Around the World

a series of throws around the handler to a circling dog, the Around the World is a foundational disc dog pattern that can and should be used for world class training and performance.

This skill is about 4 keys:

play to your dog’s strong side
reward for position
make leaping and placement a habit
use it as a drop drill

Play to your Dog’s Strong Side

your dog most likely has a preference as to what direction they like to move: Clockwise or Counter Clockwise. the Around the World should go in your dog’s strong direction. playing the wrong way will lead to the dog peeling off and going the wrong way on the Around the World.

The Around the WorldAn Around the World is a disc dog flatwork pattern consisting of 4 catches in a circular pattern around the handler. This pattern is typically larger than 5 yards and often features creative... More should be a fluid circle, flowing around the handler. If your around the world is broken, perhaps it has spins or twists in it or stops and starts, you might be working your dog’s weak side.

A dog that is working the wrong flank on an AroundAn Around, or a Go Around is the traditional disc dog set up move. The dog goes around the handler’s body in a clockwise or counter clockwise fashion allowing dog and handler to... More the World will peel off after every catch and will show erratic performance around the circle. Try switching directions and you might find that the pattern smoothes out.

Also, that peeling off can be a useful postion to keep in mind. It’s nice to know what direction your dog will go after a catch…

Use Reward Position to Establish Your Pattern

the dog goes where the disc happens. your placement of the disc, distance and time, primarily, can dramatically effect the scale and intensity of the pattern. use this to your advantage to alter your current patterns or create new ones.

Where you throw your discs is where your dog is going to wind up if you always run the Around the World pattern. Leverage that understanding to change your working distance. Also, how you throw your discs, low and running away makes your dog run fast and have a longer victory lap while a nice floater finishes with a slow and easy pace.

Where, how and when you throw discs influences your dog’s patterns and how those patterns are run.

Make Leaping and Disc Placement a Habit

every player on the planet could benefit from a few more perfect Backhands put on their Around the World pattern. throwing Backhands means that you are using your most precise tool to lay out these throws for your dog. this will make leaping a habit.

Intending to throw leaping catches to your dog tends to make that happen more frequently. The more you do it, the better you get at doing it. Seeing that disc out there floating tends to pull out more leaping catches. More leaping catches means more reps leaping. These things can become a habit, an expectation, a base level of play.

Make leaping and placing perfect discs a habit.

Around the World as Drop Drill

the Around the World makes for a great Drop drill. if you’re dog has trouble dropping on cue while far away, this is for you. use the Around the World to help the dog stay out there while working. it works!

Dogs that don’t drop far away can benefit from an Around the World focused on reinforcing the drop on whatever arc you choose for the circle.