Unlocking the Frisbeesphere - Update 04 July
OH MY GOD! Oh my god. The greatest news. Ace, my husband and I all went down to the dog park. It was pouring rain, no breeze. There were no dogs in the area so we decided to pack up and head for home. While walking to the tram stop, my husband showed the lightweight cloth frisbee that arrived in the post at his work today. We decided we'd have one last hurrah of throwing a disc around before we officially retired Ace from the 'sport'.
Lo and behold, we chucked it out in front of us... and ACE CAUGHT IT OUT OF THE AIR. We are talking like, seasoned Disc Dog Championship 2012 catch. It was amazing. Despite the rain weighing it down, the frisbee was so lightweight that it simply floated along in the air long enough for Ace to give chase and hunt it down. It was amazing. It's like everything that I had been working on in separate pieces - the catch, the chase, the retrieve - all came together in to one glorious moment. When he caught it, I went ballistic and showered him with praise. We threw it around a couple more times, Ace gave chase every time (but wasn't so lucky with catching). It was SO awesome to see this dog who notoriously doesn't care about toys, hunt down a Frisbee while it soars through the air.
I am so proud of my little gray potato. Ace ALWAYS surprises me. I wish I had taken video of the moment. It was magical!
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It's been a few days now since I have embarked on the Frisbee journey with Ace. I'd have to say that it largely feels like treading water. A dog like him who is highly UN-motivated by toys is really tough in a sport like disc dogging. Ace can catch like nobody's business, and his retrieve is wonderful. But he just won't track the disc worth a damn. No matter what rewards lie in store for him, no matter how much frenziness I manage to create, Ace isn't chomping at the bit to get at the disc. I am afraid my dreams of miraculously creating a Frisbee dog out of He Who Cares Not for Toys are rapidly waning.
I've watched about 50+ videos now on teaching Frisbee to absolute beginner dogs. And on every video there is the "short distance throws" bit, and that's where Ace just stalls out. These dogs, these JRTs, Borders, Aussies, ACDs... they all WANT that disc in their mouths. When going on the 'around', they're actively hunting down the disc's location with their eyes. When Ace does his around, he just kinda stares off into space. I let him play tug briefly to get his heart rate and play drive up, but he just doesn't care enough about the disc.
Admitting defeat is something I hate to do. Particularly as someone who wants to do into dog training professionally. So maybe I need someone else to tell me when to stop, but also when to keep going? I'm kind of in a weird gray area right now. Ace can catch floated discs like a champ, but it's looking more and more unlikely that he'll ever run out and chase a disc down with his lack of enthusiasm. Is this the point where I should just say, Okay, let's stop?
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As some of you may know by now, Ace has been particularly challenging to me with regards to play. Be it with toys or humans, he has always had a very noticeable lack of interest in the subject. It took me close to 8 months to get him to Fetch. Not because he's stubborn, or would chase the ball and then not return, or any of the usual issues one might have with Fetch. No, he was just completely avoiding it. In the end, religiously doing a round of Fetch for morsels of his raw dinner was the only thing that finally made him realize, Fetch isn't so bad. Now he'll willingly go out and retrieve for me. But is he doing it because it's fun? Heck no. It's because I'll reward him with food.
Being the masochistic aspiring dog trainer that I am, I decided my next play activity du jour would be Frisbee. Yeah, I know. Frisbee is something I think a lot of dog owners take for granted, and sometimes train incorrectly. Dogs can seriously hurt themselves during it when jumping excessively towards a vertical angle. Long-backed dogs like Corgis aren't wholly suited to the sport. With that in mind, I set out to teach Ace this well-beloved and totally awesome looking sport correctly.
It has been a nightmare. The usual tricks of making a dog interested in a Frisbee (feeding him out of it, smearing it with soft cheese, waving it around like crazy with Happy Voice) just don't work on Ace. He would rather sit by the window and watch the grass grow. Ace is such a peculiar dog in so many ways. In situations where I expect dogs to freak out (thunderstorms, bumpy car rides, baths, vacuum cleaners), Ace actually LOVES them. On the other hand, stuff like tennis balls and chewy Frisbees mean nothing.
