How to Teach a Dog to Catch a Frisbee

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Watching a dog run under a flying disc and snatch it out of the air is a joy, and plenty of dogs love the game. Most learn it in small steps, and this guide walks through them and how to keep the game kind to your dog’s joints and teeth.

How we wrote this: the safety advice comes from PDSA’s guides on how much exercise a dog needs, exercising a puppy, exercising a senior dog and arthritis in dogs. The training steps draw on Battersea’s guide on how to play with your dog, Best Friends Animal Society’s guide to training, play and socialization and Dogs Trust’s guide to helping an overexcited dog settle. Disc advice comes from Whole Dog Journal’s article on the best flying discs for dogs. We put their advice in our own words and mark our own tips with “in our view”. All were checked on 1 November 2026. We did not test any discs for this guide, and we do not show prices or ratings.

Is frisbee a good game for every dog?

Not for every dog. PDSA says throwing toys can be a lot of fun for a dog, but the sharp bursts of speed and hard stops of a chase game put strain on the joints. It advises against throwing things for a dog that is still growing, elderly, injured, arthritic, overweight, or prone to joint problems (or of a breed known for them), and against throwing on wet, slippery or unstable ground.

Disc play adds one more risk on top of fetch: the jump. Whole Dog Journal points out that a dog can slip as it leaps, mistime the jump, or have the disc blown off course by wind, and that a disc that is too heavy or stiff can then break a tooth or hit the dog hard on the jaw or head.

So before you start, ask your vet whether disc play suits your dog, especially for a puppy, an older dog, a heavy dog or a dog with any joint history.

Step 1: choose a soft disc to start

A hard plastic picnic frisbee is the wrong place to start. Whole Dog Journal spoke to disc dog competitor Steve Teer, who starts his young dogs on floppy fabric discs that can only be thrown a short way and that double as safe tug toys. Only once a dog loves the game does he move on to light but stiffer discs. Whole Dog Journal adds that a stiff plastic disc with punctures from teeth can cut both a dog’s mouth and the thrower’s hand.

Some soft discs from our catalog suit the early stages:

• The Chuckit! Paraflight has a soft rubber edge and a nylon middle, floats, and comes in small and large sizes. Reviewers found the seams can tear under hard tugging, so keep it for supervised play.
• The West Paw Zisc is a soft, flexible disc that floats and suits short, low tosses, with a small size light enough for small dogs.
• The KONG Flyer is a natural rubber disc sized by dog weight. It is soft on hands and teeth but does not float.

A stiffer disc such as the Hyperflite K-10 Jawz flies farther and straighter, but it is hard plastic, so in our view it belongs later, with an adult dog that already catches well. Our best dog frisbee guide compares these discs and what review sites found when they tested them.

Step 2: make the disc the best toy in the house

In our view, a dog that does not care about the disc will never chase it, so start indoors or in the yard with no throwing at all. Hold the disc low, slide it along the floor, and let your dog grab it. A short, gentle game of tug with a soft disc is fine at this stage; see our guide on how to play tug with a dog safely for the rules that keep tug calm.

Step 3: teach your dog to give the disc back

A catch game falls apart if your dog runs off with the disc. Best Friends suggests always starting fetch with two toys, so your dog learns to swap the toy in its mouth for the one in your hand. This keeps the game going and lowers the chance of your dog guarding the toy. Best Friends adds a word for the swap, such as “drop” or “out”, which you can use in daily life too.

With discs, in our view, two matching discs work best. As your dog comes back, show the second disc, say your cue as they let go of the first, then make the second disc come alive.

Step 4: roll the disc along the ground

Before any throws, try rollers. In our view, a disc rolled on its edge across the grass like a wheel is the easiest thing for a dog to chase and pick up, and it teaches your dog to follow the disc with its eyes without any jumping. Roll it a few feet at first, cheer when your dog grabs it, and swap it back with your second disc.

Step 5: add a wait and a start cue

Battersea warns that fetch games can overexcite a dog and lead to too much chasing unless they have clear rules, and says that played well, fetch builds impulse control and manners. Its method works just as well with a disc:

1. Ask your dog to sit or lie down before you throw.
2. Throw (or roll) the disc as the reward, and say a start cue such as “get it”.
3. Your dog only leaves the sit or down when you say the cue.
4. If your dog breaks the position early, ask for the sit or down again. If that keeps happening, ask for a shorter wait.

