Training Tip Tuesday – Basic Bum Strength with the Bar

Wow what a huge day it was yesterday! Our Marketing Monday post which was a bit of a marketing case study from our perspective on One Mind Dogs went ballistic. The guys over at One Mind Dogs were interested in what we wrote and shared it. Now feeling the pressure to back up on the Training Tip Tuesday.

One of the great things that came out of the comments and discussions yesterday was the idea that dog training, and a lot of things really, can be a bit like cooking. Yep you need to understand what the fundamental ingredients are but once you do than you can adjust to suit your own tastes. In the case of dog training it is about what works for you and your dog as a team.

So while mum & I are enjoying the One Mind Dogs philosophy and the funky moves it is all kinda lost on an agility course unless I clear the bars. Hence the last couple of weeks our Training Tip Tuesdays have been a journal of going back to the basics on rear end awareness, bum strength and jumping foundations. A lot of this stuff is based on Linda Mecklenburg Jumping Foundations, which also shows that while you might be interested in a particular style of handling there are also a lot of benefits from being aware of what else is out there and how it might assist you. This is one such case.

We started off with doing some really basic exercises from her book while we were on our recent holiday. Besides reading the book we also found this great little clip on YouTube. (If you are in Australia you can order the book through Game On Dogs). These was great to get me used to not doing a huge run up and pushing off my front legs.

So today’s Training Tip builds on last week’s Recalls on the Flat. It is time to bring in the jump. Here are a couple of exercises which you might note are a bit similar to the recall on flat but the jump is in there too:

Basic Jump: put us dogs on one side of the jump about the same distance out as what the jump is high. Tell us to sit-stay and then go to the other side standing parallel again about the bar height out (picture an arc). Your closest foot should be back. Oh forgot the important part… treat! Have the treat in the hand closest to the jump while being very clear with stay (yeah right) put your hand (and treat) over the top of the bar towards our nose. Release (we use “break”) and with a smooth (yes smooth… not jerky mum… jerky = bar down)  movement bring your hand (with the food) down beside your leg and simultaneously  bring your legs together. Keeping the treat down low too helps at keeping head down and bum up over the bar too. It sounds a bit complicated but much easier when you try it. Basically just that Part Collection Recall from last week , me doing a 90 degree turn, but with less distance and a jump in the way.

270 Jump: this one is really just the same idea as the basic except you put us dogs parallel (on the outer edge of the jump) and you stand perpendicular to the bar (about jump height out). Hand and leg closest go back towards the bar and on the release you bring them together with treat in hand closest and keeping it low (remember head down = bum up).

Slice: this time we are both parallel. Us dogs on one side and you handlers on the other “corner” of the jump. Same routine of release, bring closest / rear foot together with arm closest to the bar having food and coming in beside the leg.

These are hard work on the bum muscles so you really only want to do a couple of these at a time and then have a play. Seriously 1 of each on both sides (important to keep those sides equal… very Pilates from mum).

Being a bit slack on the video camera we have found a clip on YouTube which shows the basic.… just a couple of things to note is that we tend to be closer to the jump (really forces me to use those bum muscles) and also, like the recall on the flat, you want to keep the bum tucked in at the landing and not going out at an angle. When we get it right lots of cheers, excitement and treats please.

Another Tuesday Training that is a bit more of our serious agility Training Tips 1st World Dog Style (as well as sharing with you guys we use the blog as a way to collect all the things that we learn) but hopefully you find them still fun and also good mental stimulation. There are plenty of other fun things to try over on the Training Tips page so be sure to check them out and if you take videos or photos of you doing any of them be sure to send them over.

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Have fun Oooo