Jumping

[OSoSwift]

As per another thread there was a bit of a discussion about dogs jumping styles and how to train to try and change there jumping style.E.g a dog jumps very flat or very long, what do you do to try and train them to have a better style that is more economical and less likely to have them hit jumps or taking down bars.

Do you do grids? use ground poles? What do you do to make them jump rounder? Longer? shorter? Or do you not bother training for a style and as long as they get over the jumps you leave them be?

I am very interested in what people do. I have a background in horses and that influences how I train. As where I am is fairly isolated I don't have a lot of outside influences, I read what I can, I haven't as yet watched any DVDs.

I do get my dogs to do grids etc to create the jump shape I like.

So please share

Edited August 8, 2010 by Rommi n Lewis

[Tassie]

I started with grids, Suzanne Clothier style, back about 7 years ago. For Rory, nearly 2, I've based my training on Susan Salo's DVDs - they are both horse people - no surprise there I've been careful with him because he's quite a big boy, and I wanted him to get it right. As well as looking at jumping style, Susan is about creating independent jumpers.

I still like to do grids occasionally with my agility girl Kirra - now 8 and a half - light girl and good natural jumper.

For a book resource, there's a book called something like Jumping A to Z - teaching your dog to soar, by Christine Zink and Julie Daniels.

[Tassie]

Just to add - just read your post in the Dog Sports thread RnL - and yes, this is what Susan Salo says and does - teaches the dog to have a rounder style, and uses small humps or small jumps to encourage the dog to place its feet well, and to think about what it is doing. You would like what she does!

[OSoSwift]

Just to add - just read your post in the Dog Sports thread RnL - and yes, this is what Susan Salo says and does - teaches the dog to have a rounder style, and uses small humps or small jumps to encourage the dog to place its feet well, and to think about what it is doing. You would like what she does!

Thanks Tassie, I am off to google Susan Salo Will also look for the book, Thanks

To the Whippets horror I have just dragged out some more jumps! Grids here we come

Edited August 8, 2010 by Rommi n Lewis

[OSoSwift]

This is my reply in the other thread.

Basically I train quite a few grids. The jumps will be anything from 2 metres (bit less with the Whippets) to 4 or more metres apart. They will be from very low to maximum height. Sometime things like the first one low, second one high, third one low fourth on high. I will put a spread in the middle - leaving adequate room to the next jump of course. A rail on the ground at the base of the jump also helps. I will quite often put a ground pole infront of the jump. If they are jumping flat I will place it a little closer than their natural stride to get them closer to the bottom of the jump, so therefore their jump will become rounder. Sometimes I do a grid of all low jumps with only a bounce stride between, once again if they are jumping to flat I put them a little closer than their normal striding, if they are too round I stretch them slightly.

I then put the jumps in a grid, but all on opposite angles, so first one left side closer, second one right side closer etc etc. That is more to teach jumpimg at angles though rather than jumping shape.

I have had some people in aglilty tell me that you can't change a dogs natural jumping style, which I also believe, but I believe you can vastly improve it. You need the best econmical action, get them over the jump quickly and cleanly, but safely. The best jump shape in horses I think is the best in dogs as well. I also think that if they are intially taught to jump a little rounder, maybe clearing the jump by a reasonable amount as they get more confident and faster their jump will naturally flatten. So I teach a rounder jump first.

It was interesting for me playing, watching how my dog was jumping and then figuring out what I could do to shape it they way I wanted it. There was no seat, legs and reins to help tell the dog when I wanted her to take off, so therefore I had to think of exercises and distances between poles and jumps to help me produce the shape I wanted.

We didn't do a lot of trials before my Dobe was retired because of a spinal problem, but she never had a rail down, she did miss the odd thing and odd weave pole. That was due to her very novice handler though - the dog was fine.

The Whippets I have been a little slacker and need to get onto more grids as Rommi has a very unique jumping style!

I by knows means know as much as other agility people, there are some exceptional trainers especially on here. I just train in a way I think works and how I think will help my dog to perform well and stay as sound as possible for as long as possible.

I would love other people opinions on what they do with jumping as well. Maybe I will start another thread asking everone how they do it, I am quite sure there will be lots of great pointers

[Staranais]

Thanks heaps Rommi! It was me who asked you to post your method. Thanks for giving such a detailed answer.

So - dumb question - is a grid just a short series of jumps then? Is there any formula about how far apart you should put the jumps for a particular size of dog?

[OSoSwift]

Yes a grid is a series of jumps in a line, I usually use at least three and up to 6.

There is regulations for how far apart jumps have to be for agility so I make sure I practice those, but other than that the distance between depends on what I am trying to achieve, closer together to get the dog in to the bottom of the jump, further apart to make them stretch. For small dogs the distance between jumps could be very close, for larger dogs it will of course be longer.

The distance between is also governed by the height as of course they need to take off from further back to jump higher.

I also do 3 to 6 jumps split around corners, serpentines, and many other combinations.

I feel that doing grids quite often helps dogs figure out in the early stages that they need to do more than one jump at a time. I will send my dog down the line of the grid while I am standing at the first one, and also leave them at the first one and send them from the last one.

[Staranais]

Thanks very much!

I was getting confused picturing, you know, a grid, like a square or something. Not a line of jumps.

[OSoSwift]

No worries, I have heard some people call them a corridor of jumps as well.