Disc Doggin

We interrupt our regularly scheduled obsession for something a little different this week.

I have loved watching Frisbee dogs since I saw “Flight of the Navigator” at the age of 8 or 9. A childhood favorite, the movie began with footage of the hero attending a Frisbee dog competition and trying to teach his dog to catch the disc as well. Watching those high flying Aussies leaping, soaring, and flipping to catch the disc completely mesmerized me. I vowed to one day have a dog that would be as eager and adept at catching a Frisbee as these dogs were.

Kaylee was about three months old the first time I attended the Florida State Frisbee Dog Championships here in Jacksonville, FL back in 2002. With her little body and adorably huge ears, she was a huge hit among the fellow spectators as we sat ringside and admired the athleticism and enthusiasm of the competing dogs and handlers. With the exception of being rained out once or twice, I have attended every June to watch the showcase of dogs having a blast playing this game and demonstrating incredible skills.

When I adopted Xander, my first “big dog,” I immediately set about to create love for the disc. Kaylee is actually remarkably skilled at catching a soft Frisbee, but isn’t physically capable of really playing the game the way other dogs can. Kirby delights in chasing the frisbee, but only when it is thrown for Xander. He has no actual interest in the disc itself. Xander progressed from playing with a soft, small, puppy disc, to chasing rollers on the ground, to catching a regular sized rubber disc, to eventually catching a real Frisbee. I clearly remember my thrill the first time he caught a Frisbee in the air and eagerly returned it to me for another toss. He has only grown in skill, confidence, and enthusiasm.

While agility is my first love, it is nice to have another activity to keep us well rounded. Additionally, being able to stand in one place and throw the Frisbee for long enough to wear him out without requiring me to actually run around is very nice on evenings when I am too tired from work to play hard myself!

Over the last couple of years, we’ve gone to a few actual competitions and mostly just played at toss and fetch, which tests the ability of dogs to catch Frisbees at a distance and return them quickly. Last year, at the 16th annual FL State Frisbee Competition, we made our first foray into the world of freestyle. Freestyle consists of a ninety second to two minute routine made up of a variety of skills and elements and scored on drive, athleticism, skill, originality, and catch ratio. I picked a song, made a little routine, and performed in front of the big crowd. I had no real expectations, and in spite of my less than stellar throwing abilities, we had fun, stayed focused, and ended up about the middle of the pack. It was hotter than all get out, but we had a blast. I have thrown the Frisbee hundreds more times since then, so I am hoping my throwing skills have improved at least a little.

This year’s competition sort of snuck up on me since we have been so busy competing in agility. I realized Sunday that the competition was approaching this coming Saturday, and we have not practiced a routine in about a year. Crunch time. This year’s competition has an intermediate division, so I am tasked with choreographing a 90 second routine and finding a suitable song. We worked on Monday night, and I messed us up by trying to cram too many elements into our practice all at once. We ended up tripping all over one another. Last night was far more successful, although I had a challenge in finding someplace to play. Open fields with no one to chase you off are hard to come by! We ended up at a large church off Kernan at McCormick, which turned out to be a nice spot in the shade. I simplified our routine, broke it into smaller elements, and we had a great practice. Afterward, I went home and picked out a song and burned it onto a CD. Tonight’s plan, start to bring the elements together and get a feel for the song!

While I again have no expectations for placing in the competition, especially considering we’ve just begun practicing our routine one week beforehand and don’t do any of the vaulting that many competitors do, I know we have enough skills to put on a good little show, and Xander LOVES to play! So we will have fun no matter what. And watching the other teams is always the best part! Sadly, my agility club has always scheduled their annual meeting and fun run for the same weekend, so I am sad to miss out on that, especially since I am running for Vice President. However, this is my one Frisbee event of the year, and there will be LOTS more time for agility after that. Wish us luck!