Aussie Training: Teach Your Aussie To Play Frisbee With You

Australian shepherds are known to be great herding dogs. Its their life goal to tend livestock. But as time progressed, the Aussie has developed into a playful and loving companion. Most Aussies owners would attest to the fact that they are intelligent, loving, and agile creatures. Australian shepherds have innate traits that make them extremely easy to train. For those out there wanting to turn their loving Aussies into disc dogs, rest assured that Aussie training is as easy as a walk in a park.

Before getting into the specifics of Aussie training, make sure that your dog knows the basic commands of dog training.

Make certain that your dog knows how to sit and stay. Once you get these things done, teach your dog to love the Frisbee. You can start by feeding your dog from a Frisbee instead of using a regular dish. You can also start by placing the Frisbee several yards away from the dog and putting a treat on top of it. Dont let it go for the treat immediately, wait a couple of seconds and then tell it to go for the treat. This trains the dog to listen to your commands and not just dash for the disc as soon as it sees it go.

In Aussie training, it would also help to repeatedly use the word Frisbee so the dog learns to associate the word with the object. You should also start tossing the Frisbee a few times and catch it yourself to give the dog an idea of what you want it to do. Then you can start rolling the Frisbee across the ground and encourage it to chase after the disc. Once it does get a hold of the disc and returns it back to you, give your dog a reward.

If your dog refuses to give back the Frisbee, never play tug of war. There may be instances that your dog may choose not to return the Frisbee at first but thats okay. If it does this, simply walk away. Soon it will realize that its better to have you around while playing with the Frisbee rather than playing with it on its own. Once the dog grows familiar with the basics, train it by throwing the Frisbee and making it wait for the appropriate time to go for the disc. When the time comes, command it to go and it should try its best to catch the Frisbee. The final step is teaching your Aussie the drop command. This teaches your dog to return the Frisbee and drop it by your feet.

Another tip for those interested in Aussie training: always use a disc that is specifically made for dogs. These ones are usually made from soft material. It prevents dogs from damaging their gums and teeth.
Be thankful that Aussies are naturally adept learners. Soon youll realize that with enough patience, Aussie training really is as easy as a walk in the park!