Teach Your Dog To Jump Over Your Back

[whatevah]

I saw this trick on a video, and taught it to Moses. I have not seen how you are supposed to teach it, but this is how I taught it.

Trick: Jump Over My Back

Uses: Show off trick, maybe useful if you cannot afford agility equipment

Equipment: Food/Toys/Clicker/Helpful Friend, Suitable Clothing (singlet not advised).

Prerequisite: Handy to know the word "over".

Only teach this trick to your dog if he is big enough, and at least 12 months old, preferably 18 months. If you are 6 foot tall and you have a papillion, or some other lap/toy dog, this may not be the trick for you.

Step 1

Get yourself into a doorway, and either get a friend to stand on the other side and lure the dog over your back using food, and or toys. Wear something more than a singlet or t-shirt or you may get scratched.

Step 2

Try to progress to showing the dog the food and throwing it on the other side of you. The dog may try and cheat and run around you, that is why I start in a door way. If you have a clicker, you may click when the dogs paws hit your back.

Step 3

Gradually work yourself further away from the doorway, this may take a few sessions, but take your time, there is no hurry.

Step 4

Now take the trick outside, video, take photos and showoff to all your friends.

Please see attached photos of inside and outside.

Advanced

Combine this trick with run around the pole, see archived trick section for how to teach this trick. I tell Moses, "around" he then runs around an object in the distance and then comes back and jumps over my back.

[whatevah]

Here is the next photo of the series, Moses coming back the other way. Please excuse my butt. ) The first two photos are the beginning stages.

[whatevah]

Okay here are the showoff photos in the front nature strip. My daughter is providing the back, against a lot of protests, and the neighbours laughter. Reason being I cannot film and be a "back" at the same time. But to create distance you can tell the dog to wait, then tell him over. Or get him to run around an object and on the way back he jumps over your back. Was going to film that, but Steff didn't want to do any more filming anymore. Teenagers!!!

[whatevah]

Now Moses is jumping over my daughters back. I am sending him from a distance so you cannot see me. He running out forward because once he jumps over her back, he gets rewarded with the throw of a tennis ball.

[whatevah]

In the last photo Moses is actually landing on Steff's back for about a second.

[whatevah]

Moses over the back and on his way, waiting for the toy.

I also have a couple of videos of this trick on my web site, one of beginning stages and one of the finished product.

[Guest cloverfdch]

*Sigh* Another trick to add to the list of must do's . I am guessing you have not tried this trick with Josh .

[Clicking Mad]

I actually saw this being done at the trick competition I entered. It was either a kelpie or cattle dog, can't remember exactly a short haired working breed, maybe mixed ??? But it looked like a dog that should be working on sheep, and he didn't just jump over, he hopped on and went into a down sideways over her back.

It was pretty cool, got her into the final.

I was thinking of teaching this to Jamie girl a few years back, after seeing that dog from "Bark Off" do it in the auditions, that dog was actually being taught to use his owners' back as a spring board so it could fly higher to catch a frisbee. Instead somehow my attempts turned into the "jump through my arms" trick

I'll give it a go though sometime this year.

I have a few in the works as well.

Like that "skipping rope" trick that I haven't even started on yet

Thanks Jules

Sam.

[Guest cloverfdch]

Like that "skipping rope" trick that I haven't even started on yet

I am guilty aswell, i only got as far as Elvis jumping on cammand with that one .

[Guest Aging_Hippy]

I wonder if I may be so bold as to suggest a much easier way to teach this trick, which, when done 'my way', has got many more uses, to incorporate into an exhibition routine.

When I taught this, I had a red and white striped surveyors pole, rather like a broom handle - which would be quite easy to make yourself.

Firstly, it is held in the dogs path, at a low height, and as he jumps over it, the command ''hup' is given. Repeat over and over, raising the height to the maximum that the dog can jump. One this is taught, start again, and once he has gone over the stick, you now bring him back again over the stick with a command 'back' then 'hup' - training him to go over the stick, turn, come back again over the stick. This is then repeated ad infinitum so that he goes back and forth over the stick about six times. Your normal rewards and praise are given at each stage. A helper could be used to control the dogs movement on a leash.

Now....here is the clever bit !!! you now place the stick wherever you want him to jump. Bend forward in a 'touch your toes' position - hold the stick over your back, give the command, and over he goes, quickly stand up, stand on one leg, with the other as parallel to the ground (or as high as you can get it), holding the stick just over it, and give the 'back' and 'hup' commands. Again, quickly put your extended leg down, stand up straight, face the dog, and and extend an arm parallel to the ground, hold the stick just over it, and give the 'back' and 'hup' command again. You can obviously make whatever variations to this routine you wish, say for example to jump over another dog at the 'stand, stay' etc..........Once reliably taught, you take away the stick, and do the routine as a quickly paced part of your exhibition routine.

Hope this is of value to those who want a simple exercise, that is quickly taught, but looks very impressive.

Regards,

John

[whatevah]

Thats another way of teaching it. Like I said I just made up my own way. Do you have any photos of the steps involved. It would be great if you could attach them. Photos make things so much clearer.

Thanks for the info. I used a stick over my arm when I taught Moses to jump over my arms.

