Jumping is required more than any other agility skill on course. However, it is often the least trained skilled. The jumping required for a dog to successfully navigate an agility course, where they are being asked to jump multiple hurdles in sequence at differing spacing requiring turns and lead changes, is much different than the jumping dogs do naturally at home, in the park, or even hiking through woods and trails. Jumping “problems” come in many shapes and forms. Maybe your dog knocks a lot of bars. Maybe your dog knocks the occasional bar but does it almost every course. Maybe your dog adds a stride before take-off, or “studder steps.” Or maybe your dog is just “slow” trotting around the course with a lot of extra, unnecessary and time-consuming strides. All dogs benefit greatly from a systematic training program teaching balance, scope, take-off position, weight changes, arc, and height.
Gemini Dogs is offering 2 series of jumping skills clinics. Each series will meet for 4 classes every other week. Each class will be 90 minutes long and be held in the outside agility ring. Classes will meet as scheduled except in the event of severe weather. Students can call the office, or they can call or email the instructor, Denielle Stasa, for information on a canceled class. If a class has to be postponed due to severe weather, it will be rescheduled for the following week. Students should bring lots of small treats, a toy or other item the dog will target, water for human and canine, a chair, pen & notebook, someplace for the dog to rest away from the “action” like a portable crate or space in a car, bug repellant for both the human and canine student, and sun screen or rain gear as needed.
Jumping Fundamentals
These classes are open to all dogs – no agility experience is necessary.
Using Susan Salo’s jumping grids, work through the fundamentals jumping program to improve your dog’s balance and scope necessary for jumping successfully without knocking bars. Agility requires dogs to jump equally well on both leads, but dogs often have a “preferred” lead leg. These jumping grids will help your dog to jump equally well on the right and left lead. These classes will also teach your dog how to extend and contract strides as necessary to be successful on course. For a dog to be a successful jumper, its handler must also be educated in what IS good jumping technique. As your dog’s trainer, you will learn what good jumping form looks like and to recognize when a dog is jumping with correct form, and when a dog is struggling. Additionally, you will learn to identify lead legs, which lead a dog is using, and whether the dog is using the preferred lead. Finally, you will learn to count strides between jumps and to identify when a dog is adding an unnecessary stride or leaving a stride out.
Classes will be held from 6:00pm–7:30pm on Tuesdays:
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August 9
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August 23
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September 6
Advanced Jumping
Dogs must attend the first session for the evaluation or set up an appointment with the instructor for a private evaluation of the dog’s jumping skills.
As Susan Salo states, a dog that understands how to jump, running smoothly and decisively, will be faster and less likely to be injured. Using Susan Salo’s advanced jumping grids, these classes will build on the dog’s understanding of the components involved in jumping. The focus will be on continuing to challenge the dog’s understanding of striding and reading distance by using grids requiring more bend work. The dog will be challenged to work on adjusting to changes in path and driving the tight line. The goal is for the dog to quickly identify the best and quickest way to get from jump to jump. Proofing of motion and speed are also addressed. These classes are open to dogs that have worked through Susan Salo’s fundamental jumping skills grids. An evaluation of the dog’s readiness for the advanced jumping classes will be made at the first session.
Classes will be held from 7:30pm–9:00pm on Tuesdays:
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August 9
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August 23
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September 6