# Good age to start frisbee



## indianguy (Apr 23, 2015)

So Thor will turn a year old in 9 days from now. Since he was about 4-5 months old, he has been playing fetch with a ball, and he is bonkers about it. Recently, I bought him a frisbee. 
With a frisbee, he jumps quiet a bit, and I have seen him have some crash landings. Nothing too serious, and happens rarely. But today, he limped for a few seconds and then again started eyeing the frisbee. I called it a day, and came home with a few questions. 

1. Did I start playing fetch too early for his bones ? He used to jump a bit earlier too with the ball.

2. Is it the right age to play frisbee? He runs behind it and jumps A LOT, and absolutely loves it. 

3. He still has the puppy face. The photo with his trainer will give you a rough idea of his height. Did I by any chance hurt his bones, or stunted his growth ? Or is he going to grow slow ? (Which I read is a good thing.)








Thanks ! 

- Anxious Daddy

TIA


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## indianguy (Apr 23, 2015)

No answers ? :/ 

Did I ask something that has already been asked before ? If so, please guide me to a similar thread. Thanks.


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## carmspack (Feb 2, 2011)

When the dog catches the Frisbee in the air the dog lands on his back end , and this is repeated over and over again with accumulative damage from the jarring impact . 
This is not a natural movement and the dog is not built for it .
Naturally the dog would land on the front end which is built for absorption of impact by way of the ligaments and tendons and flexibility of the pasterns .

I'd be worried about setting up conditions for inflammation in knee and hips .

Maybe you'd be better off if you can have that Frisbee skim at knee level so the dog can scoop it without the dramatic air time .


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## Lobo dog (Sep 19, 2014)

I tried switching our 1 year old to a Frisbee because it seems to me that it would be easier (if thrown at the right level) on their bodies then playing fetch with a ball; because you can for the most part throw it more accurately and at a hight that is comfortable for your dog. With a regular ball you have very little control of if or how high it will bounce and when they dive for the tennis ball it's a hard stop for there body. Our boy had absolutely no interest in the Frisbee (like let it bounce off his face lol). What kind of surface are you playing on (sand, grass, concrete, ect)? It sound like you might be throwing it too high or on a surface that makes it difficult for him to get good footing before he grabs for the Frisbee.


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## wick (Mar 7, 2015)

indianguy said:


> No answers ? :/
> 
> Did I ask something that has already been asked before ? If so, please guide me to a similar thread. Thanks.


Hi I am not an expert and that's why I ignored your thread hoping others would post, but I was told that they should wait to do the frisbee until they are at least 1.5 years old. 

I have no idea of the validity of this comment although it came from a trainer (but let's get real anyone can call themselves that).

I do know that many people wait at least that long to start doing agility which seems even less hard on joints and that the pups are still growing until at least 2. 

If it was me I would wait, but I would also not freak out that I did it for a while before I knew. He is probably fine, wick has jumped and rolled and tripped a million times when he got the zoomies!


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## wick (Mar 7, 2015)

Have you tried having him retrieve in a lake or pond? This would be way easier on his joints and strengthen/tire him out.


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## SuperG (May 11, 2013)

It's kind of difficult to pinpoint a specific age as the GSD's growth plates generally close between 8-18 months...which is quite a range. ( This is what a vet has told me and might be incorrect ).

I probably played too much frisbee with my pup at an early age but as you have noticed...some dogs really go "bonkers" for it. I used more fast rollers on the ground in the beginning so my dog wouldn't be jumping so much but it's really hard to hold down an energetic young dog when it wants to go full tilt. 

GSDs are somewhat clumsy during adolescence and seem more prone to ripping themselves up with all their unbridled energy as they get more accustomed to their maturing bodies.

Common sense seems to be the rule while the dog develops into an adult and an attempt on the handler's behalf to keep it a bit lower impact on the dog might be a wise choice....but the dog still needs plenty of quality exercise. My GSD hurt herself playing frisbee a while ago but seems to have recovered just fine. One has to take the big picture into consideration when they are growing...it's easy to cut them loose and having them leap after frisbees or other objects but too much at an early age might hinder the long haul.

I doubt you stunted your dog's growth by playing some frisbee and the dog looks fine. 

SuperG


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

I will never play frisbee with large dogs; too heavy and accident waiting to happen.


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## HOBY (Aug 12, 2013)

If your guy is crashing slow down and work your way up. Strength and balance. 10 months is ok with proper care. Short low throws, walking up hill or stairs, low hurdles to start. All my GSDs liked the fetch. Would fetch anything. They all had a different degree of talent for it. I always throw a disc on a soft surface. Off a water dock is the best fun. When I throw the disc straight up [hardly ever leaps for it from this angle] in the air 30-40ft the dog gets under it like a baseball fielder and the sides retire. I use a pitch back with all types of balls. When I throw a soccer ball into the pitch back Hoby grabs it like pro goalie, nice work Hoby. Pitch back with a hurdle, outstanding. Odd shaped multi directional balls with a great bounce to them that zig zag are also good to help maximize exercise and build muscle. I also use hoops and low to high hurdles for a game of fetch. Don't forget swim swim swim.


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## carmspack (Feb 2, 2011)

many years ago while still attending school we went on a class trip to a Science Center with interactive displays .

One section dealt with imaging of the body in motion relating to sports . One video loop was of a runner with focus on the impact that the foot took and how foot wear mediated the absorption of energy . I was impressed by how the energy was absorbed when the foot hit the ground, almost shock wave like . Muscles and bones impacted. 
Then as another feature they showed a Frisbee cathching medium sized dog (border collie type) . The impact of landing on the hind should concussive energy in the knee and the hips and going along the spine . If the hips are at all unstable either through ligament/cartilage laxity, growth plates still growing where any bruise will alter eventual shape , or basic shape , can create dysplasia , remodelling , arthritic changes.
This was a travelling display which I seem to think may have been part of Expo.

The front end is made to land on with shock absorbing pasterns , and a bundle of muscles and ligaments which girdle the spine and connect 
quote Fred Lanting
"The scapula does not articulate with any bones at its top, but is attached by four muscles to the spinal column at a number of places from the first cervical to the ninth thoracic vertebra and to the first seven or eight ribs"

Land on the front !


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## indianguy (Apr 23, 2015)

Wow ! Thanks for the eye opener. I am glad, I thought about it, all thanks to this forum. 
He plays on grass 99% of the times. Has played on concrete with his ball. No frisbee. 

I will keep the frisbee height low henceforth, and use the ball 99%. 

Thank you everyone. 

And special thanks to Wick.


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## MaddyMurdock (Jun 19, 2015)

I would suggest steps as in initial training for Frisbee catch.
Get your puppy to chase the Frisbee in circles around you and toss it up slightly in the air in front of you.
in time, your puppy will strengthen the muscles needed and you can gradually toss it higher/further out.


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