Disc Dog Competition

The Purina^® Pro Plan^® Incredible Dog Challenge^® challenges the athletic abilities of top dogs in exciting dog events like 30 Weave Up and Back, Surf Dog, Fetch It, Diving Dog, Jack Russell Hurdle Racing, Agility and the crowd favorite: Freestyle Flying Disc.

Creativity, top-notch skills and amazing teamwork capture the hearts of the audience and the attention of the judges in this high-flying, high-energy dog event featuring aerial maneuvers and jaw-dropping tricks performed by a disc dog set to music.

Freestyle Flying Disc Basics

Part gymnastics and part Ultimate Frisbee^® for dogs, Freestyle Flying Disc is a toss-and-fetch event where handler and dog perform choreographed routines that require technical skill and a healthy dose of showmanship. 

How it Works

In Freestyle Flying Disc at the Purina^® Pro Plan^® Incredible Dog Challenge^®, each dog and handler pair gets two-and-a-half minutes to do a complete flying disc routine, including tossing, catching, stunts, and tricks. Routines are set to clean, family-friendly music.

The competition is made up of two portions: the performance and the bonus point opportunity.

During the performance, each disc dog and owner get two-and-a-half minutes for their routine, set to the music of their choice. The handler can use his or her body as a prop that the dog can jump off, stand on, or balance on to jump higher or catch discs, Each skill the team performs awards them points. They are judged on creativity and style.

Immediately following the performance, the dog/handler pair have the chance to earn two bonus points. These points can be earned by the dog catching two long throws from their owner. The owner stands on one end of the field, throwing towards a designated square 96 feet away. The dog must catch the long-thrown flying disc within the designated square to be awarded the point. Two successful catches award the team two bonus points. If they miss one throw they can still earn a point if the second throw is successful.

How to Win

At the Incredible Dog Challenge, a judging panel of three judges award the dog/handler team points based on their skills during their performance. There is one judge that is focused on the handler’s skills and one focused on the dog’s skills. There is a 3^rd judge that records the catch ratio. If there is a tie, the judges reference the catch ratio during the teams’ performance and award the team with the highest ratio.