Clean Run Magazine - March 2008 - 23

© SABY ROCHON / SPORTPHOTOGRAPHY.CA Kathy Lofthouse Since 1988, Kathy has competed successfully in USDAA and AKC to tournament and championship levels. Kathy enjoys introducing a variety of dogs to agility in a positive way and is also available to help resolve problems. Contact Kathy at runjumpweave@prodigy.net or visit www.runjumpweave.com. The answer depends upon the attitude, level of fitness, conﬁdence, and experience of your dog, as well as how frequently and how much you jump the dog, and your experience as a handler. Still, athletic dogs with a good attitude toward jumping should be capable of jumping safely placed jumps whether they are slightly lower or slightly higher than their regular competition jump height. Tired dogs should not be asked to jump, whatever the height, so be sure to limit the jumping your dog does so that he can always perform to his utmost ability. Handlers who are trying out various handling maneuvers or working on sequences that they ﬁnd tricky should do so in small increments and have their dog jumping well below his competition height. I hope that abundant rewards will keep the dog “in the game” until the handler is conﬁdently guiding the dog through the sequence. This same sequence can then be set up on another occasion and presented to a fresh dog and handler to perform at their full height with gusto. When encouraging conﬁdence in a dog, offering short, highly rewarded jump sequences with the jumps set at variable heights, all well below his maximum comfortable jump height, is often beneﬁcial. As his conﬁdence grows you can raise some of the jumps in easier parts of the course to full competition height, until ﬁnally he is comfortably jumping with full conﬁdence and enthusiasm. For a dog lacking in athletic ability due to his conformation or structure I would offer various heights with most jumps being below and some being at his competition height. For this dog, however, I would make jumping very special and rewarding and any handling practice should only be done with the dog once you are willing to bet that you can get it right—no repetition for these guys. My dogs are athletically built and very ﬁt. Although we practice infrequently and for very short periods, they are not always required to practice at full height. The jumps are usually varying within 4" to 6", but once my dogs are jumping with conﬁdence I do make sure that the height is “worth jumping” for their size and skill level. So keep jumping fun and don’t stress about height differences. A conﬁdent dog with a handler who trusts his ability should be able to adjust to a few inches difference in height. If you need to ﬁne-tune your timing for a big event simply set up a few short sequences, run them with the same attitude as you will have in the competition, and celebrate at the end, because running, jumping, and having fun are what agility is all about. 23 The consensus is that practicing at different heights has beneﬁts, but when preparing for a competition, practicing at the appropriate height is the best strategy. Stephanie Spyr Stephanie works full time as an agility instructor in southern California, and has competed in agility for eight years. Her dogs include a Boxer, Trevor CDX, MX, MXJ, AD; and four Border Collies: MACH ADCH Jag; ADCH Whip MX, MXJ; Rage AX, OA; and Catalyst. Contact Stephanie at sspyr@socal.rr.com. I jump my own dogs at their competition heights when practicing handling sequences. I compete in two different organizations: AKC where my dogs jump 20" and USDAA where my dogs jump 22". Since the heights are so similar I practice primarily at 22", but I occasionally set a jump at 24" to keep the dogs keen and attentive to their jumping. When practicing jump grids, I vary the heights, using lots of jumps lower than competition height and some at or above height. For some of my students, the jump height question can be more complicated. I have March 08 | Clean Run many students who compete in multiple organizations and they may have as much as a 6" difference in their jump heights. For these students I suggest they practice their handling sequences at the height of their next competition. It is important to practice handling sequences at your competition height so you can practice your timing and hone your handling skills. The height of the jump affects how dogs jump, where they land, where they commit to jumps, and consequently where they need information.

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Clean Run Magazine - March 2008

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