Difficulty: Moderate Prerequisite: Leap Items Needed: Clicker, Treats, Touchstick, Helper
Now that your dog can jump over sticks and through hoops, let's give him a bigger challenge. Get down on all fours and have your dog jump over your back. This is not only fun for your dog, but for the whole family. Involving people adds a lot of excitement to a simple jumping trick, and children think it is funny to see people get on their hands and knees so a dog can jump over them. This is a great trick for social events and is a staple for show dogs.
Step 1: f your dog can comfortably jump over a stick elevated about 25 inches from the ground then you can begin to teach him to jump over people who are on their hands and knees in the crawl position. Step 2: Have your dog jump over the stick. Click & treat. (repeat a few times). Step 3: Have a helper kneel on their hands and knees. Step 4: Hold the stick just over him. Have your dog jump over the stick. Click and Jackpot. (If your dog won't jump over the stick with the person under it, try having the person lie down on the ground). Step 5: After a few repetitions have your dog jump without using the stick. Click and treat. Step 6: Try adding people spaced about 10 feet apart for a nice show at your next barbecue.
OUR EXPERIENCE
Caspian was hesitant to jump over a person, and we had to work with him to help him overcome his doubt. Both Caspian and I knew that he could complete the jump, but the idea of a person being there instead of a hoop or a stick was foreign to him. We started out by placing the jumping stick on top of the person's back and saying "leap." He wouldn't jump, so we had to start by laying on the floor first just to get him used to the idea of crossing the jump stick with a person there as well. Once he got this concept, he was good to go.
TEACHING TROUBLE
My dog won't jump over me! Although it was easy to teach Caspian to jump over a stick, he would balk at jumping humans. Having the person lay down and lowering the stick helped. After Caspian got used to jumping with the volunteer flat on the floor, he was read to jump over the stick with the volunteer beneath it on hands and knees. Soon we didn't need to use the stick at all.
Tip: "People can be even more unpredictable than dogs. So be sure that each of your volunteers understand that they should keep quiet and not move or stand up while the trick is in progress. Another great idea for this trick is to get dogs to jump over each other!"
