The intricate art of the stick throw

For many millennia humans and dogs have wandered together in Adventure.

In the old days the stick being thrown was most likely a spear, aimed at getting a bite to eat.

Times have changed and now it is slightly more convenient just to pop down to the supermarket and fill up your trolley. Unfortunately most supermarkets do not allow dogs, clearly demeaning their historical role in attaining food for humans.

I tried to explain this at my local Kiwi as my border collie was herding shopping trolleys in the car park.

Put back to today’s topic and stick throwing.

You might think that it is simple to find a stick and achieve a world class throw. If so, you have clearly not studied this art form in as much detail as I have over the last, soon to be, 42 years.

Here are a few key points.

Find a good sized and well weighted stick.
Depending on weight I would advise to launch it roughly at a 20 to 40 degree incline from elbow height.
If you are out in open space then always throw downhill if you are stood higher up or uphill (you will need to increase your throw incline) if stood lower down. Both of these scenarios will ensure that your dog uses more energy in retrieving it.
Put a bit of effort into your throw. The nearer it is to you and the sooner you will be required to throw it again.
If you are in the woods, now is the time for Precision throwing. You have two options with which to penetrate the forest and achieve distance. The first is to turn the stick so it is vertical and therefore will not hit as many obstacles on its flight. The second is to find a smaller and slightly heavier stick which you can use a frisbee throwing action to allow it to spin through the gap in the trees.
Very important message here to finish off with. Do not beat yourself up about bad throws. Sometimes your sticks will hit the first tree and go no more than a few metres. I can honestly tell you that your dogs do not care and will still be super excited.

So there you have it. Follow these simple rules and you too will become a world class stick thrower.

Doggies: Kuling, Leopold, Leia, Cessa, Bandido and Ellie