Archive for October 13th, 2011
We are often asked, “How many jumps should I start?” You can never have too many single jumps to practice agility. A good starting point is four jumps. This is the minimum number of hops is recommended.
You can teach a variety of skills, drills and exercises with four jumps. Four jumps will allow you to work on a short jump chute or jump grid. You can set up a “box” with their jumps and practice handling, collection, and 270 degree jumps. You can teach your dog jumping left and right. You may be out of the box and send your dog or you can drive from inside the box. The jumps can be configured in a horizontal line, so you can practice serpentines and threadles.
Go a step further and get eight jumps. Now you can create two boxes with one introductory jump. Now that has increased its exercises you can practice with your dog. Their networks jump can be recommended size and the number of jumps. You can also set the jumps in a circle with jump bars perpendicular to the circle or the circumference of the circle. This pattern also allows you to train a variety of skills.
Your next consideration is a double jump and triple jump. You could set two or three jumps pushed together to make your expanded jump, but double and triple jump in their course work is really valuable to practice. We have seen many dogs have a clean course and the last obstacle, a triple and the dog is not ready for it, and bang, down comes the bar.
You really can be ahead of the rest and has two sets of eight jumps. This is the latest in training because they can keep a jump grip at all times that is separate from your course work, and have eight single jumps to have for course work. And when you include the doubles and triples, they can actually practice all the skills needed to jump and you exercise the “Q”.
