Ashley Whippet and the Dog Frisbee

How to teach your pet to catch the dog frisbee like Ashley whippet.

In 1974 Ashley the whippet and his owner stopped a nationally broadcast baseball game dashing into the field and performing dog frisbee stunts in front of an astonished audience.

Dog frisbee and Ashely became instant celebrities and their disc catching game became the Frisbee Dog World Championship.

Most whippets quickly learn to catch a frisbee and they enjoy the game immensely.

I find that the biggest challenge for some dogs is the fact they enjoy playing with the frisbee and they don't like to return it!

Here are some ideas about how to train your whippet to play frisbee.

Always keep the sessions short and stop before your dog looses interest in the game.

First Steps

Drag a rag lure across the ground and let your puppy play with it. Let him catch the rag, drag the lure (and the puppy) back to you, exchange the lure for a treat and praise.

Pole play

Start your dog with pole play , attaching a plastic bag or a rag to a pole or a carriage whip and have your puppy catch it.

Ball retrieving

Encourage your whippet to chase and retrieve a tennis ball.

If he is reluctant to retrieve and let go of the ball entice him with food, exchanging the ball for a little treat or with another ball.

Dog frisbee

Once he gets the hang of the retrieving game, introduce a soft disc, easier on the whippet mouth.

Roll the frisbee on the ground and let your whippet catch it and retrieve it.

Tie the Frisbee to the pole and let the dog catch it only when is in the air.

Finally throw the frisbee gently and let your puppy catch it.

Always praise and offer a treat for returning the disk then gradually space the treats.

Practice and improve your technique with your dog but don’t try anything too acrobatic until he is at leas one year old.

Watch here a video of a whippet catching a frisbee.

Canine frisbee competitions are popular and there are many clubs all over the world.

In Freestyle competitions are valued the athletic abilities and the originality of the dogs and their humans.

In distance competitions is judged the distance, the height of the catch and the number of catches in a given time.