So, I took Ryuk out for his frisbee play today after about a week off (I was away, he stayed with my parents who took him swimming rather than out for frisbee...my little goof dog WILL NOT bring the frisbee to anyone but me....)


Well, while I must admit it was amazing to watch (and I'll totally be filming it if he continues next time out) the catches he was doing made me a little nervous. He's over a year and half now and knows how to jump "correctly" for a frisbee. I tend to throw low so that he doesn't have to jump to catch it if he runs off fast enough.....however today I swear he did a 5ft leap to catch it (which was way overkill, he intentionally bopped it up to catch). He jumps with his entire body (not rearing up) and lands solid on all fours but I'm still a little concerned. Should I do more to keep him on the ground? He also added a series of spinning catches (once again, whole body, no twisting) and launches off of stationary objects (tree trunks, rocks, etc) to get even higher. He's not twisting or contorting and is coming down straight. He seems to know what he's capable of (he's a bold dog, but understands his limits) I'm hoping that he's just a little bit excited to get out again and that this will pass. But if not...how do I keep him on the ground? Do I need to worry about keeping him on the ground at this point? He's very athletic and has stopped growing, maturing at about 55lbs.

With the way he's controlling his body (no twisting, landing on all fours), I wouldn't be too concerned (his form sounds outstanding!). The only thing I'd want to be sure of is that all of his growth plates are closed.

The only way you can be sure is to have Xrays done. Breeds differ in terms of when their growth plates close, and even within breeds, individual differences exist. I've heard of some dogs whose plates didn't close completely until two years. That's way on the extreme end.

So, have you considered getting into competitive frisbee with your dog? He sounds like a natural.

leih

Wow, Jamie, sounds like you have a Disc Dog in the making!!

I just bought a training dvd for disc dogs on ebay. Step #1 is taking your dog to a vet to ensure that he is healthy enough for the rigorous activity.

Man, those dogs can LEAP!! There is a malinois on the DVD - I swear he gets close to 10 feet high! And those border collies - jack russels - mutt dogs, you name it. Once they get into it, the dogs really seem to get a passion for it.

You should consider ordering on of those dvds (I think I paid $15). It will give you some direction about some of the methods they use. The author had a BC that was about 4 months of age - wouldn't even sniff a frisbee. Showed some subsequent footage when the dog was about 18 months - wow - a leaping, sprinting, frisbee-catching machine. Seems like a fun sport - the trainers look to be having as much fun as the dogs.

Wish I had your problem Jamie.
Mine puts all his wieght into whatever. At the moment I'm relying on walks (lots of walks) and swimming for his pyshical exercise. He's athletic but not agile (if that makes any sense), if the wind catches the frisby wrong he's 4 or 5 foot in the air trying to catch it (and he does catch it) as he goes by, but no telling how he'll land. He doesn't scoop balls on the way by, he lands solidly square on top of them.
Ugh, time for more walking. When do those plates close?

Try to keep the frisby low for him and not run him too much till you're sure the all the bone structure has matured.

 Quote: randy allen

He doesn't scoop balls on the way by, he lands solidly square on top of them.

I hear you on that problem. That's exactly the way Tucker plays ball if i let him pelt after it as soon as I throw it. And that is also how he's injured himself the last couple times.
He doesn't slow down, he runs full tilt and then slams on the brakes only when he's right on top of the ball. The only way he doesn't do it is if i keep him in a sit or down stay, throw the ball then release him once it stops rolling. If it do it that way he still runs full out but slows down at the end because he's not quite sure where the ball has landed.

Been there done that.
It's even worse then if the ball is still rolling.

Time for another walk.

 Quote: randy allen

Been there done that.
It's even worse then if the ball is still rolling.

that's why i make him wait until the ball has totally stopped rolling.

to the OP, i understand the concern. I wince every time i see one of those disc dogs land on the ground after a high retrieve. I know it hurts my feet if i jump from a high distance!!!

maybe work up to the higher jumps gradually. but i guess that's hard to do if your guy is intentionally popping the disc higher so he has to jump to get it.

That's the thing, my dog loves to jump, and he is quite good at it....though he's still young and while I've done my best to keep him on the ground (stopping frisbee completely is out of the question....he'd eat through a metal safe to get to his frisbee....) it's almost like he's gone on to "come on, I can do this, I can jump"...I'll throw low and he'll bop it up to get in a dramatic catch....I've tried switching frisbees but it makes no difference, he's started doing it with his other toys as well...even in indoor play couches have become launching pads. I just raised my bed (so the mattress starts 3 ft off the ground and I can store a dog crate under it). I put a step stool since Ryuk is permitted on the bed....He knows how to use step stools (part of our "the floor is lava" game where he tightropes across beams and navigates over chairs and such to avoid touching the floor)....but has flat out refused to use it, prefering not just to jump up, but rather do a completely vertical leap off of all fours and sort of "set" himself up onto the bed.

I'm looking into dock diving since if he's going to jump maybe I at least can get him to land in water since that's got to be better than ground....

I tried to get video the other day of these stupid games he's playing but I can't see to throw the frisbee AND hold a camera....

Please find a camera person!

I say turn him loose!!!

Make sure his knees and hips are OK, make sure he's lean and light, and get that boy going on what he loves to do!!

(injuries do happen. I just like to see dogs have meaningful, creative outlets for all that energy!)