Until recently, teaching the broad jump exercise was my least favorite part of open obedience work. It was the one open exercise that took each of my open dogs almost a year to understand completely.
For years, the way I began the broad jump exercise was by running with my dog (on lead) over the jumps, and then having the dog do recalls over the jumps. During these recalls, I gradually worked my way (step-by-step) around to the side of the jump. It seems easy, but at some point every one of my dogs would avoid the jumps and come directly to me. I would then have to back up and start all over again. It has been a challenge to help my dogs understand the exercise without taking so long to teach it.
Several years ago I started using baby gates as guides in teaching the broad jump. The baby gates helped, but when they were removed, the dogs were confused and the broad jump still took too long to teach.
Last year, when I was getting ready to start open training with my two current obedience Bassets, I thought about how I could make this exercise easier and faster for then to learn. I thought about the problems I had had with this exercise in the past and realized that one problem was that the dog was looking at me instead of focusing on the jumps. So, I decided to use a goody reward with a visual aid to help my dogs learn to focus on the jumps instead of on me. The visual aid which I decided to use (and it could be almost anything) was a plastic margarine container, turned upside down and placed approximately eight feet beyond the broad jump board.
Another problem I've had is teaching the dog (especially long-bodied dogs) where the correct front position is on this exercise. I learned how to solve this problem from a friend who is confined to a wheelchair. He uses guides made of 3/4-i.nch PVC pipe as a chute to teach his dog where the front position is in beginning obedience. I decided to apply this to open exercises.
I bought enough 3/4-irich pipe to cut into two 4-foot, eight 5-inch and four 6-inch sections. I also bought eight end caps, four elbows and four "T" sections to fit the pipe. I assembled and glued the 4-foot sections to elbows at each end, then attached (without gluing) the 6-inch sections into the open ends of the elbows. Next, I glued each of the eight 5-inch sections into the straight bottom sections of the T's, while gluing the end caps on the ends of the 5-inch sections. I then inserted the 6-inch sections into the top part of the T.
I did not glue the 6-inch sections to either the elbow or the T because I wanted to be able to change lengths of pipe if needed. I also wanted to be able to swivel the bottom T-shaped support section for use either as a guide or to be placed between the broad jump boards. One guide placed between the boards can be used to add lift to the dog's jumping.
With a hand saw and epoxy glue I built my own set of portable light-weight guides for less than $10. The pictures with this column show you how I use the visual aid and the guides and how easy it is for the dog to figure out what is involved in this exercise.
I am not advocating that the aids be used the first time the dog sees the broad jump. You need to start a new open dog out by running and jumping (but not jerking) with him on lead so that he learns that he has to -jump over and not walk around the boards. The next step is to do recalls over the jumps. Once the dog understands that he must jump both boards, he is ready to have the visual aid and guides introduced.
I begin using the aids by having the dog sit in position in front of the jumps at least eight feet from the boards. I tell the dog to stay and walk over to the margarine container and place a contrasting piece of food on top of it. Since the container I use is light yellow, I use a dark piece of food so that the dog can see it easily. Then I step between the guides facing the jump and tell my dog, "Over."
After the dog has jumped and is eating the goody off the container, I call his name to get his attention and show him that I have another goody in my hand. I then use my hands to show him how to find his way between the guides and to the perfect front position. I give him the goody and tell him, "Good." When you try this, you will probably only have to call his name for attention a few times before he will automatically come to you after he eats the goody off the visual aid.
The first time that my new open Bassets were introduced to the aid with the goody on it they jumped the boards straight and ran to got their goody. However, if your dog runs around the jump, you may not have spent enough time doing recalls over the jump. I did have to help my dogs figure out how to find the opening to the chute created by the guides. One of my Bassets was having so much trouble that I put a barrier up on either side of the guides so that there was only one place for him to walk to get to me. I used the barriers for a few weeks and then removed them and he has not had a problem since.
I like using the guides because it teaches the dog to start to look for the front position before he gets to me. Also, with the Basset's long body, the front can be straight while the rear can be off to one side. When the Bassets start to sit at an angle, they feel the guide and move their rear over in line with their front. Thus the Bassets learn not only to find the front position with their heads but with their rears as well.
After the dog has been jumping the broad jump confidently for a month or two, you can start to wean the dog off the visual aid by occasionally not putting a goody out. You can decrease the number of times you use the goody on the visual aid until the dog is jumping the boards with no goody at all, but with the visual aid still in place. If at any time he starts to cut the jumps to the right, go back to the visual aid again for a short time. Eventually you will remove the visual aid altogether.
However, you will probably still want to use the guides for some time. After using the guides for several months, I started removing them for one or two jumps each training session. What I have discovered is that the fronts on the first couple of jumps without the guides are straight but if I continue without them, the fronts start to deteriorate. When this happens, I bring back the guides and realign the fronts again.
As you have probably guessed, I use the guides on all exercises that require a front position. The recall, retrieve on the flat and the retrieve over the high jump are excellent places to employ the guides so that the dog learns where the front position is on all exercises.
One important point to remember is that if the dog has trouble finding the opening to the chute, it simply means that he is waiting too long to look for the front position. You can help him by using a barrier on either side of the guides so that he does not make a mistake. In the beginning, when I was practicing at home in the driveway, I used two trash cans placed on either side of the guides and that seemed to help. You can use almost anything. Later I purchased two orange highway cones for use as posts in the figure eight and started using them as portable barriers when I trained away from home. After a few weeks, the dog will not need the barriers.
As in all areas of learning, the dog will need time, patience and a kind hand before he understands what is expected of him. If he receives this, you will more than likely have a happy confident dog who enjoys being and working with you.
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