he's smart enough to know he'll get a knee in the chest if he jumps up so he was doing this "I'm not touching you" bouncing thing that he'd balance on his hind legs and hover inches away from me so I can't get him.

How do I harness this power? Should I just work harder with "normal rewards" then slowly try to work him into the frisbee or just keep trying with the frisbee until he gets it....

He sounds like so much fun! No advice to offer, just compliments.

Well you have found his currancy for sure!

Maybe initially using this when he has already been exercised a bit so he is not working on a full tank of gas and might be better able to control the excessive enthusiasm...

Work on one thing at a time and calmly say "nope/no/uh-uh" when he is bouncing, breaking the sit, etc.. like you would do in Marker training - nothing negative but he does not get the frisbee if he is spastic. You might try working on using the Frisbee first with something he DID work correctly for so that you can let him see that when he behaves, he gets it, instead of introducing this new "tool" on something he is having a harder time controlling. Does that make sense?

If he is spastic and a calm nope/ etc... won't get him to control himself after a few tries, put the frisbee up and end the training sesson. Recently someone suggested I do something similar when working on Falcon getting in the car without acting like an idiot. If I opened the car door and he broke his sit, I just closed the car door and we didn't go anywhere. He caught on reallly quick that he better keep his butt on the floor.

Once he accepts that he won't get the frisbee unless he is listening, you might have this guy washing windows and mopping the floor to get that toy!!

 Quote:

What he didn't perform (that he is normally consistent in inside and out)

Heel: he did stay beside me at the right angle and moved with me....but he spend 60% of the time in the air
Stay: he would stay if I told him not to move, but wouldn't hold any other command (usually he'll hold a down if I tell him to stay while he's laying down...today he defaulted to sit whenever I moved away)
Bang Bang (play dead): Wasn't so much a "play dead" as it was "rise from the grave and terrorize the public"
Roll Over: he did do this one...he just didn't stop. Until I threw the frisbee he kept rolling until he sort of lost the rythm and started spinning around on his butt shaking his head
Back (back up): I got only a step back or so an lots of barking

These behaviors are not as conducive with frisbee playing as the other ones. I mean, who wants to be on their back when the frisbee get thrown - how do you catch the thing quickly? I use a frisbee a lot too, and I've noticed these type of behaviors are harder to get from the dog when they're really amped up about that frisbee. I usually stick with a "lower value" reward such as food for these until the dog learns to think a bit more when the frisbee is out.

For stay, I start over from the beginning. Tell them to down, step two feet away, release and reward. They learn this pretty quick because you can reward them even when you're 30 ft away with the frisbee. My youngster was doing really good after about 2 sessions of practice.

Jamie, I'm really curious about this. My dog is a frisbee freak. Just saying the word makes her dash to the door, usually skidding out at least once in excitement.

How are you using the frisbee, exactly, in the training? Are you showing him the frisbee, and then tossing it once or twice afterwards?

 Quote: carolyn pinkerto

Jamie, I'm really curious about this. My dog is a frisbee freak. Just saying the word makes her dash to the door, usually skidding out at least once in excitement.

How are you using the frisbee, exactly, in the training? Are you showing him the frisbee, and then tossing it once or twice afterwards?

Slightly different but very similar - Falcon loves the Flying Squirrel. When teaching the foos, I held it in my left hand clutched at my shoulder. we foosed, then when Falcon sits when I stop, I say "yes!" (our marker) and throw the squirrel. What ever skill we are working on, I throw the squirrel after he has done as told and released with the "yes!".

 Quote: barbara schuler

What ever skill we are working on, I throw the squirrel after he has done as told and released with the "yes!".

I also do it that way with a ball from time to time. You just have to be careful if your dog is the type jumps up for the toy. I've almost been nailed in the face before!

Its also a good way to add a little distraction when firming up stay and leave it. I'll place Tasha in a down and throw the ball, and I will make her wait a bit I go and walk around. I then release her with an "OK! Go get it!".

I will just mention this.....sometimes balls or other toys are almost TOO HIGH of a reward for some dogs for certain behaviors that you are trying to teach or perform. They just get so crazy that they can't think & it can be counterproductive to use them for other than play. With this kind of dog, using food or a lesser valued toy to teach new behaviors or to solidify others can be the answer.

 Quote: carolyn pinkerto

Jamie, I'm really curious about this. My dog is a frisbee freak. Just saying the word makes her dash to the door, usually skidding out at least once in excitement.

How are you using the frisbee, exactly, in the training? Are you showing him the frisbee, and then tossing it once or twice afterwards?

If he sees the frisbee it's the best thing in the world, if I say frisbee he's at the closet pawing at the door (where i lock away the frisbees...and yes, they have to actually be locked).

What I was doing was flashing the frisbee so his focus was on me (and it) and asked him to do a series of commands. We started with rapid sit, stand, down in various orders with a "yes" after each one he does right. Then after the set was done a "good boy" and a frisbee throw, he takes off, catches it, brings it back, I throw it again and play for a while then we repeat with a chain of commands. Originally he was out there to play, so I didn't want to make it all commands. It's quite fun since not only does he do the commands at warp speed (the ones he does) but I'm getting some AMAZING frisbee catches out of him after I do them. I took him out today and got all sorts of super jumps and spins (he's always a bit of a jumper but today was incredible). It's like the fact he has to wait for the throw amps him up 100X more so when he finally gets to run and jump he makes up for the excess excitement.


Today i also worked him on the bike before taking him out for frisbee and noticed a bit of an improvement on the heel though he gave me a whole new kind of walk/trot I'd like to keep (and was marking the heck out of) he sort of skips in excitement, I'm thinking i could use it for a canine freestyle move it I can get him to do it on command.

Ever thought about doing disc dog stuff with him?

It sounds like both of you would probably really love it!