Playing disc with a dog is a complex game: attention, outrun, tracking, chase, catch, retrieve, drop, positional awareness, all of these issues come into play on every throw, and that is just in a backyard game of catch. When we start to play freestyle with our dogs, there are literally hundreds of complex situations like these going on within our games.
This game differs from other dog sports, mainly in terms of complexity. Predictable body movements cue and trigger dogs to perform behaviors in agility, and while those predictable body movements are still important, they do not necessarily communicate the same information in a game of canine disc. The equipment is static in agility and flyball. Discs are moving and unstable. We constantly ask the dog to catch and release his target which is not only the target, it is also the reward. We ask them to switch from target to target all the time. There are many possible pitfalls. The Consequent Game isn’t the answer to all of them, but it sure is a good start and an enlightening concept.
So, how do we teach dogs to read and perform so many complex behaviors on command? How do we do accomplish this reliably when the dog is engaged in drive?