DOG TRAINERS! i have a question about working with my dog!?

Question

my dog, hannah, is a very very skilled dog. she is very athletic and loves to run. she knows a lot of tricks and i am still working on her training. hannah is a golden lab mix, and she is quite small for her breed, with long legs and a slim body. i am working on getting her to jump over jumps, except she always goes around the jump and not over it. this probaly sounds silly because thats what happens when you start to train them, they just don't go right over the jumps. hannah loves to jump and run so i thought why not teach her some real jumps? so i have a small coarse set up in my back yard that i have been working with her on for about 40 minutes (again, i know it takes time to learn these things, but it seems its not sinking in on her that she should go over the jumps.) i give her treats everytime because i don't want to discourage her, but how do i encourage her when she is doing something wrong? so how do i get her to go over the jumps and not around them??? thanks
horsegrl107

Answer 1

start with your jump pole on the floor between the wings,
once shes doing that right and not going round the wings raise them about 2 inches off the floor, again once she has worked that going over gets the treat , praise and affection, raise the pole again. Keep doing this until she is at the height she should be jumping.

The golden rule is to make it fun and never over do it. 40 mins is too long especially as shes getting it wrong.
Start doing only 10 minutes twice a day and leave it about a week or longer between moving the pole height.

Joining an agility club would be best as they are trained to help you and give you all the pointers you'll need.

when Hannah gets it wrong , don't talk to her or touch her, lure her back to where she needs to be and try again. Only give attention and fuss, treats when shes done something good.

I know the last bit works as my dog mickey made a great thing of doing it wrong just so he would get attention from me, now i've learnt to ignore him he tries harder to please

Answer 2

First you start with your dog on a leash, second you do not start with the actual jump but rather with the jump on the ground..you lead her over and at the same time say something like "over" as she gets comfortable with that and learns what you mean you raise it a bit off the ground..no more then a couple of inches..and take her over again using the command..you keep doing this gradually raising to the required height..this should be done over the couse of time not all in one day..make all training sessions positive and always end on a good note.
I suggest looking around to see if there are any agility classes near you..sounds like your dog may enjoy this type of activity.

Answer 3

try holding a treat in your hand and put it on the other side of the jump, then tell your dog go jump over or whatever comand you use and raise the treat a bit so she can see it, even an attempt at jumping over should be rewarded.
also, try lowering the jumps so that she can just get used to jumping over something.
be patient and have fun