VACAVILLE — The laser-like intensity on Whiskey’s face, as owner Steve Teer prepares throw his Frisbee, shows that the 2-year-old Australian shepherd lives for catching the flying discs.

Once the flying disc is airborne, Whiskey’s eyes stay on his target as he fires himself across the field, popping into the air at the right moment to make the grab.

The duo are a frequent sight at Arlington Park next to Foxboro Drive in southern Vacaville with the alert, wiry dog snagging discs out of the air or bouncing off Teer’s shoulders or stomach to catch the disc, throwing in a mid-air flip before landing to the praise of Steve and Jill Teer.

“We get a lot of kids watching,” Jill Teer said.

Whiskey apparently has the chops for the sport of canine disc catching, because he and Steve Teer were recently crowned the 2012 Purina Incredible Dog Challenge Freestyle Flying Disc Western Regional Champions. They now head to the Purina International Finals in October, which Steve Teer referred to as “a kind of doggie Olympics.”

“He is a naturally focused athlete. He takes this very seriously,” said Steve Teer during one of his recent training sessions with Whiskey.

Whiskey is the latest of four dogs that the Teers have trained and teamed up with to compete in disc dog competitions.

Steve Teer started competing in Frisbee dog events 13 years ago with his Australian shepherd dog Guinness. Teer jokes that at that time, he could not throw and Guinness could not catch.

The Vacaville man got inspired after he watched a disc dog performance on the Animal Planet cable television network. Soon afterward, Steve Teer and Guinness entered their first competition and finished third.

That quickly changed and the two won honors in four world disc dog competitions. Not long after, Sandy, a German shepherd/lab mix, joined the team to become known as the team’s goofy, fun-loving crowd pleaser. Then came Irish, a Australian shepherd the couple got from the same man who provided them with Guinness.

Guinness retired to become a Paws for Healing dog who goes to the library to have children read to him. Guinness died recently and Steve Teer got a tattoo on his lower left leg of Guinness sitting next to a pint of the beer bearing the same name. Sandy died last month and Irish is now semi-retired.

The Teers have helped stage tournaments and play days as members of the Disc Dogs of the Golden Gate club. They have also been involved with performances at fairs and support animal assistance groups such as the Homeless Animals Lifeline organization.

The club is growing because “we have people who come out to the events and say they wonder if their dogs can do that,” Jill Teer said.

And it can be any breed that can become a disc dog, Jill Teer said.

“We have some pretty amazing breeds. In our club, we even have a dachshund,” Jill Teer said.

Australian shepherds such as Whiskey are good breeds for Frisbee competition because they are “natural herding breeds and we are taking that and transferring that herding instinct from sheep to discs,” Steve Teer said.

Teer said his secret to having such good Frisbee dogs is having a lot of patience, keeping the frequent training sessions short and being aware of what the dog likes and dislikes. He also pointed out he had to become a good disc thrower before he could train his dogs.

When at competitions, he also has to be more exciting to the dog than any of the other distractions at the event.

“The toughest part of competition is that a dog has to have a really solid temperament,” Steve Teer said.

Barely 2 years old and winning competitions, Whiskey expects to be catching flying discs for at least four more years.

“I think he has a big future and a long, prosperous career ahead of him,” Steve Teer said.

For more information on Team Flying Irish and Dogs of the Golden Gate, go to http://www.discdogg.com.

Reach Ian Thompson at 427-6976 or [email protected] Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ithompsondr.

Steve Teer and his frisbee dog Whiskey

Steve Teer and his frisbee dog Whiskey

Steve Teer and his frisbee dog Whiskey

Steve Teer and his frisbee dog Whiskey

Steve Teer and his frisbee dog Whiskey