But today... today, a lightbulb kinda-sorta-maybe went on in that little head of his. Using his raw dinner as a reward, since tugging the Frisbee is hardly enjoyable, I managed to make Ace pursue and grab several "rollers" - Frisbees rolled along the ground. And the crowning moment at the end of the day - in our apartment hallway, he snatched it out of the air after I floated it while he ran towards me. For a usual dog, it would be a tiny victory. For Ace, it deserved a slice of pig's ear and herding the cats (something we usually forbid). Now he sleeps happily on the floor, at my feet, with a poochy tummy full of dinner. Hurray!
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Ludi on
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Definitely. :) I've had the pleasure of spending a lot of time with BCs lately, as I have subbed to a forum and regularly go to BC meetups in my area. They are THE dog for me, moreso than Corgis, I think. I really enjoy their boundless energy and intelligence, and their drive is what makes them so appealing to me. Ace is mentally tuckered out a lot sooner than these BCs. They could go all day long with challenges both physical and mental, and that is exactly what I need!
As BCs in France are almost entirely working lines, I will not have to search long and far for biddable worker dogs. I found a promising litter due at the end of July, with both parents working their sheep daily. Both have very strong eye but a calm, unhurried herding style so I hope that they pass those traits on to their progeny. We'll see if this person has any puppies that show promise for me later on! :)
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Permalink Reply by Anna Morelli on
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I see sheep in your future <:D
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Oh I hope so! We found a great farm owned by a man who is a huge fan of BCs. It's 30 euro for the whole day of learning how to work sheep alongside your dog. It's going to be awesome! :D
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Permalink Reply by Beth on
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Sounds like you have done your homework and then some! Glad to hear! So many people who get working herding dogs don't realize what they are in for, but it sounds like you do. Please keep us posted. I love them.
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Permalink Reply by Snickmom on
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My dogs don't play with toys by themselves. They either play with toys with a person, chew/ destroy them or use them for dispensing treats.
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Permalink Reply by Karen Dadisman on
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So what happens to poor Ace when you get the BC? I certainly hope he doesn't get neglected and left out of things. Sounds like the BC will be the apple of your eye and Ace will be the also-ran and second class citizen since he doesn't seem to be your type of dog.
Don't mean to be harsh, but don't forget him when this "perfect" BC comes into your life.
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So what happens to poor Ace when you get the BC? I certainly hope he doesn't get neglected and left out of things. Sounds like the BC will be the apple of your eye and Ace will be the also-ran and second class citizen since he doesn't seem to be your type of dog.
Don't mean to be harsh, but don't forget him when this "perfect" BC comes into your life.
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Karen, Ludi has posted tons and tons of glowing reports about Ace and his development. I can hardly see her neglecting him. She's been actively looking for a sport or activity to involve him in and I'm sure she will find one. He's still young for agility I think, which is one thing she was looking at.
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Oh no no no. Please don't think that! Ace is my little stumpy son no matter what other dog may enter my life. I simply think that I will be relieved to be able to work with a dog who actually ENJOYS play instead of one who has to be taught to "fake it", like Ace. I would never neglect a pet of mine. That's just cruel. :(
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Glad to hear that!!!!! He seems like a great dog and I was just worried about him when the new dog comes. I was a teacher and saw too many nice kids fade into the background when the new, lively, very bright kid came into the picture.
He might be just as happy being just a sweet dog rather than being in any dog sports. Have you thought about therapy dog activities for him? My Rosie, while being high energy, is just not interested in competition. She loves people and would rather go to the ringside to say hi to someone, esp a kid, instead of finishing her Rally course. We made it through Rally Excellent and then I decided not to try for a RAE with her. She's just not into it. Rocky loves it and I will continue with him. Rosie will make a good therapy dog after I get her tested and certified.
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I have thought about putting him to work as a therapy dog, but his problem is that he remains very people-shy, even after all the desensitizing training I put him through. He came to me at 16 weeks, which is when the socialization window more or less closes. He has gotten much better than before, as he will now tolerate petting after meeting a person several times, but he will never have the people skills to be a true therapy dog in that sense.
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