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Jumps
Aug 18, 2008 15:23:26 GMT -5
Post by DogGoneGood on Aug 18, 2008 15:23:26 GMT -5
Jumps: There are several different kinds of jumps you will find on the Agility course. The most common are the Standard Jump, Double Bar Jump, Spread Jump, and Tire Jump. The Broad Jump is a more common jump, but is still an AAC recognized obstacle. You can also find Winged Jumps, which isn't a specific type of jump but rather jumps (most commonly the standard) that have "wings" attached on either side. These can be made out of anything and decorated in any way. Their purpose, other than decoration, is to gain distance between the handler and dog. Below is the list of Jumps you will find described in this topic: Below is the same table you can find in the "What Is Agility" page, but focusing only on the jumps... Table II - Obstacle Heights: Dog Height: (at withers) | ____Jump:___ | ____Broad Jump:___ | _Double Bar:_ |
| Height: | Width: | Height: | # of Boards: | Width | Height: | Over 21" | 26" | 52" | 8" | 5 | 15" | 26" | 21" or less but over 16": | 22" | 44" | 8" | 5 | 15" | 22" | 16" or less but over 12" | 16" | 32" | 6" | 3 | 12" | 16" | 12" or less | 10" | 20" | 4" | 2 | 8" | 10" |
Tabel II Continued - Obstacle Heights Ascending Spread Jump Dog Height at withers | Width: | ____Poles at:____ |
Over 21" | 26" | 26", 22", 16", 10", 6" | 21" or less but over 16" | 22" | 22", 16", 10", 6" | 16" or less but over 12" | 16" | 16", 10", 6" | 12" or less | 10" | 10", 6" |
NOTES:- Jump height is measured from the ground to the top of the pole;
- All widths are measured from the outside of pole to outside of pole (not centre to centre);
- Jumps must have a six (6) inch cup to accommodate the Veterans/Special classes
Purpose:The purpose of the jumps, specifically the Standard Jumps, is to break up the course and gain speed to save time on your course. Jumps can be wonderful tools to practice with as there are a large amount of exercises you can do to practice with your dog just using a couple of jumps. You won't find any other obstacle on the course that you can do so much with!
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Jumps
Aug 18, 2008 15:32:24 GMT -5
Post by DogGoneGood on Aug 18, 2008 15:32:24 GMT -5
Standard Jump: The Standard Jump is the most common jump you will find on an agility course. It consists of two posts with a series of cups set at 26", 22", 16", and 10" where the poles (usually made out of PVC pipe) rest in. Standard Jumps can be painted any colour, and the poles can have marking tape wrapped around them for decoration and better visibility. You can use as many poles as you want on a Standard Jump as long as top one is set at your dogs correct height. I usually just use 2 poles, with one dog jumping at 26" and the other at 22". The shortest distance two jumps should be set apart is one pace for your dog (usually around two paces for a human). The purpose of doing this is to gain control and speed while training. The result will look like the dog jumping over the first jump, landing and immediately picking up his feet to jump over the next jump, without any extra steps in between. For plenty of "one jump drills" I highly suggest visiting Agility Nerd's website that offers descriptions and pictures of these drills. They can offer great practice for you dog, and can be a lot of fun as well! Training on the Standard Jump...
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Jumps
Aug 18, 2008 17:51:26 GMT -5
Post by DogGoneGood on Aug 18, 2008 17:51:26 GMT -5
Training on the Standard Jump: When you start training on the Standard Jump (which should be the first jump you start training on) you should always keep it at the lowest height (10"), regardless of your dogs height. If you have a small dog that will intend to jump at 10", place the pole either flat on the ground or at about 5" (you can prop something under each end of the pole or, if your jumps are designed for it, on the supports at the bottom of each post). While on leash, put your dog in a sit and wait/stay in front of the jump. You stand on the other side with the leash straight through the two posts of the jump. Call and give your dog the command you intend to use (I use "hup"). Use your leash to guide the dog through and over the jump. A lot of dogs will try to go around the jump the first time, rather than over it. If you are directly in front of the dog and encouraging him over with both your voice and the leash, you should have him go straight through and over the jump. Dogs will generally take the shortest distance to us when we call them Once you've done this a few times and your dog is jumping over the jump without any encouragement with the leash from you, you can start setting your dog in front of the jump again and on your left or right side. Hold your leash up high enough so that it won't wrap around a jump post and give your dog the jump command again, this time while running with him, and next to him. If he tries to go around the jump, simply steer him with the leash to go over the jump. Keep practicing this until your dog is successfully going over the jump rather than around every time on command. Once your dog is doing it correctly, you can move the pole up higher (if your dog's height permits it). This will be at either 10" or 16". Keep practicing at this height for some time. Once your dog is jumping successfully at this higher height you can add another jump into the sequence. You will want it about 3 paces ahead of the first jump, plenty of room, and at a lower height to begin with. When your dog is jumping two jumps in a row, the second at a lower height than the first, you can raise the second jump to be the same height and add a third at a lower height, same spacing between the second and third jump as the first and second. Keep adding more jumps and raising the height as high as your dog's height at the withers permits. Do it slowly though. Just because your dog is jumping all jumps smoothly doesn't mean his body is yet conditioned to jump higher. Keep it slow and short practices. You can eventually start adding in turns and different sequences, as long as you keep the spacing at a fair distance still. Once again, Agility Nerd is a great place to find jump drills! Be creative about how you set up your jumps, and be fair to your dog. Once your dog has been jumping for some time you can put the jumps closer together and in harder sequences, but always do it at your dogs own training pace Good Luck, and Have Fun!
