Jump Up

We have been watching people grab their pups in mid air at disc dog competitions and agility trials since we started watching them and always loved it.  So we figured we’d train it and see how it turned out.

The whole process started with a chair and took about 3 weeks.  We started with calling her up to our lap, simple enough right?  Sit in a chair and say up (or whatever command you want to use) and tap your chest.  I think the chest tap is important.  You may start by tapping your lap because you’re sitting, then when you get to the standing part, you’re tapping your chest and it looks like a new request to your dog.

The up on the lap when sitting behavior should be simple to train.  While the dog is on your lap, practice picking them up across your chest in a position that’s comfortable for both you and your dog.  Do this for about a week so both you and your dog are comfortable with the holding.

Next ask your dog for the same behavior while standing – tap your chest and give the command (up, jump…).  Most likely, your dog will put their feet up on you and reach up rather than jump.  Reach down and pick up your dog and hold them in the position you practiced while sitting – essentially recreating the jump slowly.  Your dog will start to hop with encouragement.  Take your time with this stage.  You want to create trust and fun – not failure or stress.  It helped for us to bend our knees just slightly to offer a sort of step for Lilli to jump up on.

Finally, once you and your dog are both comfortable with the hopping and holding, step up the excitement and ask for a full jump with the same command.  For Lilli, one day she was in full play mode and we asked for the “UP!” with lots of fun and excitement and she ran all the way across the room and scaled up our legs and almost jumped right over our shoulders.  We spend the next 10 minutes or so proofing (or reinforcing) the behavior so it was a comfortable jump for her and a safe and comfortable catch for us.

This is now Lilli’s favorite trick and she’ll leap on us from 10 feet away and almost knock us over.  It’s great fun and very impressive for others to see.  Remember that safety of your dog comes first, any vaulting trick can cause serious injury to your dog.  Take your time and have fun!