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WHY FLUFFY CAN'T GO HUP
The Basics of Jumping Problems
by Suzanne Clothier
NOTE: This article is the first in a 4 part series on jumping
that originally appeared in Off Lead magazine.
Of all the skills we ask our dogs to perform at our request, jumping is one
of the most misunderstood, least thoroughly trained, and most common source of
performance problems in agility and obedience. This is the first of a series of
articles that examine various aspects of training a dog to jump. In future
articles, we will explore in greater detail each of these; for now, let’s look
at the basics of how jumping problems arise.
For more than a decade, I have watched dogs jumping: big dogs, little dogs,
puppies, senior citizens, and dogs of every imaginable shape and size under a
wide variety of conditions. I have found three basic causes for jumping
problems: physical, mental, and mechanical. (The fourth cause is the handler,
but that’s a whole ‘nother article!)
Physical problems can be structural or functional or both. I am endlessly
amazed at how little the average trainer knows about structure. Many handlers
tell me, "I don’t worry about that conformation stuff. I’ve got a dog
with drive." This approach makes no sense and can have serious consequences
for the dog. If the driver of an Indy 500 car said he didn’t bother his head
about the details of mechanics but simply chose his car because it went fast, we’d
wonder about him. The winning drivers understand not only how to drive well, but
also how and why the car performs as it does. Imagine that same driver telling
us that he was going to select the biggest, most powerful engine he could find
and put it in a Volkswagen Bug body. It doesn’t take a mechanical genius to
figure out that this is not going to be a winning combination.
No matter how much drive a dog may have, if his physical body is not a match
for the "engine" of his mind, trouble will arise. Unfortunately for
dogs, trouble can be long term and not immediately evident, thus handlers often
ignore structural problems. The more you expect from a dog, the more you need to
know about structure. This requires study and practice, yet many trainers I’ve
met will spend hours looking at videotapes of their last runs rather than
educating themselves about the workings of their dogs’ bodies.
Function is your dog’s body actually works. Flexibility, muscular strength,
and endurance are all functional qualities. No matter how beautifully structured
a dog may be, if he is not fully functional, problems will arise. A moderately
structured dog who is fully functional may easily outperform a more correctly
structured dog who is not fully functional; structure and function are NOT
synonymous.
We are all familiar with functional limitations - pause for a moment to
consider your own body. Is your neck a little sore? How about that bum knee or
creaky ankle? Are you as flexible as you used to be? The cumulative effects of
age, stresses and lifestyles add up to functional limitations: our bodies may
not work as well or as easily as they used to. The aches and pains we experience
may not be obvious to others, but they do take their toll. Depending on the work
load we place on our bodies, we may find ourselves more easily fatigued, injured
or simply just cranky and unmotivated because we are uncomfortable.
Our dogs are no different. But without a voice to complain about their aches
and pains, our dogs’ functional difficulties may go unnoticed and
misunderstood as dominance, resistance, stupidity or even poor temperament.
Although you cannot change structure, there is a lot you can do to improve
function. Massage, stretching, proper conditioning, veterinary chiropractic and
an understanding of physiology help you provide effective coaching to bring out
the best in your canine athlete.
The mental aspects of jumping include an understanding of the task, a
systematic refinement of the dog’s understanding, and the dog’s emotional
state. The typical "problem" jumper presented to me has only a rough
concept of what jumping is about; translated from dog it might be just this:
"hurl your body over that obstacle." That’s a pretty basic level of
understanding, and the equivalent of saying that driving a car means stepping on
the gas.
The dog must also learn to lengthen or shorten his stride length, gauge jump
height and width, handle diagonal or awkward approaches, moderate his speed (up
or down) according to the footing or previous/subsequent obstacles, and perhaps
do all that while also carrying something in his mouth (a seemingly simple task
that actually has profound impact on the dog’s jumping style). Just as
children first learn their alphabet and then individual words before they can
read entire sentences, paragraphs and books, dogs need to learn jumping in a way
that allows them to learn the basics before putting it all together. In addition
to building the dog’s understanding, a systematic approach that progressively
refines the dog’s skills has the added benefits of building confidence and
physically conditioning the dog’s body.
The dog’s emotional state is often overlooked as a critical component of
athletic performance. Emotions have a profound impact on our bodies, as any
competitor knows. It is one thing to give a smooth performance in a familiar
setting; it is quite another to coordinate mind and body under the stress of
competition. Our dogs are no different, yet we sometimes to fail to take into
account the degree to which the dog’s emotional state can impact his athletic
performance. No matter how physically sound or thoroughly trained, a dog who is
fearful, confused, overwhelmed or even overly excited will not be able to use
his body to its fullest.
Mechanical causes for jumping problems include footing, visual aspects, the
sequences of obstacles before or after a jump, and the actual space available to
the dog before, after and between jumps. Soft, deep and/or slippery footing
makes jumping difficult and potentially dangerous for the dog. What may seem
reasonable footing to us may not be reasonable for a jumping dog. Canine vision
is different from our own, and the dog views the jumps from a very different
perspective. Lighting, background, shadows and/or the shape/color of the jump
itself can make jumping more difficult. For the agility dog, where a jump
appears in a sequence of obstacles can make jumping more difficult, especially
if there are turns or changes of direction involved. Spacing of jumps is
critical, as even a medium sized dog moving fast can require 16-20' between
jumps; yet handlers and judges often fail to appreciate how spacing can add to
the dog’s jumping difficulties.
Humane training is not simply a matter of kind, motivational techniques.
Humane training begins with an understanding of and respect for your dog’s
abilities and limitations. Jumping is physically and mentally demanding, yet -
distanced as we are from the actual workings of our dogs’ bodies - we
sometimes forget how much we are asking when we point and say, "Over!"
Hopefully, this series will encourage handlers to think critically about the
complex skill of jumping, about various training techniques, and to learn more
in order to keep their dogs safe and sound.
Read all in this series:
Why Fluffy Can't Go Hup |
Can
or Can't? |
I
Think I Can! | Just
Right Jumping
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FROM BARN FIRE
to BARN OF JOY: St. Patrick's Day 2004, our barn burned to the ground,
taking with it our beloved
pig Charlotte, turkey Mabel, cats Dudley & Jessie and many chickens and turkeys
did not escape. ( Please
click here for details.) The incredible outpouring of support from
all directions has humbled and staggered us - we are truly blessed. The
new barn that stands now is the barn that love built, and includes a room for
seminars & training so that the love that made this possible can be passed along
for years to come. Thank you for
your support & patience during this difficult time. - Suzanne & John