Disc Dogs
DEO Speedwaggin’ not really ever seen a legitimate freestyle routine untill July of 2007. Keri was performing in the K9′s in Flight Hot Diggity Dogs show at Six Flags Elitch Gardens, in Denver. Also performing in the show were Chris Sexton and his dog Bonzai, Lourdes Edlin and her dog Mako and Donna Arnett with her dog Vader. Chris was flipping the disc around all over the place and flinging it under his leg,Mako was jumping over Lourdes’ head, and Vader was launching off of Donna’s back. It was amazing how the dogs were paying attention to the handler and knew where they were supposed to be. It was completely different that Agility or Flyball where the handlers skill doesnt have as much to do with the dogs performance. During Freestyle, the handler and the dog both have to be spot on! This sparked our initial interest in the sport. I learned as much as a could from them that summer, and would not be the handler that I am today without their guidance. Since then, I have also worked with Lou Mack, one of the founding fathers of the sport to improve my style and routines while performing.
Disc Dogs has been around since the late 60′s. The sport undoubtedly became a phenomenon on August 5, 1974. The top of the 9th inning, A19-year old Alex Stein and his dog, Ashley Whippet, jumped the fence and ran out onto the grass. He threw disc after disc to Ashley who jumped and caught them. The game was stopped and the announcer began to announce what was going on. After eight full minutes, Alex was taken off of the field and arrested. He had made his mark though, and disc dogs started popping up all over the country!
Alex and fellow players Eldon McIntire and Irv Lander created the Frisbee Dog World Championship. 
There are now 4 main venues in which people can play with their dogs. The Ashley Whippet Invitational, Skyhoundz, The US Disc Dog Nationals and The UFO. Each with different formats and rules, but all with the main goal of showcasing, and having fun with your dog.
Competitions generally consist of two main events- Freestyle and Throw and Catch. The divisions are based on the handlers skill, not the dog’s. This keeps an experienced handler from winning in a lower division. Freestyle is an event where handlers and their dogs are judged on their throwing and catching skills, the dogs athletic ability, and style. Freestyle is usually a timed event in which the dog and handler team will try to bust their coolest throws and tricks in a sequenced format. It is not uncommon to see dogs flipping, catching multiple frisbees at a time and jumping off of the handlers body to catch a frisbee in the air. Freestyle requires a lot of communication between the dog and handler. In some cases up to 9 discs may be used during a competition, which can make the dog easily confused.
Toss and Catch is exactly what it sounds like. The dog and handler team have one minute to get as many catches they can. The event is scored based on distance. The disc must make it past a designated distance for any points to be earned. From there, their are increments of 10 meters in which the point value goes up by one point. In some venues, such as The UFO, there is a bonus zone, where if the dog makes a catch within it, they are awarded an extra point. Also, the dog is awarded an extra half point if they make a catch with all four paws off of the ground.
Although there are many different disc manufacturers, the discs of choice by competitors are mainly Hyperflite, Wham-O, and our personal favorite Herodisc.
Hyperflite is well know for their Jawz disc. The Jawz disc is made out of extremely durable rubber. Jawz discs are very good for dogs that like to bite down hard on the disc. Hyperflite offers customs discs here, but I recommend purchasing custom discs from either HeroDisc or Discovering the World because Hyperflite tends to be more expensive and also charges you extra per disc if you want to get colored discs. The default is white. Wham-O makes the fastback discs. These are probably the most commonly used discs due to their availability and affordable pricing. These discs can be purchased from Discovering The World, a major supplier of frisbee golf discs and dog discs. Discovering The World offers affordable pricing on custom dog discs. HeroDisc USA supplies the most diverse selection of canine discs. From the popular Xtra 235 to the new affordable Praxis Discs you can find a disc for your dog. The discs come is different sizes for all types of dogs. The Atom 185 is popular with smaller breed dogs, while the Super Hero is popular with harder biting dogs because of its durability. Hero also offers discounted prices on “blems” or discs which have not been printed right. Hero also allows you to create custom discs here.
Arrow, Bootzilla, and Power are currently working towards qualifying for the UFO World Cup Finals this October, in Dallas, TX. Power is quickly becoming famous in Canada with her performances with the Superdogs! Catch her in Calgary July 7-17th!
