This weekend Vries is the stage for the European Dog Frisbee Championships. The fact that this is in Drenthe is quite special, because the tournament takes place every year at a different location in Europe. The matches will be played on a grass field at Zoe’z Indoor Dog Fun, which was specially constructed for this European Championship.
During the European Dog Frisbee Championships, dogs and owners from seven different countries in Europe compete against each other. The countries where participants come from are the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, Hungary, Spain and Italy.
Dog Frisbee is a sport in which the owner throws several Frisbees, which the dog has to catch. There are two forms of competition within the sport: ‘freestyle’ and ‘toss and catch’. “Freestyle involves frisbeeing to music for two minutes, during which the owner uses all kinds of throwing techniques and the dog does tricks,” explains Gitta Kort of the organization.
The entire spectacle is assessed on various points by a jury. In the toss and catch, points are awarded based on distance and whether the dog catches the frisbee or not.
In principle, any dog can participate in dog frisbee, but the Australian Shepherd and the Border Collie are most represented during the European Championships. These are fit, fast dogs with a relatively long snout, which allows them to catch the Frisbee well.
“The dogs enjoy doing it, it’s a kind of prey behavior,” says Kort. “And the owner is having fun with his dog.”