Teaching Jump when catching things

[smileyzookie]

Hi everyone.

 

My dearest Riven is a clever lazy girl lol. She will run for the ball, sits where it will land and catch it while on her hind feet, front feet barely off the ground. She very veeeeeeery rarely jumps for it, and if she does its about 2 inches lol. She is old enough to jump and the vet checked her out and said she's ok. She can jump HIGH in the air if I literally hold the ball over her, she will jump. She will Jump on command. Now, knowing all this how can I get her to jump to catch a ball?

[RaisingRiver]

I was just thinking about this same thing the other day.... how do I tell River to leap up to catch the frisbee. Right now she catches it leaping off the ground but not high nor spectacularly. (maybe it's how I throw it) But curiously I was wondering how people teach their dogs to jump in those really high leaps to catch it.

 

River knows how to 'catch' a mini tennis ball. She faces me and catches it in the air while standing on the ground or lifting off front feet (like Riven I suppose). She knows the command for catch means I want her to do that as opposed to let it hit the ground and chase it. I was thinking I could throw the frisbee and at the appropriate time say 'catch' and hopefully she would try to snatch it out of the air, rather then to wait til it is almost to the ground.

 

Seems logical to me, but I'm sure someone has a tried and true way

 

With Riven, one thing stands out. Apparently you need to throw whatever it is faster then Riven can get there so she doesn't have time to set up the catch she's doing. And or, have her stay, throw then release her so she can't have a head start.

[Kat's Dogs]

Dazzle will (or tries) to catch anything you throw, actually it is quite annoying if you try to do a really long throw and she just jumps up and catches the toy about 5 fee from you.

 

For her all I did what start with a frisbee, and while I had it in my hand - and I was moving - and I encouraged her to catch it (from my hand) then I could just move my hand up, and she would run for it and catch it. eventually move your hand up so she would JUMP to catch it. then we graduated to the same thing except I would throw the frisbee in place right before she could catch it. then I would actually throw the disc farther and farther, praising for catches. I found a video that showed this basic thing but I have the link on a different computer. I will see if I can find it...

 

anyway, that is how I did it and it worked. Although I still can't get the Shih Tzus to catch anything!

[Cheri McDonald]

My Rocket Briar Rose

 

I started by putting Briar in a down close to me and throwing the ball or fisbee right above her head. We graduated to higher and further throws. And now I have a rocket for a dog.

 

She will now down herself at times when she wants the jumping throws.

[Kassies mom]

Cheri, that is such an awesome picture.

[Carson Crazies]

Per Becca's instruction, I started with June in front of me (facing me) with a whole hand full of discs. I would turn them vertical in front of me and toss them straight up in the air between June's ears. She in turn would begin to jump straight up, twist in the air, and come down. Looks something like these:

 

 

 

When she became proficient at that I taught her an "around" command, do run around me. As she cleared behind me I'd throw, and now she tracks down the disc and jumps to catch it. The front exercises really improved her eye/mouth coordination too. Watching her do that also makes people ooh and ahh.

[Maizy]

Something else to consider is the way the dogs lands. I watched a frisbee demonstration one time that emphasized trying to land on all 4 feet so not to add additional pressure to joints by landing on 2 feet.

 

To do this, she showed a way to teach it that I then taught Keegan and he is pretty good about.

 

You sit down on the ground with your legs out in front of you. I put Keegan to the left or right of my legs then held the frisbee in the opposite hand from where he was sitting. I told him "over" (which is our jump command in agility). He leapt off of all feet and took the frisbee and landed on all four feet. You can then stand and have them jump over an extended leg like this as well. It also translated to us for jumping for a frisbee except for when I toss it too high!!!!

[smileyzookie]

Are there any sort of warm ups or something so they dont hurt themselves? I just really want her to do the Briar and June jump lol but I dont want to hurt her in the process.

[fooshuman]

Smiley just make sure she stretches before hand. You can teach them a stretch command pretty easily, everytime you see her stretch just say a command and praise! Foo picked it up in a few days.

 

You can also rub her belly and lightly stretch her that way as well.