The Conundrum of Collies (Love & Pets #6) - A.G. Henley Page 0,6

problem. You can borrow one of mine this week to try out. If Bean likes it, I’ll give you a list of good brands. She won’t know what to do with the disc at first, of course, but I’ll bet with a week or two of training at home, she’ll be ready to fly.”

We follow Emmy over to the group, and she makes some quick introductions. Bean wags her tail and sniffs at the other dogs, who pant and sniff her back. Emmy speaks to the group. “Why don’t we do a little demo to get things started? Show Stevie, Logan, and Bean what they can look forward to.”

Logan and I step back as the rest of the group stands at a rope line. Then, one by one, they throw their discs toward the far end of the rectangle. The dogs tear off after them, some catching the disc as it comes down, and some missing it. Meadow and one other dog are able to leap up to catch the discs in midair. They immediately bring them back to their humans, and stand, staring at them, tails wagging, until the disc is thrown again. Emmy turns music on through a portable speaker, and the demo starts to feel more like a performance than a training. Bean whines, probably jealous that the other dogs run free.

The humans throw the discs in a choreographed way, and most of the dogs wait, and watch carefully for their time to run. A few seem distracted, wandering away to sniff something in the grass or leaving the rectangle all together, forcing their humans to chase them.

After a couple of minutes of the throwing and catching, Emmy hands her disc to Jude. “So that was throw and catch, one fun disc event, and this is another. It’s called freestyle.”

Jude drops three discs at his feet and holds one more out with a straight arm for Meadow to jump up and grab. She gives it back to him, he lunges, and she runs between his legs a few times. He twists one way, and she runs the other, and he tosses the frisbee for her to leap and catch, then he lunges again, leans forward to pick up another disc and she runs up his outstretched back leg and along his spine to jump and grab it when he tosses it into the air in front of her.

Logan and I clap as Emmy turns the music off and the group rewards the dogs with treats. Bean yips a few times, looking more than ready to get started.

Emmy smiles. “That was a taste of what you and Bean can do if you join. And if you both like it, of course.”

“That was incredible,” I say to Jude. “How long did it take for her to learn that?”

“Thanks.” He smiles and fluffs Meadow’s fur. “A few years. I was the slow one. Meadow is Emmy’s dog, but we’ve been friends for a while, so I work with her, too.”

“Some of us have been training for longer than others,” Emmy says, “but within a few weeks, a dog is usually able to start catching short throws, and with consistency, the rest comes.”

She speaks to the group again. “Why don’t you guys work on your distance throws, and I’ll help Stevie, Logan, and Bean get started with a few activities.”

Everyone lines up at the end of the marked-out rectangle and starts throwing their discs again. The dogs run joyfully after them. It’s kind of heartwarming to see.

Emmy takes us a little way away. “Can I take Bean’s leash for a bit?” I hand it to her, and Emmy holds out a disc for Bean to sniff. Then she lays it upside down on the ground in front of her and fishes a treat out of her pocket to put in it.

“So, the first thing you can and should do is to feed Bean in the disc,” she says. “Let her eat out of it. After a week or so of that, you can put treats in it, like this, and start moving it back and forth in front of her nose. Make sure she’s paying attention. Maybe even toss it a couple of feet. Pretty soon, she’ll decide that a frisbee is something she likes.”

I laugh and point at my dog, who’s licking Emmy’s disc. “I think she’s already decided that.”

The captain claps for her. “That was fast.” She tilts her head and pulls her hair over her shoulder. “Let’s try