Clean Run - September 2013 - 25

This can aid in training the dog to pick up the important
focal points and disregard that which isn’t pertinent to the
task at hand.
•

Build up to 10' to 12' of lateral distance between you and
the target.

Adding Handler Motion

There is no handler movement in the early stages of working the
ladder grid. But once the dog has gained stability in the ladder
grid and is doing them with speed, you can introduce movement:
1.

Lead out approximately half way through the grid, release
the dog, and then move forward with the dog at a walk.
The dog should complete the grid correctly and continue driving forward toward the target. In the first stages,
the dog will pass you so it’s a good idea to have a trained
“Go On” cue.

Lead out approximately half way through the grid, release
the dog, and then move forward with the dog at a jog.

Lead out approximately half way through the grid, release
the dog, and then move forward with the dog at a run.

Run with the dog and throw a toy ahead of him to reward
him as he takes the last jump.

All of these steps should be taken very incrementally so that
the performance of the dog does not change. If the dog starts to
have diﬃculty with the grid, then you are increasing the challenge too quickly. Back up to where the dog was last successful
and remain at that stage a bit longer and then try moving on to
the next step again.

Straight-line, Equal-distance
Grid with Height

In the early days of creating the foundation jumping program,
I gave in to the pressure of those who felt the work did not adequately address the issue of “real” jump height. In the Foundation Jumping DVD, I cover what is called the straight-line,
equal-distance grid with height. This grid allows for jump #2
and #4 in the five-jump ladder grid to have some elevation.
Size of Dog

Jump Spacing

Height of Jumps Height of Jumps
#2 and #4
#1, #3 & #5

Large

6' to 7'

16"

Medium

5' to 6'

12"

Small

4' to 5'

6" to 8"

Tiny

4" to 6"

While I still feel this is a valid exercise, I would caution you not
to overuse that particular exercise since the last thing you want
to train is a patterned short stride for your dog. The point of
the jump work is to train a dog to “move up” and open up his
stride to meet a jump coming forward or to steady and shorten
his stride when required. Since my reference point is always the
horse world, I often remind people that because we as riders
are physically attached to the outcome, more elevation (height)
is “earned” by the horse as he proves his athleticism. After that
portion of the process is done, only then does the horse earn the
right to do the job at greater speed. The philosophy of all the
foundation jump work is to make the correct behavior as easy as
possible for the dog to offer, while making the incorrect choice
diﬃcult but never impossible. There are always choices to be
made, which is why dogs that have been brought up doing jump
grids develop excellent mental acuity. These dogs are both mentally and physically quick, just as human athletes who must do
footwork drills to be competitive in their sport (tennis, soccer,
football, etc.). These drills are not simply done until the athlete
masters them; rather, footwork drills are an essential part of the
athlete’s continued success. As such, these drills should be continued for our agility dogs as well. When I am sent a video from
one of my clients, the first thing I look at is the dog’s footwork.
Is it clean and purposeful? Does it take the dog cleanly to the
takeoff place for the next jump? Are there extra, unwanted pats
of the ground which indicate uncertainty on the part of the dog?
Good, clean, fast footwork is an essential element in clean jumping efforts in agility.
People all too often feel there is really no need to “train” jumping since everyone knows that dogs can jump! It really does
not mean the dogs truly know “how” to jump. It is truly my
hope that as you read this article, you will consider whether
you have perhaps skipped or glossed over an important step
or two in your jumping training program. For all of us, when
we know better, we do better. There is no crime in failing to
train a complete process, particularly when the process is as
complex as jumping. It is never too late to go back and give
your dog better information, he will gladly do the training exercises since they are highly rewarded and appropriate in level
of diﬃculty. D

The point of the jump work
is to train a dog to “move up” and
open up his stride to meet a jump
coming forward or to steady and
shorten his stride when required.

A lifelong horsewoman, Susan Salo has offered her insights into jumping for dogs in agility in seminars around the country, including Power Paws and Clean Run Camps.
She currently resides in Woodland, California, and can be reached at Jumpdogs@aol.com.

September 13

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Clean Run - September 2013

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