interview with Bettina Koch
Bettina Koch Already at the AWI European Championship in Pforzen , Germany we have seen that you’ve grown a lot. Having fun and stay focused during the routines are the basics to gain a good result. What else a discdogger need to add to these “ingredients“ to be on top? My recipe? Number one rule in cooking a recipe and adding personal flare 1 a) First try: follow the recipe to know how it should be. 1 b) Next: follow your own gusto, the more experienced you are, the more you know what would fit and how to break the rules without destroying everything. So, know the basics. Ingredients for the base: -Take a life of cross training -take many discs -add consistent disc training. Have the throwing skills, know the timing -some love to spend a lot of time with your dog Do the base: Disc Dogging is a sport. Your dog has to be in a very good shape. Jumps, landings and full concentration within a high stimulating environment is stress you and your dog have to handle together. Your disc skills and the dog has to be in a great shape. I am not speaking about playing disc with your dog everyday. Not at all. You don’t want a bored (best case) or overused (worst case) dog. Do cross training together, let your pup swim, run hills up and down, walk over and run around trees, retrieval plays or do some dog tricks which are good for balance, coordination and even some tricks help to train the right muscles. This all trains you two how to react to each other and build up a team bond, too. Have a bunch of discs- and use them, unless your dog doesn’t destroy any discs or you are playing with indestructible discs you have to repair and change them every now and then.