Battersea suggests starting with a wait of just a few seconds and building up from there.

Step 6: try short, low throws

Now the disc can leave the ground. Stand close to your dog and float the disc gently, at about the height of your dog’s head, so it drifts toward them slowly.

Keep throws low and flat for as long as your dog needs. PDSA advises limiting jumping and twisting for growing puppies, and suggests keeping games low and gentle for older dogs so they do not jump or twist for toys. In our view, that is a good rule for most pet dogs: you want a dog that runs under the disc and catches it at head height, not one that launches into the air and lands on its back legs.

In our view, throw with the wind at your back, not into it, so a gust does not swing the disc back into your dog’s face.

Step 7: build distance slowly

Add a few steps of distance at a time, and only when your dog is catching well at the current range. In our view, a long throw that your dog has to sprint flat out for, then twist under, is where most of the risk sits, so keep most throws to a range your dog can reach at a comfortable lope.

Dogs Trust notes that a dog can find it hard to rest if it has had too much exercise and is overtired, so in our view stop the game while your dog is still keen. PDSA’s sign to watch for in older dogs applies to any dog: a dog that gives up on a toy or lies down needs a break.

Where and when to play

• Ground. PDSA advises against throwing for a dog on wet, slippery or unstable ground. Short, dry grass with no holes is ideal in our view; skip pavement, wet grass, mud and sand for catch games.
• Weather. In summer, PDSA advises exercising dogs in the cooler hours at the start and end of the day and taking water along.
• Space. In our view, play well away from roads, and only off lead in a secure area where your dog has a reliable recall.

If your dog loves chasing more than catching, our guide to the best automatic ball launcher for dogs covers another way to play fetch. The same joint advice from PDSA applies to any throwing game.

Puppies, older dogs and joints

Puppies. PDSA says puppies need time for their joints to mature and their growth plates to close before high impact activity is safe, and that too much of it while young can lead to joint damage and conditions such as arthritis and hip dysplasia. Most dogs finish growing by about 12 months, it says, but large breeds can take 18 months to 2 years. PDSA also notes that a puppy is unlikely to show signs of over-exercise until the damage is done. In our view, a puppy can play with rollers and very short, low tosses of a soft disc, with no jumping, and real catch games wait until your vet says your dog is fully grown.

Older dogs. Dogs Trust notes that older dogs can show joint stiffness after strenuous exercise. PDSA advises keeping games low and a little gentler for senior dogs, and little and often rather than one long session. For a dog with arthritis, PDSA advises against jumping, skidding and chasing balls.

When to see a vet

PDSA lists stiffness (especially after rest or a walk), limping and slowing down on walks among the signs of arthritis. In our view, if your dog limps, seems stiff or sore after a disc session, is reluctant to jump into the car, or yelps when it lands, stop disc games and see your vet.

Check the disc too. PDSA advises checking toys regularly and throwing away any with parts that could be bitten off and swallowed. Whole Dog Journal warns that stiff discs with tooth punctures grow sharp edges, so in our view retire any disc that is torn, cracked or rough, and put discs away after play so they do not become chew toys.

FAQ

At what age can a puppy start catching a frisbee?

PDSA says most dogs finish growing by about 12 months, and large breeds can take 18 months to 2 years. Until then it advises limiting jumping, twisting and skidding. Puppies can learn to love a soft disc with rollers and short, low tosses, and your vet can tell you when your dog is ready for more.

Can any dog learn to catch a frisbee?

Many dogs can learn to chase and catch a soft disc thrown low, but it is not right for every dog. PDSA advises against throwing games for dogs that are elderly, injured, arthritic, overweight or prone to joint problems, so ask your vet first if any of those apply.

Are frisbees bad for dogs’ teeth?

A hard, heavy disc can be. Whole Dog Journal warns that a disc that is heavy or very stiff can chip a tooth or hurt the jaw when a dog mistimes a catch, which is why most dog discs are light or soft.

More on dog play: our best dog frisbee guide and how to play tug with a dog safely.