In the Nintendogs disc competition, you must throw a flying disc and your puppy has to catch it before it hits the ground. The farther away your puppy catches it, the more points you get. You also get a bonus if your puppy catches the disc while jumping. In more advanced levels of the competition, you can get even more points if your puppy catches the disc in the target area.
Preparing for the Disc Competition
Before you can participate in the Disc Competition, you must have a flying disc. You can purchase one at Barc accessories. You might also find flying discs on walks or from other sources.
Once you have a flying disc, the best way to practice with it is to go to the park. The park is pretty much the only place big enough to allow you to throw the disc far enough for good practice.
When you select a disc from your inventory, it will appear in the touch screen in a dark shade of orange. Touch it with the stylus to hold it. Then, move the disc from the lower part of the screen to the upper part, and throw it by taking your stylus off of the touch screen. You need to move the disc quickly and let go of it while you're still moving it. Different discs behave differently when thrown, so be sure to practice with them in the park until you consistently throw them well.
Getting your puppy to come back to you after catching the disc and let go of it when you take it
Without practice, a puppy that has just caught a disc will lie down on the ground and chew at it instead of bringing it back to you. To quickly make your puppy come back to you, just tap repeatedly on the touch screen until the puppy turns its head and comes over to you. When it does, be sure to pet it until it sparkles. Practice this enough, and eventually your puppy will automatically come back to you when it catches the disc. Be sure to reinforce this good behavior during practice sessions to prevent your dog from sliding back into its old behavior.
Puppies who haven't practiced will hold a disc in their teeth when you try to pull it away. This will slow you down in competitions. To stop your puppy from doing this, pet your puppy before trying to take the disc from its mouth. When the puppy sparkles, you should be able to take the disc away without your puppy trying to hold onto it. Keep doing this in practice sessions and eventually your puppy will automatically let go of the disc when you take it. Keep reinforcing this good behavior in practice sessions to prevent your dog from sliding back into old habits.
Getting your Puppy to Run More Quickly
Your puppy will get more points the disc competition the farther away that it catches the disc. Reaching the farthest parts of the playing field will require your puppy to be able to run very quickly.
At first, an inexperienced puppy will not be able to run quickly enough to catch a Pro Disc thrown to the end of the park. However, with practice, your puppy will become faster. All you need to do is throw discs farther than the puppy can reach at its current speed. You can also improve speed by throwing the Boomerang for your puppy. As for the disc, start with the basic flying discs, then move onto the novice discs (Pizza, Pot Lid, Lollipop) and finally move on to the Pro Discs. With enough practice, your puppy will be able to run quickly enough to catch even a Pro Disc thrown all the way to the end of the park. The Dumbbell Toy might also help to improve your puppy's speed.
Jump Bonus - Getting your Puppy to Jump Higher
In disc competitions, you will get a bonus if your puppy catches the disc while it is in mid-air. The key to getting the jump bonus is to train your puppy to run quickly. If it runs quickly, it can stay under the disc while it is flying, and will therefore be able to jump up and catch it as soon as it is low enough.
You might be able to train your puppy to jump higher. Using the Pro Disc might help train your puppy to jump higher. In addition, there are certain toys that will sometimes make your puppy jump. For example, the Toy Helicopter that you can get from Mr. R will sometimes inspire your puppy to jump up to it. Just fly the helicopter over the puppy's head, and it might jump. Also, the Beach Ball, if bounced over your puppy's head, might get your puppy to jump.
Zone Bonus
In all but the junior cup, there are glowing zones on the disc competition field. If your puppy catches the disc while in one of those zones, your puppy will get a zone bonus. Be aware that these zones sometimes disappear.
Sand Traps
In the more advanced disc competitions, there are sand traps. These are areas of the playing field that are filled with sand. If your puppy runs inside of a sand trap, your puppy will slow down considerably. Therefore, you should try to avoid throwing the disc above sand traps.
Keep in mind that your puppy's speed gradually reduces while in the sand trap, so if your puppy is only in a sand trap for a short time, it will not be slowed down too much. If you have trained your puppy to be fast, then it will be able to quickly recover from going through a sand trap for a short time.
Additional Tips
With the Pro Disc, you have to be careful not to throw the disc too far. If it bumps against the far wall of the playing field, it's likely that your puppy will miss it.