- In this video, we're gonna talk about
some disc dog training,
and I've got instructor, Carol
who's a 4X world champion of disc dog
to show you how to throw more reliably,
more consistently for your disc dog in training.
I'm Ken Steepe and welcome back to McCann Dogs.
(guitar strums)
(dog barks)
I'm gonna be honest,
normally when I go out to throw a disc for my dog,
it usually brings out my inner Canadian.
Sorry.
Sorry, buddy.
Instructor Carol's gonna fix that for us today.
- Today we're gonna talk about the backhand throw.
Most common throw with a disc,
whether you have a dog or not.
Ever have a day where you go out
and you make lots of throws but they all hit the dirt,
your dog doesn't catch any of them?
So today we're gonna talk about
how we can put that disc up there,
make it so my dog can catch it
and then catch it safely.
And it all starts with the grip.
I'm gonna put the disc in my throwing hand.
For me, my dominant hand is my right.
So I'm gonna put it in my hand with my thumb on,
thank you, Thorton Berk.
On top of the disc.
My other fingers grab underneath.
So I've got the disc now pinched
between my thumb and my fingers.
Next is our positioning to throw.
So when I'm gonna throw a disc,
I like to have my feet about shoulder width apart,
knee slightly bent, little bit of spring,
weight on the balls of my feet.
I'm not stiff and upright,
I'm nice and loose.
Now that's my stance.
My positioning, my...
If I'm throwing at the camera,
I'm gonna be 90 degrees to my target,
with my right hip, in this case,
focus pointing at my target.
I also want to talk about disc angle on release.
Just for those of you that are interested,
disc angle is called hyzer.
So
when I release a disc inside,
my disc is relatively flat.
But what happens when we get outside and we get wind
or we're going for distance,
if I release flat,
my disc is gonna take off.
So if I'm throwing distance or in wind,
I'm actually gonna release with a greater disc angle.
So when I come through,
I'm gonna have way more angle on that disc,
and it's going to fly much more stable.
Now that we've talked about grip, body position
and we understand that disc angle is important to consider,
we can talk about the mechanics of the throw.
So again, I've got my grip,
my body's nice and loose,
I'm 90 degrees to my target,
I'm looking at it.
I'm going to bring the disc back.
Now, think about a baseball swing.
If I just use my arm,
I'm not gonna get much power behind it.
So with my disc, I'm pulling back
and as I come forward,
I'm unwinding and I'm stepping forward
transferring my weight.
And that's actually where my power is coming from.
That's the power behind the disc,
that's gonna give me my distance.
The other really important thing I need to consider
is my disc spin.
If I can get good spin on the disc,
it's gonna be way more stable
and it's gonna hang up there much, much longer
so that it gives my dog a chance to catch it
and be safe.
So with the spin it's all about my wrist.
So I'm actually going to,
with my grip I'm gonna cock the disc back into my forearm.
So as I come forward, I'm unwinding,
weight transfer and that wrist snap
is what's causing my disc to spin.
Last thing we want to talk about
is the actual release of the disc
and the follow through.
So, I'm gonna pull back the disc,
when I release it,
I'm going to release it right at my target.
My follow through, if you notice, didn't stop.
I don't want to be jerky about that.
Thank you, Berkey.
So I...
Good boy,
so I don't want to jerk and stop on my release,
the disc is being released,
my line of motion, all of my power, all of my energy
is going into that disc release,
in the direction of my target.
But my arm is going to keep moving.
Couple of tips if you're just getting started.
Number one, don't try and throw too far.
Sometimes we try and crank it
and the body mechanics just don't work.
So start out not too far.
I like to choose a target.
So, I might choose a tree in the environment,
a spot on a fence, or maybe set up a lawn chair
and I'll aim for that.
Distance will come.
Not too bad to video tape yourself, too,
so you can see what's happening.
Try playing in different wind directions,
get a feel for the disc, the angle that works.
And while you're watching TV,
you can get comfortable with that grip
and putting good spin on the disc.
Which is really important.
So you can just work on,
can I get great spin with that disc in control?
I can do it this way, I can also do it right in front of me.
Can I get some good spin right here?
Don't need any space.
Don't need good weather.
- Now what if you have a dog
that's too young or too old to jump for the disc?
Or a dog that's just not physically able?
Or maybe your dog isn't super motivated to chase the disc.
Well, instructor Carol's gonna show you
how to use the roller.
- The roller, because the disc
is moving fast along the ground, nice and low,
helps bring out the chase drive of the dog.
And it also teaches a young dog
how to track the moving disc.
Now I can use any size disc for this,
but because I've got a small dog,
I'll be using a small disc.
If your dog has a soft mouth or he's just new to disc,
you might even want to use a cloth disc to get them started.
A little easier for them to grab.
When I start with this,
I'm actually gonna get down nice and low,
I can get Dell all excited with the moving disc.
You know, get him interested in it,
and then I can do my roller.
I can even do a little restrain.
Oh are you ready, set...
Good boy.
So we're gonna start with some rollers.
First of all, I'm gonna get my dog all excited.
I can move the disc around, I can do a little tug with him.
What a good boy.
And then I'm gonna throw out my roller.
See how that motion gets him going?
Bring it here, buddy.
Cheer him back in.
Out.
And then "out's" gonna produce another throw for him.
Good boy, buddy.
Out, yeah, get it.
Dell, bring it back here.
Yes, out.
Good walk, buddy, get that thing.
Yeah, way to go, bud.
Now I could also, if your dog's not that keen,
you can also use a toy or food or tug at the end
to reward your dog so it's really fun to go get this disc.
Now Dell is pretty new to disc.
Even though he's 13 years old.
He was a little older when I started disc,
and he'd had some back issues
so I never wanted him play,
but in organizations where we can throw that roller,
I'm very comfortable with him not having to jump.
So Dell actually competed in his very first disc event
just last weekend.
So, doesn't matter how old your dog is, or what type.
They can all learn.
Lots of people say there's different ways to throw a roller.
Basically, your grip is gonna be similar
to a backhand throw.
I like to have some finger on there,
thumb on top of the disc.
You can throw it.
I tend to just face forward and I let it roll off my hand.
Some people stand sideways,
they find that easier to get a straight throw
that doesn't curve off.
Now you may have a dog
that just has no interest in that roller.
Maybe he doesn't have a lot of chase drive.
Doesn't mean give up.
You can teach your dog to retrieve a disc
or any other object.
All we need to do is build some value.
Now, I have a dog, Newman Bean who had no chase drives.
So for about a week, Newman got his food,
so his meals, came out of the disc.
Pretty soon, he was pretty interested.
Then every once in a while through the day,
I would pull it out, have treats in it
and he'd get lots of reward any time he saw this disc.
Then it immediately went away again.
Pretty soon when I brought it out, he wanted to grab it.
He says, "hey, that's associated with food."
He would try and grab it,
and I would yes, reward him for trying to grab it.
Pretty soon I was able to do little tiny tosses,
he was getting it, getting rewarded for that.
And now he loves disc.
The roller really is a great way to get your dog started.
Last tip, make it fun.
Ready, Dell.
(upbeat music)
- So now that you know
how to properly throw a disc for your dog,
get outside and enjoy some training.
If you'd like some more disc dog training videos,
click that card right there.
I'd like to thank instructor Carol for joining us
and I want to wish you guys happy training.
Bye for now.
(mellow music)