Disc-Catching Clinic Hones Dog And Owner Skills

Puget Sound dog owners and their four-legged pals got a lesson in fetching flying saucers Saturday in University Place.

And, on the grassy training grounds of , they learned that it’s more than a sport. Flying disc is an art.

The Washington Owners of Flying Disc Dogs (WOOFD2) club sponsored a clinic that featured instruction on basic, intermediate and advanced disc-throwing, catching and canine motivation.

Participants learned how to get their pets to catch, fetch and retrieve, as well as the tricks and throwing methods that they need to compete freestyle.

Even University Place Mayor tossed her disc into the ring.

UP will host its first Northwest Regional Disc Dog Championship this summer. The Pups in the Park Festival is set for Aug. 20 at Cirque/Bridgeport Park, 7250 Cirque Drive West.

Saturday’s event proved that there’s more to the sport than just flying fur.  One of the first pieces of discology is never to call a dog disc a Frisbee.

"We don’t use the `F’ word in this sport," said WOOFD2 President Nyle "Swanee" Swainston, l999 Northwest disc-dog champion.  "’Frisbee’ is a registered trademark of Mattel toy company.  We say ‘disc.’”

Actually, a variety of companies produce the plastic saucers for disc-dog training and competition.

Some are beefier to fly better in windy conditions, like during Saturday’s event, while others are thinner and contain soft plastic edges so as not to injury dogs with soft mouths.  Harder discs are used for dogs with tough jaws and hold up better over time.

For those interested in dog-disc history, the sport officially started Aug. 4, 1974, when Alex Stein, then a 19-year-old college student, smuggled his Whippet into Dodger Stadium during a nationally televised baseball game. Ashley ran 35 miles per hour and leaped nine feet high to snag discs in mid-air for eight minutes until Stein was arrested.

While not all of Saturday’s entries showed that much heart, some did live up to expectations - particularly the Border Collies and other herding breeds. Those were the ones running fastest, farthest and leaping several times their own height to snag discs out of mid-air.

As for the humans, it was a different story. Klosowski rightfully acknowledged that her Springer Spaniel did a better job of catching than she did of throwing.

But, then, the whole idea of the clinic was just for owners to spend quality time with their canine pals. So lesson learned.