Trisha,
How old is Abby? If she is developed enough (different people have
different ideas about what age that my be and different dogs develop at
different rates) than you can start moving the bar height up. I would also
consider the surface that will be at the match or trial or whatever. Also
consider Abby's jumping style. Does she come down hard or does she jump
very smoothly? Jumping is much harder on the front than the rear,
generally. Also think about your dog's conditioning. Does she just lie
about or is she very active?
I have been competing in agility for a while but have just started my
Berner in trials. And he's jumping at the preferred height which is 20"
until he's a bit older and I'm happier with his jumping style. That's a
great option to have for the young dog, the old dog and the heavy, clumsy
dog. I don't think that I'll ever run him on a hard, indoor surface at full
height but hope to be able to go to 24" on grass. At this time I'm put him
over a couple of 24" jumps a couple of times a week to help him learn to
jump with a bit more clearance. I'm doing that through the snow,
unfortunately. For additional conditioning I have been encouraging Boomer
to chase my Aussie, Barney in order to get Boomer into shape. He really
turned into a slug this winter as it's too cold for me to spend more than
ten minutes outside (Reynaud's Syndrome). Since I started that training
regimen, Boomer's been clearing the bars again. Conditioning is very
important. It's also wise to cross-train. That means that you don't do the
jumps, weaves, or A-frame every day. All of these are hard on out of
condition muscles and even strain the well-conditioned dog.
Claudia Brydon in NW PA
Barney OA NAJ (Aussie)
Boomer (Bernese Mountain Dog)
Mo (Gordon Setter Granddog)
----- Original Message -----
From: "Trisha Powell" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Sunday, February 16, 2003 10:46 AM
Subject: Agility and Jumps
> I have been taking agility lessons at an all breed
> club for the last 6 months. Abby is doing great, in
> fact, kicking the little white socks off the
> Australian Shepard! We're really having a blast! I
> would like to do some fun matches or perhaps try a
> competition. The only issue I see is that we
> routinely jump 16" or less in class. She was measured
> to jump at the highest setting (24" I believe). We're
> never jump at 20" yet either. I would love to hear
> what others do with their Berners. I'd like to
> compete, but I do not want to do any damage to bones
> or joints either.
> Thanks for the advice!
> Trisha and Abby
> Wisconsin, where our only outdoor jumping practice is
> over snowbanks!
>
>
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