Clean Run - April 2018 - 50

© AlissA Behn/pet-personAlities.com

Isolating Different Types of
By Susan Salo, photos by author
Why do you need to isolate an obstacle
if your dog already knows how to jump?
All too often the dog is asked to jump
an obstacle that requires a different mechanical effort than what has previously
been asked of him. This approach leaves
the dog to attempt to solve the puzzle
at speed, and while being handled, both
of which put additional pressure on the
dog. This is not training, but rather asking the dog to figure it out on the fly.
My concept of training is more detailed
than that: 1) I need to know the animal
can accomplish the task with confidence, and 2) he understands how to
do the task without being managed by
me to ensure success and, more importantly, safety. I know you have all heard
me refer to the horse world (probably
too often in some cases), but when you
are physically attached to the outcome
of a jump, and run the risk of injury if
the animal cannot solve the puzzle, your
approach to training an understanding
of task has to be different.
My view of success is not based on
whether the bar stayed up, or that the
dog did not separate the tire or run
across the broad jump. Success is when
my dog simply needs me to set the path
50

Jumps in Training

for him and he takes care of the rest-
safely, confidently, and at speed. This
approach requires understanding on the
part of the animal to use his body in a
certain way, depending on the requirements of the obstacle.
The only way to achieve this level of
understanding is to isolate each jump
that requires a different physical effort
from the dog in a slow, systematic way
in our training.
We devote a large amount of time to
teaching independent entries and exits
for the weave poles. Contacts are given
time and care to create a reliable behavior
both onto and off the obstacle, and often
with an end behavior attached to the criteria. Yet, for example, many handlers do
not put time into teaching independent
entries and exits for the broad/long jump.
Instead, they try to manage the dog if he
is asked to perform anything other than a
straight line over the broad jump.
With the demise of the chute, the broad
jump is being used more often, and it
is not always offered with an absolutely
straight approach. At the 2017 Cynosport
World Games, the broad jump was faulted by many good dogs that were unable
to offer the behavior required of them,

even with the handler managing the obstacle. The broad jump, or any other type
of hurdle, should not cause a problem if
we allow our dogs to practice the various physical efforts required to perform
the obstacle successfully. Managing the
obstacle should not be a consideration if
you train the dog on the obstacle.

Isn't a Jump a Jump?
In terms of training, we often assume the
dog will generalize that a jump is a jump,
which is not the case unless all the jumps
look exactly alike. The animal will be very
aware of the jump that looks different
from the rest, and he may offer a different
performance based on that opinion-
which is why it is important to expose the
dog to different looking jumps and watch
to see what his opinion of each jump is.
The dog will share that opinion by displaying more caution on the approach
to the jump (adding strides or slowing
down), or by simply flinging his body in
the air hoping that will work. If we do not
isolate the obstacle in training, we will not
see these often subtle behaviors. They are
rarely seen if we are just running a course,
unless we have a trained eye and happen
to catch something that looks different
out of the corner of our eye.
Clean Run | April 18
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Clean Run - April 2018
