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I had the honor of meeting some of the best frisbee dogs in the world and their owners. Watching them live was a thrill. Watching our very own Paul West and Shadow his German Shepherd Dog wow the crowd with his amazing moves. It is
easy to see why Paul and Shadow are moving up the ranks quickly. Their hard work is paying off. They were in great company too and I personally gave them four paws up.
This brings me to the training part and I hope that Paul doesn't mind if I use them as an example. The subject of vaulting has raised my awareness as to the potential dangers of them. I would like to first point out that I am all for them and their gaining height is not necessary the problem area. Where I am having a problem is in the landing. Here is where injuries can occur. As I watched Shadow work through his vaults it was clear that Paul has taken his time and properly trained Shadow to land safely. I see a large breed getting nice vaulting height and landing with ease. I am
seeing too many dogs of different breeds landing on their bottom jaws as their legs give way crashing into the ground time and time again. My point is what good is any vault or leap for that matter without a good landing. Definition of land is:
Bring to shore or earth, secure; obtain. In gymnastics competitions scores are lowered due to bad landings. In ice skating it is the same. No matter how great or how high the tripple toe loop is...if
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