Disc Dog trial in Waterford, MI

Yaaaay a disc competition in MI!!

Do you know what organization will be sanctioning this, if any? I.e., USDDN, Skyhoundz, etc? Just so I know the rules and stuff. Carly and I will be there ready to do her thing!

Hey Kel,
How good do you have to be?
Merlyn and I only play frisbee in the yard. He can catch them but only if I throw correctly.
Also would it be just the toss and fetch for us?
I tried the web site you put up but for some reason i could not go there.
The computer is as smart as I am (LOL)!!!!
Love to try this, something different for the dog.
Thanks Kim

Sara, it's an independent event... but SkyHoundz rules will be used.

Kim, don't worry about experience level! It's pretty common that a lot of brand new teams come to the MI disc events jus tto give it a try and have fun. It's much like dockjumping in that regard.

You can do freestyle if you'd like... but that involves making a fancy routine set to music. So, if it's your first disc event, I'd recommend just going with Novice Toss and Fetch.

I'm not sure what website you're talking about... I didn't post one. Do you mean Scott's email address? I noticed that his email shows up just as a link would on the forum.

Are there any other UAD'ers planning on heading out to this?

If bo is healed up completly I might it is right down the road...Kel is that where the Wave pool is? I am debating on that or a conformation show in Three rivers this is a lot closer.

Thom, I had to look it up (kind of sad when one doesn't know one's local parks), but, yes- there is a wave pool.
I know that Kel is planning on the Centreville conformation and weight pull on Sunday and that the Saturday disk event is going to take a little manipulation of the days' schedule. Hopefully she can make both with her dogs- I know that they had lots of fun last year playing disk (and bringing home prizes).

I think I'm going to take Rocky out to this. It's only a couple miles from our house so we might as well try it. Do you know if there will be walk up registration or do I need to call/email ahead to register? Poor Rocky is going to think I am trying kill him. First was dock diving, then weight pull, now frisbee. He is trying to remind me that he is getting old and is looking forward to spending everyday sleeping on the couch. i keep telling him that until he falls over it's not going to happen. Poor puppy...

There are walk-ons allowed... actually, probably near everyone will be doing day-of registration. Except for really big disc trials, most are predominantly day-of registration.

Also, if you don't have a good disc to use, there are usually some regulation discs for sale (and some trials provide one free with your entry fee) on-site. If not, and you prefer to use your own, just make sure that it is not a hard plastic type disc that easily cracks/shatters as those are not allowed. Some trials will allow newbies to use soft fabric discs, some won't. It all depends on who is running it. Once the dog is more experienced though, and you start attending more trials, you'll definitely need to switch over to one of the regulation types of discs.

We use the soft rubber Old Navy discs for Rocky. They last forever with him and they are easy for me to throw. Also, he is ued to catching them. I will plan to be there early to sign up with Rocky. Should I bring the EZ-up or no? I have no idea how long these things take and what I need to do. Now, hopefully it won't be too warm since Rocky gets hot while playing frisbee and then stops bringing it back to me. Maybe I just won't warm him up very much before the trial.

What is involved in the novice toss and catch. Do they have to rwetrieve it to hand. I usually use two toys the frisbee (or 2) and a bait toy he brings it back and drops it at my feet?

Toss and fetch is pretty simple. There's a field measured off, 10, 20, 30 yards etc., and you have one minute to get in as many throws as possible. You have to be standing behind the start line when you throw, but you can run out and meet your dog half way when they are coming back. I know you can only have one disc, not sure about "bait." There's nothing in the rules about it. As they will be using skyhoundz rules at Waterford, here's a link:
http://www.skyhoundz.com/distanceaccuracy.html

Jason, I personally don't do a lot of warm up with my dogs for disc. It takes a lot out of them, so you want to conserve their energy. From what I have observed at disc competitions, most competitors do not do a lot of warm up. In freestyle, the round doesn't start until you throw the first disc, so alot of people use the "pre-round" as a warm up, with the dog doing tricks and arounds and such.
As to what discs you can use, here's a link to the rules:
http://www.skyhoundz.com/competitiondiscs.html

I think Elsie would be great at that and I'd love to try. I'm booked this weekend (dress shopping for my sister's wedding) but Kel, can you post when other events spring up? Just point me in the right direction because I really think Elsie would be good at that.