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Jumps
Aug 18, 2008 18:00:57 GMT -5
Post by DogGoneGood on Aug 18, 2008 18:00:57 GMT -5
Double Bar Jump: The Double Bar Jump is basically like your regular Standard Jump except it doesn't just have a single line of poles horizontally, but rather two sets side by side in close proximity. You can crisscross two poles on the bottom for dogs jumping at a higher height, as long as the two at the top are straight side by side, like the jump below demonstrates: You can also see in the picture above (taken from Wey Bridge Agility) that this double bar jump also has a bit of "wings" on the sides. I'm not going to write about how to train on the Double Bar Jump because it is basically the same as the Standard Jump. The only difference is that the dog has to jump a little bit wider. Most dogs jump wide enough naturally over a Standard Jump to cover a Double Bar Jump quite easily enough as well. The difference in Training is that you wouldn't use several Double Bar Jumps in a sequence. You will generally see only one (MAYBE two) Double Bar Jumps on a whole course. Good Luck, and Have Fun!
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Jumps
Aug 18, 2008 18:07:45 GMT -5
Post by DogGoneGood on Aug 18, 2008 18:07:45 GMT -5
Broad Jump: The Broad Jump is basically several plank-like boards lined up in a row, going from shortest (smallest) to tallest (biggest). The Broad Jump tests a dog’s ability to jump distances rather than height like the Standard Jump and Double Bar Jump. This type of jump generally lays quite low to the ground and doesn't test the dogs ability to jump height by much. Affordable Agility Dog Equipment The Broad Jump is quite often used not only in Dog Agility, but also Obedience Trials. The same technique and training is applied to both sports when training for this obstacle. Training on the Broad Jump...
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Jumps
Aug 18, 2008 18:14:32 GMT -5
Post by DogGoneGood on Aug 18, 2008 18:14:32 GMT -5
Training on the Broad Jump: The Broad Jump is one of the more difficult to train on out of all the jumps. The reason for this is because most dogs have a tendency to want to run on TOP of the jumps rather than jump over them. Because of this, and to properly condition your dog, you will be starting with only one plank to jump over rather than the whole set (which usually consists of 4). Start with the smallest one and do as you would when first training for the Standard Jump; set your dog in a wait on the side he will be jumping over (unlike the Standard and Double Bar Jumps there is only one way to go on this jump). Keep your leash through/over the jump and stand on the other side, facing your dog. Call and give the command you choose to use for this jump (I suggest using a different command from the Standard and Double because this jump differs so much). If he walks on the jump give a simple "no" and go around and try again. Keep repeating until your dog is jumping OVER the jump rather than walking on top of it. Once your dog is jumping comfortably and properly, you can add another plank (if your dogs jump height permit). Make sure the two planks are evenly spaced and repeat the process. Remember to Praise a lot when the dog gets it right! You want him to learn that jumping over it is what you want and walking on top of it isn't. Keep repeating this process at your dogs training pace. Don't add more planks too quickly, just keep going at your dogs own training pace. Once your dog is jumping a couple planks at a time you can try running beside him instead of waiting in front like you did with the Standard. While the training method is basically the same as the Standard Jump, the process is a little slower and harder to learn for the dog because the jump looks so easy to walk on! It's important to just stay patient and keep reinforcing the behavior you desire. Good Luck, and Have Fun!
