Jumping Jehosaphats: Teaching a Dog to Jump for a Flying Disc
An excerpt from Disc Dogs! The Complete Guide by Peter Bloeme and Jeff Perry, Co-founders of Hyperflite, Inc.
Many veterinarians recommend that you don’t encourage your canine to jump until it is between 12 and 18 months of age. However, we all know that most canines will jump whether we like it or not. In fact, if you try and keep an energetic young canine from running, jumping and carousing, it will probably explode. Short of chaining your canine to the ground, there is no real way to prevent jumping behavior. In our experience, jumping behavior, in and of itself, rarely causes injuries. After all, it’s not the jumping that causes the injuries, it’s the landing! We suggest the application of logic and reason to the problem. First, evaluate your disc dog candidate, whether young or old. How athletic and coordinated is your canine? How focused and obedient is he? Is your dog trim or a little overweight? Has your canine been cleared for athletic activity by your veterinarian? The answers to these questions will guide you in determining whether your beginning disc dog or puppy is ready to learn tricks that involve jumping.
Vaulting, where the trainer’s body is used as a launching pad for ultra-high jumps, is another matter. Just to be clear — under no circumstances should you vault a canine until: 1) it is at least 18 months of age; 2) the canine has been checked for genetic predisposition to hip displasia (a chronic problem for German Shepherds and certain other breeds); 3) the canine has developed adequate coordination and good spatial awareness; 4) you have received hands-on instruction from an expert trainer who comes well recommended by other experienced disc doggers. Vaults are not necessary for success in competition and they increase the possibility of serious injury. You don’t have to do them to win a canine disc World Championship title. If you do choose to perform vaults, have your dog jump far, rather than high. Either type of vault is spectacular if well executed and the long vaults are considerably safer than the high ones.
So, what do you do if your canine doesn’t want to jump? Simple. First, recognize that there may be many reasons that your canine might not jump naturally. For example, if your canine is packing a few extra pounds, it may not feel like jumping. Certain breeds, like Blue Tick Coon Hounds jump naturally as if they’ve cornered a raccoon in a tree. You wouldn’t expect Saint Bernards to be a good jumpers by virtue of their size and less-than-speedy approach to just about everything. Most dogs are fully capable of jumping if you give them a reason to do it. A treat might be just such a reason. If you have a dog that is not yet hooked on the disc and you want to encourage jumping, try running with a treat held in your hand at a challenging height for your canine. Why run, you might ask? Jumping while running is safer than vertical jumping because canines are less likely to injure themselves in a striding jump. As you teach your canine to jump, give the “jump” command. If your canine jumps, then praise and reward him (either with the disc or a treat) for the effort. Remember, initially, it is not important that your canine catch the disc or grab the treat – it’s only important that he makes the effort when you give the command. You can also encourage jumping by holding a disc above your outstretched arm or leg. If you have to, lay on the floor, hold a disc in the air above and beyond your outstretched leg, and encourage your canine to step over you. Hold the disc higher each time and eventually, he will get the hang of it. Some canines will try and go around you to get the disc. If you need to, enlist the support of a helper who can lead the dog over you as you give the jump command.
You might also try encouraging your canine to jump through a Hula Hoop. The Hula Hoop is great because it is non-threatening, lightweight, and plenty big enough for your dog to jump through. Start small and work your way up to higher and higher jumps. Use a disc or treat for bait until your canine gets the idea. Be sure to give the jump command consistently when you want your dog to become airborne.
Finally, there is no better way to teach a dog to jump than to make good short throws into the wind with lots of spin. Throwing into the wind will cause a disc to hover in the air in front of your dog. Eventually, old Spike will grow tired of waiting for the disc to drop down to his level. Instead, he’ll reach up and grab it. When that happens, sing out with praise and make a huge deal about it. Try and repeat the behavior as soon as possible by making the same kind of throw that induced the first jump. Before you know it, jumping will be as natural to your canine as feathers on a duck.
About the Authors
Peter Bloeme is co-founder of Hyperflite and Skyhoundz. He won the 1976 World Frisbee Championship and Accuracy title, national championship titles in 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978 and 1981, and the 1984 World Canine Disc Championship with his dog Wizard. He was inducted into the Ashley Whippet Hall of Fame in 1988 and served 13 years as director of the Ashley Whippet Invitational.
Jeff Perry is co-founder of Hyperflite and Skyhoundz. He won the 1989 World Canine Disc Championship with Gilbert, a Pointer mix he adopted from a Georgia shelter, was inducted into the Ashley Whippet Hall of Fame in 1990 and served as Chief Judge for 15 years. A pilot for decades, Jeff put his aeronautics into the design of Hyperflite discs.
Peter and Jeff are co-authors of Disc Dogs: The Complete Guide and the free Disc Dogs Rock! training guide, and have travelled the world promoting the sport through performances, clinics, seminars and judging.
