Dog trainers - settle a disagreement please!

[gritsar]

We are considering purchasing an agility set for our older GSD Jax. Jax thrives on praise and accomplishment. Right now he is using our GS's playset as his jungle gym/agility set.

The set we are looking at includes a closed tunnel, an open tunnel, weave poles, a ring jump and a single bar jump. It's the single bar jump that DH takes exception with. He says that encouraging and praising Jax for jumping the single bar would be like telling him it's okay to jump the fence. I say Jax is certainly smart enough to know the diffence. Who's right?

As a side note, in the house Jax has learned to bring us things we ask for (including sodas), pick up things I have dropped, and help me up when I fall (which is pretty often). To my mind there's nothing this dog can't learn if he sets his mind to it.

 

[lorieMN]

jax is smart enough to know the difference...all my agility dogs will stay in a 3 foot high x-pen ..agility is a great way to get better OB on dogs,and let them run and be crazy,in a controlled way at the same time..I think it is a great idea..if you dont plan on showing him and to please hubby just dont use the jumps..

 

[Brindlebtch]

Jax will know the difference.

He might test it to see if YOU know the difference, but believe me, HE does. None of my dogs will go over a fence and they do single bar jumps on a regular basis. My dogs are smart enough, and I know your dogs are smart enough, to understand situational training and can tell the difference between a bar jump and a fence.

 

[BC_Farms]

Just make sure when you do it with him you have a routine and the bar stays within the "agility area"....not just tell him to randomly jump over the bar. I don't think you should have any problems though.

 

[gritsar]

That's what I thought.

I should have mentioned that we didn't teach or encourage Jax to use GS's playset. Jax just thinks it's great fun to climb the steps and slide down the slide, all the while playing king of the mountain with Kane. Plus I think he misses our GS, who has moved away. Jax likes to listen to GS's voice on the phone, but it isn't the same as having a little boy to play with.

 

[sourland]

I'll guarantee you that he misses the GS. Part of his pack is missing. He also will remember the GS and welcome him when they meet again. Being a GSD, I'm betting Jax knows how to get over the fence any time he wants to. He also knows he is not supposed to do so and he complies. (If in his judgement he feels that he needs to jump out. Protection of family or whatever, he will do so. That's the beauty of the breed.) Teaching him agility and how to jump will not encourage him to jump the fence. He will be jumping the bar on command. It will be great fun for all of you and a good way for him to burn off excess energy. Go for it. Disclaimer, if he starts jumping the fence, I accept no responsibility.

 

[IcarusSomnio]

I agree with above posters, dogs KNOW the difference between the fence and the jumps.

My Dane cross girl still prefers to bounce over the chain link fence versus using the gate. At first she jumped willy-nilly, then I really cracked down on her about it, now she only jumps if I ask her to heel when I'm on the other side of the fence (the gate can be WIDE OPEN and she still does it, silly dog).

Now if she sees a rabbit...thats a completely different story. But, she's learning

 

[ShrekDawg]

I agree with the others, dogs KNOW the difference between the bar jump and the fence, and Jax is a smart dog so I'm sure he will know the difference too, but like some one else said, he may test you at first to see if YOU know but HE will most certainly know the difference. plus he's doing it on command and in a set area, not just willy nilly, so im sure he'll understand the difference. so I say go for it! its a great way to release energy but in a controlled way, plus its really fun and great exercise, as well as a great way to bond and Jax seems like the type of dog who would enjoy it, he's smart, seems athletic, already kind of does "agility" on GS's playset so I think he'd love it, so I say most definately go for it, he'll the difference, and I doubt youll regret it! go for it! good luck!

 

[welsummerchicks]

I think your question came up over some misunderstandings of how dogs think and learn.

One day the dog trainer I worked with, pulled this one on us.

For weeks, we had been working our pups on recalls. We'd walk 35 feet away, turn and call our dogs. There were about 20 dogs in the class.

He had us to just as we always did, then he called out, to every handler, to switch places with a handler on the other side of the training room. Our dogs stay in the same positions, we switch with someone on the other side of the room. We are NO LONGER STANDING ACROSS FROM OUR OWN DOG.

Then he starts shouting one after the other, CALL YOUR DOG!

I had already done recalls outside from a lot of angles and positions and even around corners and from a hidden position, but even my dog had to be double called and got up, then stood there for a little while with her paw up, looking confused, but being a sight hound she was already kind of looking for a visual target - me. She STILL had this look on her face like, criminy, what a pickle.

All others went in a totally straight line and did a perfect sit in front of the NEW person standing directly in front of him!

I tell you the place was a madhouse. People were yelling, 'No, that's not possible!' 'My dog wouldn't do that!' And even though almost every doggone dog did EXACTLY the same thing! LOL!

NO ONE believed it, even when they had seen it with their own eyes!

But we all learned something...the DOG does not see what he is learning exactly the same way the human does! The human sees it in a human way.

So will your dog ever jump out the yard fence? Well, he still might. A she dog in heat might be prancing around on the other side of the fence, or a bunny.

But it probably won't be because he thinks what you are teaching him is that it's ok to jump out of his yard. He's going to see the training differently from the human.