Run With The BIG DOGS: Training the dog to catch a Frisbee

That sounds simple enough ,with visions of my dog (Murphy( leaping high and snatching the Frisbee from the sky, I rushed off to the local pet supply to get a soft Frisbee for dogs. I found exactly what I was looking for a soft fabric covered flying disk. I know Murphy's gonna love it! Hurrying home, with my prize, anxious to start lesson one.
The first thing I wanted to do was introduce the new dog toy to my dog. I called Murphy and showed him the Frisbee, and kinda shook it, and then tossed it to the ground beside him. Murph is a Jack Russell Terrier , and checks out everything, so it wasn't hard to get him interested. Before long I was playing "Tug-Of-War" with him. And he readily would chase and recover a long fling of the Frisbee in the air. But, that wasn't what I had in mind. I really want him to catch the Frisbee in the Air, before it hits the ground.
I took the Frisbee and would hold it about one to two feet over his head, then swing the Frisbee through the air over his head as if it were flying by him. Murph would jump and grab the Frisbee. As he grabbed a hold, I would release my hold on the toy and let him land on the Ground with the Frisbee in his mouth. This act brought my dog much praise, and petting. Every once in a while I would fast roll the Frisbee away from us. Which Murphy immediately, chased and caught while it was still rolling, and returned it to me.
Instinct probably played a part in his next actions. (That or tiring of the game.) Instead of his usual return the toy to me, Murph captured the rolling Frisbee, and Pranced off into the Azaleas beside the house. When I got there, I could see him a tearing that Frisbee (a dog's Frisbee) up. It took me a lot of coaxing to get him to bring that Frisbee out of those Bushes. That ended that training session. I think he kind of saw the Frisbee as a fleeing rabbit. He had that "Look At What I Caught" look about him as he headed into the bushes.
I have been persistent, working with my dog every day, weather permitting. I stop a session at the first sign of him getting board, and make each session something fun for Murph to want to do. To get him to catch the Frisbee, I toss it to him, but off to the side of him. I don't throw it strait at him. The Frisbee might hit him and and be unpleasant. It has been a couple of weeks and he is getting better at catching the Frisbee in his mouth. He has a tendency to hit the Frisbee with his front paws sometimes, when leaping for it. But he has got the basics of what I want him to do.