How to Train Your Dog to Jump
The command ‘Up’ is given to a dog when he is required to jump over hurdle or other obstacle.
Use the leather collar on the dog during all these exercises. Take the dog to a low obstacle about twelve inches high. It should be a wooden one and unlikely to hurt him if he fails to clear it. At the same time that you command the ‘Up’, gently draw him over the jump and let him see and smell a piece of meat held in the free hand. In the initial stages it may be necessary for you to step over the low jumps with the dog.
Do this several times over the same obstacle. The dog should jump in the same direction on each occasion and be rewarded; to begin with, each time he completes the jump. A dog soon acquires the knack of jumping over small, prepared jumps, the height of which should be increased after several days. Donor, however, try to exceed more than a height of four feet ore may injure himself. Use the command ‘Up’ often, so that he fully understands its meaning.
Next, have several jumps of different heights and kinds formed in a circle of about forty yards so that the dog becomes familiar with all sorts of obstacles. A popular type of jump is about six feet high, eight feet long at the top and two feet six inches in width, constructed like a bridge as shown in the sketch. It has a ramp at one end to enable the dog to scramble to the top, and at the other there is a platform about four feet from the ground from which he can jump safely.
Old motor tires also make useful jumps for the dog. They are placed about two feet above the ground and he can be taught to jump through them. Almost any kind of obstacle can be used provided it will not cause injuries or be likely to fall on him. Wood is best, and wire netting must be avoided.
In the pursuit of a criminal it may be necessary to assist ado over a wall or fence that is just a little too high or awkward for him to clear. Here it is useful to teach him either to jump into your arms or over your back as a stage in finally clearing the obstacle. To accomplish this, take the dog to a wall or post, have the lead in your left hand and a small piece of meat in the right. Place your right foot against the wall or post about one foot from the ground, and draw him over your leg, at the same time giving him the command ‘Up’. Give him the meat when he has cleared your leg. It will be best to use the right leg only and to ask the dog to jump only in one direction that is from your left to your right. If you are left-handed, of course, you must practice in the way that is most convenient to you.
When the dog understands, both on and off the lead, to jump over your right leg, stand away from the post or wall, about twelve inches to start with, and raise your leg for him to jump over. Then take the dog away from the post and get him to jump over your right leg anywhere, if necessary encouraging him by drawing him over with the lead. Now teach him to jump over your right arm when it is resting against the pastor wall, then, later, without the post or wall, just as you did when teaching him to jump over your leg, drawing him over with the lead at first, and always rewarding him when he is successful.
It will be noticed that, if he is jumping from your left to your right, the dog reaches the highest part of his trajectory as he is going over your right arm or leg. If, however, he is jumping in the same direction but over your left leg or arm he has reached this maximum trajectory before clear-in the jump, and it is then impossible to catch him in midair.
After the dog has succeeded in jumping over your right arm held against the post, place your left arm about twelve inches above the right and try to get him to jump through the gap between the arms. Then, gradually narrow the gap and make him jump through it. Dispense with the post altogether as soon as you can. While the dog is actually in flight you will find that by drawing your arms to your body you can catch him in them. Sometimes it may be necessary to use the post or wall again before the dog completely understands what is required, and generally it takes about a month before he becomes perfect. Practice with him on a platform, while he is in your arms. He will then get used to being handled in this way and will be less likely to struggle when you have to do the real thing to assist him over an obstacle.
When you are sure the dog will jump into your arms when required you can begin teaching him to jump over your back. To do this, position the dog about two yards behind you. Turn to your left, stoop down, bending your knees, and extend your left arm in front of you parallel to the ground. Now look over your left shoulder at the dog and place your right hand, containing a piece of meat, just above the left elbow about six inches from that arm. Ask the dog to ‘Up’, and he should jump over the left arm, and be given the meat.Practise several times. When the dog has mastered this stage, again place him two yards behind you, and again preferably in the down position because he seems able to spring up better from there. Now bend over with your back towards him, and this time extend both arms slightly upwards in the form of a’V', and he should jump over your back when directed. Keep your head low, otherwise he may step on it in flight.
For a dog that hesitates to jump over a handler’s back after qualifying so far, it is best to get an assistant to take the dog’s lead to encourage him in performing the operation. It may be necessary for the assistant to draw him over the handler’s back until he knows exactly what is required.
Now get near a wall so that when you bend down the wall is just a bit higher, and entice the dog to make use of your back to surmount the obstacle, the assistant helping to begin with, if necessary.
Do make sure that whenever you ask a dog to jump on strange ground it will always be possible for him to land safely, and do not expect him to clear chestnut fencing or barbed wire or anything that is likely to hurt him.
The dog can now be taught to retrieve over obstacles and, later, to swim across water for that purpose.
Use the line attached to the dog’s collar in the initial stages only, again taking care not to impede the line. A portable jump should be erected, and constructed so that it will not collapse. The most practical contraption is a fence with two wings at right-angles bound together by rope. The height of this obstacle should be about two and a half feet by six feet wide, the wings being of similar dimensions. The wings, in addition to acting as supports for the jump, also prevent him from trying to side-track it.
Put the dog inside this semi-compound, take up position on the other side of the jump, and keep hold of the line. The object to be retrieved is placed some two or three yards away on the ground on your side of the fence. Call to the dog, ‘fetch’, guiding the dog if necessary with the line to make him jump directly over the obstacle. When he has learnt to do this, take your stand beside him inside the semi-compound and direct him to fetch. This time the dog has to jump twice, going for, and coming back with the article. Do not forget to motion with the right hand the direction in which you want him to fetch.
Take the lesson a step further by getting him to jump over two or three obstacles and to retrieve two or three objects, but do not try to do everything at once. Build it up step by step.