Do you know of any other tricks you could add to this site or easier ways of teaching other tricks?

[Guest Aging_Hippy]

Thanks for the response to my post. As the old adage goes, 'There are many paths to Rome' !!! What works for one trainer and dog, may well not work for another, there are many ways to crack an egg.

I think that a well-worded description, is almost as good as with pics, and I have never bothered to take pics, as I did not anticipate having to describe or illustrate my methods.

I have been working with GSDs all of my 70 years on this planet, and was born into a GSD home. I was a trainer in the British Army, and have qualified several personal dogs to the highest levels in working trials, competing against the Police, Prison Service, Armed Services, etc.

I have little experience of teaching 'tricks', which to me are far easier to train than 'inch perfect' obedience, attack, protection, tracking and War Dog disciplines. For example, tricks can be taught in a couple of hours or days, perfect heelwork takes a couple of weeks, but is far less impressive!!!

As a 'pro' Trainer, I have two restraints - Time and Money. Training has to be sound, and in a specified time, for a specified amount of money - if I fail, I get no money and starve!!! I have never ever been paid a cent to teach a dog a trick!!!

I am not trying to put down trick training, it must be a great source of fun, and bonding for pet owners, but I have met few pets that were sufficiently well trained in even basic obedience, which should be a pre-requisite, before taking on training tricks.

Having said the foregoing, I have in the past trained tricks for an exhibition team, and done some amazing tricks (it would appear to the less knowledgeable!!).

You ask for good or 'different' tricks?....Here is one....A large black box 3ft square (a matt black painted Tea Chest is ideal) is brought on. The audience is told (correctly), that dogs are colourblind. The commentator walks to different people in the audience and asks them to pick any one of five coloured hankerchiefs in the box. The dog is told the colour and sent to the box, and brings back the correct coloured handkerchief. Five times - five different colours.

If your dog can do a simple retrieve - 'Send Away' 'Pick up and Hold', 'Return and Present', 'Give' and 'Heel' - (basic obedience!)...I can teach this trick in ten minutes. As I have been offered 'big money' to divulge how this is done, I am only willing to disclose the method privately. Anyone interested please email or PM me, OK?

Here are some dogs at the training school, nearly 50 years ago !!!! I didn't know much in those days, and I find that as time goes on, I know even less. So much to learn, and so little time!!!!

I would also be willing at any time to suggest a method of training for almost anything required, even if I have never done it before - As a 'pro', I am basically an animal behavior expert, and can predict - fairly accurately - a dogs response to a given stimulus..this just comes with practice and years of experience. It may sound boastful, but I promise it is true - I have never failed to train any dog of normal ability. I do not attempt to train any other dog beyond Collie, Labrador, Rottie, Dobe or GSD. Hounds, Terriers, Field and Lap Dogs are not generally easy to train on a 'Time and Money' situation. My favourite saying is - 'If you can't train a GSD, you can't train anything' - so you know my choice of dog for all-round

trainability. Other dogs excell at individual disciplines, but as an all-round dog, I find a well bred, sound GSD the best all-round worker.

Kind regards,

John

Edited January 23, 2005 by Aging_Hippy

[Guest Aging_Hippy]

Hello All,

Three members have now had the details of how this trick is done, but I have recieved no comment back as yet. I wonder if they would like to comment on the trick (without revealing the method!), as to how they rate it?

Kind regards

John

[HeidiB]

Thats so cool the jump over the back, can breeds such as Weimaraners be taught this?

[Pheebs]

Thats so cool the jump over the back, can breeds such as Weimaraners be taught this?

Definitely

Heidi you're going to have such a bundle of energy on your hands - and whilst trying at times, it'll be great They're SO eager to please, and take really well to positive training. Despite their size, they're surprisingly agile

*Edit: Sorry for thread hijack:

(Whilst not a pic of my Tess, if you're lucky like me - you'll have a water baby )

Edited February 5, 2005 by Pheeble

[HeidiB]

Awsome Pheebie, I have to get rid of that energy some how

[whatevah]

I wouldn't teach your wei this trick until the dog is at least 18months to 2 years old. This trick can really be taught to any breed that can comfortably jump over your back. Not a trick for toy breeds. Then you have to be strong enough that you don't mind them landing on your back for a short time. I think if you were 5ft and were trying to teach this to a NewFoundland you may run into troubles.

[Mel774]

Oops! Hiccuped!!

Edited February 11, 2005 by Mel774

[Mel774]

Can I ask when we can look forward to the next trick of the month?? I love reading these

I am in the middle of teaching my dog to roll over and bow. Bow being quite trying!!! Only had the chance to click him twice and it sparked his interest, but not enough to do it again!! I was wondering also if you know of any good tricks to teach cats? I have taught my kitten to stand on her hind legs and come when she's called, but due to lack of imagination - I cant think of what else to teach her (other than getting on and off chairs)

[Vehs]

Mel looks like we are doing the same thing!

As for cats I had some success getting Nubble to target - this is helpful for building up to other tricks.

Hrm, how about jumping through a hoop? playing piano (if you have one or a keyboard) strumming a guitar, patting a drum?