Dog Coordination - How to improve!

[Eric Vecc]

Bailey is all legs and he is still working on how to use them in coordination with the rest of his body. I would like him to be able to catch a frisbee or ball across the yard. I have been working on this for sometime and he does OK but I am looking for ways of improving this. He can currently catch the frisbee if I get a floater. He doesn't have the speed to be standing next to me when I throw it and make it, unless it is a lofted throw. He can catch about 50% of the time and obviously it depends on how floating my throw is. I do a couple fake tosses to get him moving in the right direction but he is tough to fake out. He has an excellent stay so sometimes I put him in a stay in the middle of the yard and take a few steps back. But he never seems to react fast enought to turn around and catch it. Anyway, is there anything I could be doing that would increase his desire to catch the frisbee or am I just stuck with a dog that has average agility? And yes, I do reward on the times he catches it.

[Dave Kersh]

Have you thought about taking an agility class? Our Corgi was shy and afraid of everything (not to mention uncoordinated). It took about a year of agility classes, and she's now very confident and competed in her first USDAA trial a couple of weeks ago. We got a first in Gamblers and a second in Jumpers and just missed qualifying in both by a second or two. We just need to pick up the speed a little!
Agility classes not only helped Poppy with confidence and coordination, but it's great exercise for me and Poppy now has an excellent recall, can do long sits and downs and knows out, back, spin and climb. I can't say enough good things about what agility has done for my dog.

[Chris Smith]

When I first threw a frisbee at Nalu, he just stood and watched it drop to the ground. He was already AMAZING at retrieving balls so I figured he could do everything else just as well. I was using a hard, plastic (99 cent) frisbee. I would throw and he would stand and watch and then grab the frisbee and chew it. I kept trying though and within a few days, he decided to go after it rather than watch it drop.

I would walk away about 10 ft. from him and just loft the frisbee into the air. He tried using his paws to bat it or knocked it with his head. I kept aiming just above his head so he had to jump a little but hardly move. Then he just started grabbing it with his mouth. Once he had that down, he started coming next to me (like playing fetch) and would stand in that ready to run position just like for the ball. I would toss the frisbee and he would go flying after it. He missed a bunch in the beginning, but still seemed to love it and it would tire him out so I kept throwing gently. He kept going at it and he's gotten really good at grabbing unless my throw is really awful :)

I also did a lot of bouncing ball throw with the tennis ball to get him to start catching it in the air. We did this in my very long driveway. It was just like playing fetch but I would bounce the ball and he would go racing after it and grab it mid-air. I've been amazed at how high he can jump or how he can throw his body sideways to grab the ball. I call him my "fly-boy".

Now a lot of this may be natural for him since I don't feel like I had to work at it at all (he also retrieved perfectly the first day I got him). And he is not as tall as Bailey so that may help since he can cut real sharp and make tight turns. I have also heard that they learn quicker if you use one of the soft frisbees since they are less afraid to get smacked in the face than with the plastic ones. I got Nalu a soft one but of course, he chewed it up the first day!!

I have not started any agility classes because I was told that they shouldn't do that until they are one year old since their body and joints are still developing.

[Dave Kersh]

I have started any agility classes because I was told that they shouldn't do that until they are one year old since their body and joints are still developing.
I think that really depends on what you're doing during that first year of class and the size of the dog. Big dogs require more time to grow before starting any high impact activity.
I just started with the 9 wk. old Aussie and all she's going to do for the first year are stationary behaviors, weave poles, tunnels and maybe the dog walk. All of these require no jumping or serious climbing. Any jumps are either on the ground or at a height that they can pretty much just step over. Her play with the Corgi is actually more high-impact than any agility we do. :)
At the end of a year, I'll have a dog that knows all the commands, can weave (the hardest thing to teach, IMO) and is not afraid of any obstacles. And as an added benefit, they pick up most of the basic obedience stuff along the way.

