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Okay, let's talk about this dog frisbee situation.

Getting Started with a New Toy

So, my dog, Buster, he's got energy for days. Runs circles in the yard. I figured, hey, a frisbee might be a good way to burn some of that off, maybe save my flowerbeds from his digging expeditions. His old tennis balls were getting kinda gross anyway.

Went down to the pet store. Man, they have a lot of frisbees now. Hard plastic ones, soft rubbery ones, ones that glow in the dark. I just grabbed one that felt kinda soft but sturdy. Didn't want him cracking a tooth on hard plastic, you know? Paid for it, brought it home.

The First Outing

Next day, headed to the park. Buster was already bouncing off the walls, knew something was up. Pulled out the new frisbee. He sniffed it, gave it a suspicious look. Okay, game on.

My first throw? Terrible. Absolutely terrible. It wobbled, curved hard to the left, and landed like, ten feet away with a sad little flop. Buster just watched it, then looked back at me, probably thinking I'd lost my mind. I don't blame him. I haven't thrown a frisbee seriously since, well, a long time ago.

Second throw, a bit better. Got some distance, but it flew too high. He chased after it when it landed, grabbed it, and then... started parading around with it like he'd won a trophy. Bringing it back? Nah, that wasn't on his agenda yet. Took some calling, some fake throwing motions, finally got him to drop it near me.

Figuring Things Out

We spent maybe twenty minutes just doing this. Me, trying to remember how to throw the darn thing without it looking like a wounded duck. Him, mostly enjoying the 'chase and keep away' part.

Here's what I noticed:

• This softer frisbee was definitely easier on his mouth. He wasn't shy about grabbing it.
• It didn't fly as far or as straight as those hard plastic ones I remember. Maybe that's good, less chance of losing it?
• Getting the wrist flick right is key. Still working on that.
• Buster seemed more interested in the chase than the actual catch.

He also tried to chew on it a few times when he thought I wasn't looking. The rubber seems to be holding up okay so far, no major chunks missing, which is a plus. My last dog could destroy a "tough" toy in minutes.

Ongoing Practice

We've been using it for about a week now, maybe every other day. My throwing is... improving. Slowly. Sometimes I get a nice, straight glide. Other times, well, Buster gets some unplanned sniffing breaks while I hunt for it in the bushes.

He's getting better at bringing it back now, mostly because he knows the game stops if he doesn't. He even jumped and caught it once! Okay, it was pure luck, hit him in the chest and he sorta snagged it, but I'm counting it. Small victories, right?

It’s definitely tiring him out. He comes back from the park, has a big drink of water, and then just flops down for a good long nap. So, mission accomplished on that front, I guess.

Overall, this frisbee thing is working out okay. It wasn't an instant success, took some effort from both of us. But it gets us outside, he runs a lot, and the toy hasn't disintegrated yet. For now, it's a keeper in our fetch rotation.