Some dog breeds can jump more than six feet in the air – a trait which comes in handy for one unique canine sport. Disc dog is an American Kennel Club approved sport which combines Frisbee and Fido into a fast-paced and fun physical activity.
The Dublin Pet Fair, an annual event which showcases pet rescues, animal shelters, veterinarians, animal advocates and pets, is a staple in central Ohio. Since its inception in 2012, one of the biggest draws is the Southern Ohio Flying K9s, a nonprofit club for disc dogs and disc dog enthusiasts.
Wesley Ryan, a trainer for the Southern Ohio Flying K9s, says disc dogs are high-energy dogs that are trained to catch Frisbees in the air with their mouths. He says most of them are rescues that use the sport as an outlet to release pent up energy.
In order to measure how much a dog is enjoying its time with the Frisbee, Ryan says there are two indicators: barking and tail wagging.
“You know right away that they’re loving the game because they’re barking and their tails are wagging,” Ryan says. “They live for this. You can immediately tell by their ambition and the barking.”
All breeds have a chance at being a talented disc dog, but Ryan says what sets one dog apart from another is its toy drive, the desire to play with a toy such as a Frisbee. To gauge the level of toy drive, Ryan will engage in a game of tug with the dog, using a Frisbee as the toy.
Ryan says the training process begins with a modified version of fetch called rollers – rolling a Frisbee out and having the dog bring it back – and then onto the tug game to build a dog’s drive and connection with its trainer.
“That tug game is just so critical, I can’t emphasize – the tug is almost more important than the rolling on the ground,” Ryan says. “If you can get a dog to tug, you can get a dog to chase.”
Ryan has participated in the sport for six years now. His brother, Bob, and son, Sidney, compete in disc dog as well, winning a couple of world championships in the youth division in 2017 and 2018.
Teams from all around the state compete for placement spots in the Frisbee Dog World Championship at the end of the year. At each placement event, including the Dublin Pet Fair, Ryan says there are about five or six different games and how you do in those games awards a certain number of points which accumulate as the year goes on.
The competition portion at the Dublin Pet Fair, called UpDog, consists of about 20 to 30 trainers and 30 to 40 dogs, Ryan says. This year he will be bringing two Australian shepherds, Hendrix and two-time world champion Paisley, and one mixed breed, Layla.
Ryan says there have been some tremendous disc dogs that have come through his club throughout the years, including Paisley and two other world champion dogs named Buddy and Dorothy. He says the best four- legged competitors often have one thing in common: a great trainer.
“A lot of it is the handler,” Ryan says, “but (the championship dogs) were special because they’re able to track the Frisbee extremely well.”
The Dublin Pet Fair takes place at Coffman Park Pavilion in Dublin from noon to 4 p.m. on Sept. 26. Admission is free and tickets are not required.
Trevor Simpson is an editorial assistant. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
