Clean Run - August 2017 - 33

Training Keys!
Keep your sessions fun and connected. Try never to work your dog to fatigue and end your training
sessions while your dog is still excited to work! If you struggle with any of the training always give
your dog a break while you figure out how to work through your issues; don't try to work through
problems on the fly. Go for quality, not quantity! Above all have a blast training with your buddy!

Following are drills for teaching the backside of the jump
cue. My preference is to shape these behaviors at the beginning of the training; I like the dog thinking through the
behaviors in order to figure out how to earn his reward. You
can also do it by cueing the dog forward, if your dog isn't
familiar with shaping.
Drill #1
Do this exercise with the dog on your right as well as your left.
Begin with a single jump and have your dog face the refusal
plane or backside of the jump about 6 inches from the refusal
plane as shown in Figure 2. With your inside foot (the foot
closest to the dog) pointing at the refusal plane, release your
dog and send him forward, rotating your shoulders to cue the
backside of the jump as he crosses the plane of the jump.
With success, begin to move yourself and your dog farther
and farther back from the jump; however, always lead out at
least a little bit so that you can set the line to the backside.
Be sure to keep your inside foot pointing straight at the
refusal plane and give your dog enough impulsion to carry
forward across the plane. Work up to the handling distance
you will need on a course.
Once I am comfortable that my dog will reliably commit to
the backside of the jump from my right or left, and from a
distance, I will add my backside cue. I use the cue "Out" and I

repeat it as I send my dog forward: "Out, out, out." "Back" and
"Push" are also popular cues for the backside behavior. If I
am training with a single jump I will release my dog from his
stay by using the backside cue.
As your dog start to become more proficient with the exercise, you can add more speed by adding other obstacles. I
usually start with a second jump. Leave your dog in front of
jump #1 and lead out all the way to jump #2. With success
gradually move your starting position farther and farther
away from jump #2.
Common Pitfall
In the beginning of training, before the dog has reached the
point of verbal fluency, many people will plant their foot facing the jump, instead of the refusal plan, as they send their
dog forward. See Figure 3. Doing this can cause some serious
confusion such as teaching your dog to take the backside of
the jump when your body language is cuing the front side.
Make sure you are diligent about correct foot placement.
Problem Solving
If your dog is reluctant to go forward and commit to the refusal
plane and instead tries to cut in front of you to take the jump
from the front side, make sure that your inside foot is pointing
at the refusal plane and not the jump so that you are giving
the dog correct information about what you want. If your foot

1
1

Point inside foot at
refusal plane.
Rotate shoulders as
dog crosses refusal
plane.

August 17 | Clean Run

Gradually move
starting position
farther from jump.
Take slight lead-out
to set line for dog.

Add a second jump.
Initially lead out to jump
#2, then gradually move
starting position farther
from jump #2.

Make sure your inside foot is always pointed toward
the refusal plane, not the jump, as you train this skill or
you can confuse the dog. Here the handler's backside
body cues are the same as her front side cue which
can cause the dog to take the wrong side of the jump.

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