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Jumps
Aug 18, 2008 18:21:44 GMT -5
Post by DogGoneGood on Aug 18, 2008 18:21:44 GMT -5
Spread Jump: The Spread Jump is much like a combination between a Broad Jump and a Standard Jump. It looks more like a Standard Jump except it has an incline instead of all the poles being straight up and down. No two poles are at the same height on the Spread Jump. It is much like the Broad Jump in the way that it tests a dog’s ability to jump a distance, but the difference is that it also tests height a lot more. You can find the proper heights allowed for the spread jump in the ABOVE Table. I'm not going to write a thread about training on the Spread Jump because it is much the same as explained about the previous jumps. Start with only one pole and work your way up to the dog's proper jump height, and use a different command from all other jumps (I use "big hup"). Work at the dogs pace, but most dogs pick up on the Spread Jump fairly quickly. Good Luck, and Have Fun!
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Jumps
Aug 18, 2008 18:34:19 GMT -5
Post by DogGoneGood on Aug 18, 2008 18:34:19 GMT -5
Tire Jump: As far as looks go, the Tire Jump is probably the most bizarre out of all the jumps and doesn't really look like much of a jump. It's name basically comes from the way it looks; it quite honestly does look like a big tire the dog has to jump THROUGH (rather than over like the other jumps). However, you will very rarely see any Tire actually made out of a real tire. They are most often made out of flexible plumbing pipe. They can have coloured tape wrapped around them for decoration and visibility. Doggie Woggie - Agility Competitions - Fun For Dogs and OwnersYou may see several different designs for tires, but the most common is with a box around the Tire, holding it in place (most commonly made out of PVC pipe). There are, however, several other designs available. AAC Rules and Regulations V 1.0.1 APPENDIX C Obstacle Construction Standards Tire Jump:The tire jump shall consist of a tire-like hoop (life preserver buoy, flexible drainage tile curved to form a circle, motorcycle tire, etc.) suspended within a sturdy frame. The inside diameter of the tire shall be no less than nineteen inches (19 in.) and no greater than twenty-four inches (24 in.). The walls of the tire shall be no less than four inches (4 in.) and no more than six inches (6 in.). If a tire is used, it must be wrapped or filled such that a dog's paw may not be caught on the inside while jumping through. The tire shall be banded or striped with contrasting colours to improve visibility. The support frame shall be of rigid construction to help prevent it from being knocked over when hit by a large dog. The frame should permit the tire to be firmly suspended at each of the five (5) jump heights: 6", 10", 16", 22", and 26". The height is measured at the bottom of the tire's centre opening to the ground. The gap between the outside of the tire and the frame should be no less than eight inches (8 in.) and no more than sixteen inches (16 in.). The support frame must be staked to the ground at all four (4) corners in such a way that it cannot be knocked over if hit by a large dog. Where the surface does not permit staking it must be weighted securely at all four (4) corners. Training on the Tire...
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Jumps
Aug 18, 2008 18:42:47 GMT -5
Post by DogGoneGood on Aug 18, 2008 18:42:47 GMT -5
Training on the Tire Jump: The basic training methods you used on the Standard Jump will still apply to the Tire with a few differences. One being that you will never see more than one tire on an Agility course, so you will not be doing sequences out of Tires! Another being that because it is a hoop the dog is jumping through you will have to put your leash through the hoop, but remember not to keep a tight hold of the leash. More often than not a novice dog will not jump through the Tire on the first try, but rather go around or under it. If you're holding onto the leash too tight you will just be taking your Tire with you! Put the Tire as low as it will go; meaning flat against the ground but held horizontally by it's support lines. Set your dog in Sit/Wait and loop your leash through the tire so that when the dog goes through the tire he won't get wrapped up by the leash. Stand in front of the tire (you will probably want to bend down and look right through the tire at your dog), call your dog to you and give the command you intend to use (I personally use "Tire"). If he does not go through the Tire but rather around it or between the Tire and the Tire Frame, that is okay and to be expected. Tell him 'no' and bring him back around to where you had him sit and wait. Try again. Keep practicing until he is going THROUGH the tire rather than around it, and has gotten the idea of what you're asking him to do. The next step is to get him to do it while you run beside him. This can be a little more tricky on leash, so what you'll want to do is "throw" your leash through the tire as you reach it, or just let it drag on the ground and through the tire behind the dog. If you hold onto it you are only going to end up in a tangled mess! Once you have your dog going through the tire on the ground with you at his side, you can raise the tire to the lowest permitted height (this will be either be 6" or 10", depending on your Tire). If your dog is obedience trained enough where you feel comfortable removing his leash then do so at this point to remove the hassle of the leash getting caught on the tire. If you are not comfortable with removing the leash, that's okay. Just keep throwing it through or letting it drag behind like you've been doing. Keep practicing this way until your dog is comfortable jumping through the tire at this height. You always want to only move the Tire higher when your dog is ready! NEVER before! Practice, Practice, Practice, and move it up slowly to your dogs allowed jumping height (this will be the same as his jump height for the regular jumps). Good Luck, and Have Fun!
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