When my husband and I first brought Rusty into the family, towards the end of October 2014, he was quite literally afraid of everything! Even my hardwood floors! The littlest noise would send him running across the room, tail between his legs. This wasnt because the previous owners had abused him but because he had been an outdoor dog for the first year and a half of his life. He didnt know what a hardwood floor felt like or even what a hallway was and he was absolutely terrified of stepping on it. In a little less than a week of having him as part of our family I had helped him build enough confidence to walk casually down that hardwood hallway. Today we have a spectacular bond and I have no doubts about being as great as those other duos I have been watching. My main goal is not only to have Rusty be well rounded in basic obedience so he can show everyone the how-tos of dog training, but to be able to expand our knowledge, together, in new tricks and sports!
Lately Rusty and I have been playing around with Frisbees. He had never seen one before a few weeks ago and didnt know what to do when I rolled it in front of him for the first time but after a little encouragement he would soon fetch and return it. After taking him to the park it was then that I realized, my dog is completely out of shape. I had figured he would be full of energy, rearing to go but after about seven throws he let me know he was done. Over the past few weeks we have been slowly building up his stamina, and improving my throwing capabilities, we are finally getting somewhere! He jumps, leaps and soars through the air after the Frisbees and every time he catches one I can tell he gets overwhelmed with excitement! His ears perk forward, he gets a pep in his step and a wiggle in his butt. He brings that Frisbee right back to me and drops it at my feet as if saying "throw it again". When he misses he just picks it up, and walks in the opposite direction from me as if to say "learn to throw mom".
I deserve it.
When working with Frisbees at a training stand point and not just a "im throwing this and your retrieving it because its fun and it wears you out" stand point you really learn how hard some trainers work with their dogs to get where they are today! Im sure some of you are saying "oh I can throw a Frisbee" but when you go out and try to set up the perfect throw and youre calculating every one of your dogs next moves, will he have to jump?, was that throw too low?, will the Frisbee take off in a different direction and come right back to you instead like a boomerang?, it becomes so much more complicated than "just throwing a Frisbee". You really have to set the dog up to succeed in catching your throws and that involves a lot of practice on your end. Working with Frisbee dogs definitely takes an incredible amount of time, patience and skill!
For now, Rusty and I are just enjoying learning new things as we go when it comes to tricks but I know together we can achieve anything as long as we work our hardest and best at it! We will be there someday, and sooner than we may think!
And to all those who follow us on our journey, I hope you enjoy watching our progress!
Click here to watch Zoe and Patrycja, the two that started it all for me!
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