Teaching Caden to jump at Schutzhund Training in Calgary
Caden jumps like a deer on his own, but when he is thinking about Schutzhund, he often gets so excited that he is not focusing very well. So it is important to start him off right! The photo below was early last summer before I had my nice gates installed. I had an old gate on its side, and Caden jumped over it on his own, back and forth, with his ball. 
The SchH crowd was very enthusiastic about learning new ways to teach their dogs to jump safely but with the correct amount of power and speed and with joy in their work. Lynda hauled out hoops of different sizes as well as white PVC that she used to regulate the dog's stride as they approached a flattened A-Frame. She also explained how to use a grid to get dogs in tune with their own bodies. I found it very interesting to hear the many ways dogs sabotage their own jumping ability through excitement.
Since Caden has not learned the A-Frame yet, we popped him up to the peak, and Dan waved his tug. Caden targeted on the tug, and ran down the ramp. He had to duck his head to go through the hoop. This builds motor memory and instills a pattern, so that the dogs flatten themselves at the top and hug the ramp rather than leap off the top. You can see a big difference here, between his first round, and one he did after a few repetitions. Look at his head up high, and in the next set of photos, his head and body are slanted downwards! 
Dan waves the tug as a target
And Caden goes down the ramp with his head angled down and body flattened!
See the green scaling wall beside the "baby ramp?" That is the one Caden will have to do when he competes. It is six feet high.
Yesterday afternoon I spent at the GSD Club of Calgary Schutzhund Club at a mini jumping clinic. My many dog interests collided when I was able to line up a mini-jumping clinic with Lynda Caughlin of Fionivar K-9 Training in Olds Alberta. I first met Lynda at the Border Collie Nationals. She is a friend of Louanne Twa's (Phantom Ridge) and has a kelpie, which she is teaching to herd. But Lynda's big claim to fame is agility where she instructs and competes very successfully!
In the photo below, Lynda (centre) chats with Wade Waters, our club's training director.
The SchH crowd was very enthusiastic about learning new ways to teach their dogs to jump safely but with the correct amount of power and speed and with joy in their work. Lynda hauled out hoops of different sizes as well as white PVC that she used to regulate the dog's stride as they approached a flattened A-Frame. She also explained how to use a grid to get dogs in tune with their own bodies. I found it very interesting to hear the many ways dogs sabotage their own jumping ability through excitement.Since Caden has not learned the A-Frame yet, we popped him up to the peak, and Dan waved his tug. Caden targeted on the tug, and ran down the ramp. He had to duck his head to go through the hoop. This builds motor memory and instills a pattern, so that the dogs flatten themselves at the top and hug the ramp rather than leap off the top. You can see a big difference here, between his first round, and one he did after a few repetitions. Look at his head up high, and in the next set of photos, his head and body are slanted downwards! Dan waves the tug as a targetAnd Caden goes down the ramp with his head angled down and body flattened!See the green scaling wall beside the "baby ramp?" That is the one Caden will have to do when he competes. It is six feet high.Note that before we did this, we had him do a few hoops on the flat. This is Dan's Bronte doing the hoop on the flat 
Dan sets Bronte up for the A-Frame.
And here is some video...
It was very fun, and Lynda commented to me afterwards about what a warm and inviting group the people were at the club.
It was very fun, and Lynda commented to me afterwards about what a warm and inviting group the people were at the club.
Category Article Caden, Schutzhund
