How to Teach a Dog to Jump sets you up for a whole other world of tricks. Let’s get this basic trick nailed down so we can move on to some crowd pleasers.
SIT and STAY are good tricks to have under your belt for this trick.
It can be done by most dogs. Just don’t go too high on the old or out of shape ones. You know your dog best, so make the right call.
Bottom line, how cool is it to have your dog jump over something?
STEP 1
Have your dog sit or stay then place a stick on the ground and walk to the other side.
The goal of this step is to get your dog on one side of the stick and you on the other side. You want the dog to be still and awaiting the next step.
At this point, the stick is just laying on the ground and has zero height.
STEP 2
Now call the dog and have them jump over the stick on the ground – PRAISE and REWARD them. Every few times, raise the bar (pun intended) and then start adding in the “JUMP” command.
This step has three objectives.
First, you want to get your dog to jump over the bar (or stick) on the ground to start with.
Next, you want the dog to jump over the stick as it gets progressively higher. You can place chairs, rocks, books or anything else under the bar to raise it from the ground.
This step also associates the “JUMP” command to the jump trick. So, when you say jump to your dog – it knows exactly what you want them to do.
Every success needs to be given a verbal praise as in Good Boy and Good Girl. Also, a tasty treat for a reward will keep your dog jumping with joy.
STEP 3
Finally, you want the stick at a good height for your dog (you be the judge). You call your dog with the “JUMP” command and when they jump the bar PRAISE and REWARD them.
This step gets the bar up to a height that your dog can comfortably jump. Make sure you don’t go too high as this could hurt the dog if it exceeds their limits.
Over days and weeks, increase the height of the bar to your dog’s abilities and possibly growth.
FOLLOW ON:
How to Teach a Dog to Jump is one of the easier commands and a real bond builder with you and your dog.
Any dog should be able to leap to low heights and there will also be some true jumping champions that emerge.
Check out some of our other dog tricks. Let us know how this goes for you in the comments below.
Good Training…
