# Articles on jumping?



## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

Anyone have any online articles on jumping? I can't afford the really nice books/DVDs at the moment. Now that Nikon is 15 months I want to start working on some basic stuff before we start agility class in the spring. I have several jumps at home and I can adjust the jump height. I had these jumps out in my yard and noticed Nikon jumping over them on his own, but he was always knocking the top bar. He will also jump over them when we play fetch if that's the shortest path to the ball. Kenya has never knocked over bars, never in competition or even in training that I can remember, so I've never had to work on jumping technique.


----------



## lylol (Feb 18, 2009)

http://agilitynerd.com/blog/static/Favorites.html

http://googility.com/

Here are two handy links I use when I am looking for new info... both are by the same guy. The first is his blog but has some great ideas on it. The second is his agility search engine on google... I searched on the second link on jump grids and you could get some basic info that way. He also has a link to the Clean Run list of topics, maybe someone in your area takes the magazine and you can ask to borrow a specific copy... Susan Salo has had recent articles. You can also rent her video at SmartFlix... not a lot cheaper but might work for you. I will just say that having taken her workshop twice over the past years with two different dogs, the explanation and video is very helpful as opposed to dry reading. I also notice on amazon you can get Chris Zinks older book in used format for 12.00 Jumping from A to Z... it is also suppose to be very good. Rune and I will be starting our grids soon too... let us know how it goes for you


----------



## JKlatsky (Apr 21, 2007)

Just an idea that I used when we started to teach our dogs to jump...which might be helpful since it's getting cold outside.

We set up a tension rod with a towel hung over it in the doorway to our bedroom. Voila, portable jump! This way there was no possibility for skipping the jump. We would mark and click good behavior. We would start out low...and raise it as they learned. 

We started analyzing some of the things that were going wrong (jumping late, jumping early, jumping flat, etc.) and would make changes. For example Argos jumps late. So we would put stuff in front of the jump so he would have to take off sooner, and after time and repetition it became habit.


----------



## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

^ Good idea, I was actually wondering about bringing one jump inside and putting something on either side to force the jump. Is it OK to start low and build, or will the dog get used to a lower height? Also, should he start closer to the jump, or farther away? Could this be a hind-end awareness thing? He's never done any work on that, and his jump behavior to me looks the same as Kenya except maybe he's not holding his hind legs high enough? I should probably get him walking over a ladder or flat weaves....

The jump will also be important in rally, and definitely in SchH for the retrieve so I want to make sure it is right and not just lower the bar so he will make it. He will probably end up jumping 24" fully grown but has to jump much higher than that for SchH.


----------



## debbiebrown (Apr 13, 2002)

i always started with just the bar on the ground and told them over, maybe use treats, but if your beyond that at this point what works well for us is the jump drills.

set up 4-5 jumps in a row maybe 3-4 feet apart. take your dog down to one end in front of the first jump make him sit/stay. you walk down to the other end in front of the last jump and call him through. over! over! over! over! they love this, nad it helps their speed.


----------



## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

If you look at the videos I have on youtube, there are tons of handler things you can do with just one jump in the house. 

I forgot to edit and put our 6 month video up so just edited now. Don't just watch me, try to listen to the instructor in the background.

Keep the treat on the ground. Prevents handler focus and keep the dogs head low and in a better jumping position. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=baM_9flzl-M


----------



## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

> Originally Posted By: MaggieRoseLee
> 
> Keep the treat on the ground. Prevents handler focus and keep the dogs head low and in a better jumping position.


I'm using a ball instead of a treat, should I switch to a treat on a target? He has much more drive for the ball to be honest. I've been throwing it and releasing him after it (so he sees it's on the ground by the time I release him to jump and fetch it).


----------



## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

*One Jump Video for puppies*

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=baM_9flzl-M

When doing one jump training for a skill for the dog initially, I like the treats/clicker. My dogs can still think with food. If I bring out the toy, it's for speed and drive and my dogs tend to lose their ability to thing, and a refined skill gets very sloppy. I'm actually using the food in my fist as a target with a quick reward of the food so she can do it again (and again, and again). 

I'm still trying to download my video on youtube that teaches our dogs hind end awareness and proper form with the dogs head down. With the treats you can get alot of reps in for training without the big break with play and a toy.

When the training progresses to us standing straddling the jump, then we toss the food on the ground, where we had been holding our fist. So they still should be aiming for close to the jump with their head low over the jump.

That said, as soon as you are done, you can certainly have a rousing game.

Once my dogs start knowing some of the handling stuff, like the front and rear crosses? And when I start to sequence equipment. Then I do add the toy.


----------



## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

*Re: One Jump Video for puppies*


----------



## Jason L (Mar 20, 2009)

*Re: One Jump Video for puppies*

That's a great video!

We have been exactly that with Dottie in her preagility class. Just back and forth back and forth with treats low to the ground to keep her head down.

Last night we started to add in some post turns and front/rear crosses and you can really see how important it is to not let dogs "launch" into their jumps with their heads up like they naturally want to do.


----------



## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

*Re: One Jump Video for puppies*

Brilliant, thanks. Nikon is probably 24", what should I set his bar at to start like in the video? (sorry maybe it says in the vid, I don't have sound at work)


----------



## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

*Re: One Jump Video for puppies*

I'd start at like 16" and you start kneeling on the ground, see how that goes before raising to 20" then 24" . And if your jump cups go at 2" increments even better. 

It's good to change the heights a bit to keep our pups thinking!

Try to get to a computer with sound cause that way you can hear the instructor the entire time in the background telling you whats what..........


----------



## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

*Re: One Jump Video for puppies*

We started last night. Took a while for him to figure out what we were doing (now his food drive is less than his ball drive, but his ball drive is out of control and his food drive is only slightly less, so he was literally offering backflips trying to figure out what the heck I wanted!).

I'll try to make a video so you guys can critique.


----------



## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

*Re: One Jump Video for puppies*

Make sure they are hungry, so skip a meal or do it before meal time.

Use REALLY good treats, the cheese/chicken/pizza kind of stuff.

And don't have the bar too high too soon, it's alot of real muscle they need to jump up and over from right in front of the jump like we are asking. This ends up being about strength and coordination.


----------



## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

*Re: One Jump Video for puppies*

Here's what we did tonight. He actually had eaten recently but if he's working on empty he is out of control, I don't make much progress b/c he's so focused on the food nothing really sinks in. I know a few of my clicks are off, especially later on. I admit I was trying to watch Survivor at the same time! I tried to switch up sides and hands.

http://www.vimeo.com/7717179


----------

