If you have limited space or are on a budget, start out with one jump and perfect your dog’s skills on that one! If you have a larger area to train agility and do not mind spending some more money upfront, get 5-6 jumps. You can train a lot of different jumping skills on just one single jump. Just like humans, when our dogs start a new sport, their body needs to adjust gradually.
Do not continue to push your dog if he seems tired or sore. If you notice that your dog suddenly seems less interested in jumping and even refuses to jump, this is a sign to reduce the training frequency. You should aim for training jumping no more than 5 minutes every second day at first. On the other hand, his mind can also get “burned out”, especially in breeds that are not traditional agility dogs.Ī Border Collie or Australian Shepherd is much more likely to want to train a lot than a Pug or Basset Hound. On the one hand, he could get very tired and sore from repetitive jumping. In the beginning, less is more! You do not want to over-train your dog. You can hold your dog’s collar or harness and throw a treat or toy over the jump. Once more – just one unfortunate landing could seriously injure your dog. You should never have your dog jump on concrete, tile floors, hardwood floors or linoleum. When teaching your dog to navigate agility jumps, always make sure to train on a soft and non-slip surface. One single bad jump can end your dog’s agility career forever. They might take off at the wrong spot, land badly or slip. Unfortunately, a lot of dogs get injured in agility training due to bad jumping habits. Instead, start with small jump heights and work your way up gradually. You should never put a jump as high as your dog’s shoulder height from the beginning. It is really important that you take jump training slowly and do not rush the steps. How do I teach my dog to jump for agility?
This keeps them healthy and active while reducing the strain on joints. Adjusting the jump height like this allows dogs to continue participating in agility events in older years. These dogs will jump 2-4 inches lower than younger dogs. Once agility dogs reach about 8-10 years of age, most handlers drop their jump height as well.
Start with short sessions and low jumps and only increase the duration and jump height if your dog is fit and has stamina. If you own a brachycephalic breed, you should take extra care to not push your dog too hard during agility training. Due to these dogs’ reduced ability to breathe quickly and take in enough oxygen, they usually have to jump 2-4 inches lower than their long-snouted peers. Dogs are grouped by their so-called “height at the withers” and assigned a jump height accordingly.īecause different venues group the dogs differently, the same dog could be required to jump different heights at different trials.Īn exception is made for brachycephalic dog breeds. Different organizations have different height requirements for the jumps. The longer answer is that this depends on the organization that you choose to compete in. The quick answer is: roughly as high as their shoulder height. The most common question of dog owners starting out in agility is how high their dog will be jumping.
0 kommentar(er)