[Chris Smith]

That's good to know since I think Nalu would really like agility and probably be a natural at it. He is fairly compact and very fast. He's done a few tunnels and had no problem with them. I have been trying not to bounce the balls too high since he will jump up after anything and fling his body into the air to get it and he is coming down on cement. He is 9 months old now so I was waiting until the one year mark. Maybe I will check out the agility classes in my area and see if there is a "low impact" one where he could start doing what your little aussie is doing.

[Eric Vecc]

I think I am going to wait with the agility classes, as Bailey is a big dog and I think he is still developing. He is aggressive toward catching a ball or frisbee which shows determination. Thats a good thing. I also play fetch constantly and do so with balls, frisbees or anything else I can throw. I taught this when he was very yourng. I threw things and would heavily reward when he brought them back. I wish he would drop the items but he is also a big fan of tug. I just show him another frisbee and he drops the current one. Actually, I just show him a fist in the air and he thinks I have something else to throw. He is doing OK with catching the frisbee I just wish he could jump a little higher. He even goes crazy when I hold a toy above his head but he won't jump in the air to get it. I guess, based on what everyone is saying, this may develope later in life (he is only 8 mo.).

[Jill Ramsey]

Eric,
I think the drop may come in time. Finnegan is getting a lot better at it right now. I think he's finally growing out of the puppy-ness. We are finding that a lot of the things we've been trying to teach are now starting to click in his doggie brain. :shock:
So, hang in there!!

[Mario Niepel]

Eric, you can use the desire to play tug in teaching drop. If Bailey already kinda knows drop but does not always respond to the command immediately, you can play a short session of tug and then tell him to drop the tug toy. If Bailey responds, immediately initiate tug of war again. If Bailey does not drop the tug toy just ignore him... no making him let go, no prying the jaws open. Usually dogs catch on very quickly that the fastest way to continue the great game of tug is to let go.

[Mario Niepel]

As far as coordination with frisbees is concerned, I think it will just happen by itself if you continue playing. Sammy had a really hard time catching frisbees when we started playing about 3 months ago. By now he can chase down a frisbee most of the times, even from a sit facing me (i.e. away from where the frisbee will be). And recently he has started to do some spectacular jumps in order to catch the frisbee in the air. I have the feeling that this behavior is just soo much fun for the dogs that it practically teaches itself if you continue to provide the opportunity. Just keep on practicing with those floaters and keep trowing them further and further.

Also, some dogs really don't like those hard frisbees, so these flexible frisbees (http://www.petexpertise.com/cgi-bin/cp-app.cgi?pg=prod&ref=soft_frisbee) may be a good alternative.

[Eric Vecc]

Great idea teaching the drop command. I feel like Bailey only retrieves whatever I throw so he can bring it back and play a game of tug with him. I have been using it as a reward and play tug when he catches the Frisbee. If it just bounces off his head, I don't play. I know it sounds mean, but it is actually for his own good. Anyway, I have been trying to teach the "DROP" command by showing him another toy. He will drop the current toy and concentrate on the new one that is about to be thrown. I'm not sure if this is working too well, so I will try using tug as a reward for dropping the current toy. I think he is getting better at the short throws and can actually tell when the Frisbee starts to go left or right that he should run that direction to catch it. He can catch a straight-floating Frisbee about 80% of the time. Now that the weather is warmer, we are going to get a lot of practice with this. I love throwing Frisbee and getting him to love catching is very exciting for me.

[Melissa Irr]

Eric -

I see that you are also in Pgh. We just started out year old pup in a great agility program. The woman the runs the doggie day care we take Izzie too and our dog walker both recommended it...

His first class was Monday and he had a great time. Izzie is a BIG dog, he's an Ibizan so he's skinny, but about as big as a small great dane, and the instructor noted that "Izzie has no idea where his legs are"...but that this would help.

I'd be happy to give you information on it if you decide to take Bailey.