Jason... yup, bring your EZ-up. While most disc events don't necessarily last as long as some other sports (although they can), you will definitely be there long enough to warrant bringing along some shade.

The Old Navy disc will probably be fine and allowed for Novice T&F, but I can't guarantee that, of course. It will depend on who exactly is running the event and what they decide on for that day.

Thom... no, they are not required to retrieve to hand. Although, it is certainly desired/preferable, as it saves time and such in T&F. In Freestyle, the disc in mouth is expected to be dropped whenever the dog is told/signaled (whether via body language or the throw of the next disc, etc.)... which can be directly after the catch to in hand and everywhere in between, depending on how you've set up your routine. Bait is not allowed in T&F (whether it be another toy, disc or otherwise, or food), nor in freestyle (except in the form of the other discs you are using, as multiple discs are allowed there). Some trials do, however, allow you to enter NC (non-competitively) and use multiple discs in T&F, if your pup is still learning, for example.

Annie... great to see you back on the board again! I'll definitely let you know whenever I hear about other upcoming trials in the area.

Wow a wealth of information....So know squeaky in my pocket lol. It still migh be worth a try something fun to do saturday. I can see it already. First toss and catch the other time wil be him doing laps around me going look i can run with a disk in my mouth lol

Lol, that's fine... a lot of dogs start out that way. If you want, feel free to ask about a NC run if you think having a "trade/bait" toy will benefit him best for his first time. Do a little practice on the side before you go and see how he's doing. If he does fine, go for it. If he's playing keep-away, go ahead and ask about a NC run. There was actually someone at this same event last year who did T&F NC with two discs, for that same reason. She had a merle BC, I believe.

Thom I would definitely ask if they will let you use a squeaky toy to lure Bo back. Most disc events are pretty relaxed, and this is not a qualifier or anything, they may very well let you use a bait toy.

This is why some in the disc world are dissatisfied with how Distance and Accuracy is run. It's not condusive to training if you plan to move on to freestyle. Freestyle you want your dog to drop the disc pretty quick and look to the next throw, while in D&A you're getting the dog to bring the disc back. Carly does not do as well in D&A b/c she is waiting for me to throw the next disc and slows down coming back to me looking for the next signal. Oskar loves it b/c more than one disc is two much for his little Oskar brain! Not that he will ever be a freestyle dog, he's too big and not exactly built for it.

Well, we will show up with the disc we use at home. If they don't allow it, I probably just won't register. I'm not going to buy a disc for one day of toss and fetch. I have 5 Old Navy discs at home, I don't need a "regulation" disc too. We will just watch everyone else play then. Hopefully Rocky gets to play. He's really good and catching his frisbee. It's his next favorite activity to swimming. We play frisbee almost everyday at home when I come back from work so he's had lots of practice. We even taught the kids in the neighborhood to throw the frisbee for him because the adults would get bored long before he did.

Jason:

If they won't let you run with your disc, you can borrow one of mine! If this was a true Skyhoundz event, they would give you a disc with your entry.

Sara

Thanks Sara, I might take you up on that. Rocky LOVES to play frisbee. I'm excited because I get to handle him for this. Kristy will be the one taking pics and watching. I NEVER get to handle Rocky in public. Now I just have to not mess up.

Yea, my ex girlfriend used to not let me go out in public either......But always took my dog places...Funny how that worked

What is even more funny is that he is really MY dog. I picked him, I bought him, I wanted him, but she gets to handle him. I don't mind though since she looks better on the dock than I do. Yeah, she only takes me out in public when she knows I haven't been out in the garage playing and I have clean clothes on. I try to tell her though that the worse I look the prettier she looks.

lol.....Yea, that never worked for me either. However, Bo is very loyal to his daddy.....all i had to was say his name and he would drop her like a bad habit lol. well unless she had food.

Jason is just jealous because Rocky and Newman are 'his' dogs and they both love me more.