I'm REALLY hoping to teach Jackson how to catch a frisbee in mid-air.
He's really developed a great drive for the frisbee over the past year. For the first year of his life, he wouldn't even really play fetch. So I had to teach him how fun THAT was (his favorites are Orbee balls). He'll play out back or in the house for a while down our long hallway, but I still can't get him too interested in fetching other places (i.e. the park, or anywhere with a lot of smells and more interesting things going on).
But now, I have these little plastic discs from Petco and I LOVE when I see him just sooo excited when I pull them out. I'm just so thrilled to see him with so much drive for them. We get outside, he's on a long line that I let him drag, and he's jumping up and down focused on the frisbees when I am holding them.
And he's chasing them longer than ever lately. He used to get bored with it after about 3-5 minutes - now he's usually going for 10-15 (and often uphill) and just loving chasing after them. Occasionally I have to give him the reminder to bring it all the way back with a slight tug on the leash, because sometimes he stops mid-way and begins to chew on the disc (he has a thing for plastic).
As a reward for bringing it back, I've been using one of the chewed up ones as a tug toy. Which, again, I LOVE seeing his drive and how strong he's pulling as this is
not a dog who is normally motivated by tug or toys (he's a food mongrel). In the beginning, I did use treats to reward him for bringing the frisbee back. But phased those out. But now, I want him to catch a frisbee in the air... so I'm bringing treats back into it because he is SUCH a food motivated dog.
I also just purchased a Jawz Pup Disc from Skyhoundz because he enjoys chewing the plastic and it always amazes me how fast he gets pieces off and then the frisbees get destroyed quickly and don't fly right. This one is amazing!!! Still lightweight, but definitely not easily punctured.
This is obviously the very very early steps. I just want him to learn "come around" first of all, so he can get into a good position for when I start throwing. So you'll hear that in the beginning (sorry, I now realize how annoying I am saying it over and over again - I'm glad I videoed myself, I can learn so much, LOL)
Then I sat on a chair and tried to get him to jump, because eventually I'd love for him to do mini leg vaults possibly, and then at the very end, I got him to get on my back (which he knows how to do but he was being a butt about it today).
So anyways excuse my appearance, today is my "stay home" day, and we are in the basement where it's freezing hence my sweatshirt, LOL...
Oh and here's his new favorite trick - going backwards around my legs.
I purposely repeat myself with this one, because it seems to make him go faster haha.