Saturday, June 20, 2015

Skill: 4 Feet In an Object


Skill: 4 Feet in an object
Benefits:  Increased proprioception, increased balance, increased range of motion
Sports applications: Obedience-directed jumping/retrieves, Agility-body awareness
Safety: This is a fairly safe exercise, but be sure to check the edges and bottom of the object to be sure they won’t scrape, cut, or otherwise injure your dog.
How to train: Start with a large object that has sides just tall enough that your dog has to step over them to get into the object. Reinforce for any interaction with the object including things such as head into box, one foot in, or pawing at it. Gradually increase your criteria until your dog is getting all four feet in the object without hesitation. You can now increase the difficulty by decreasing the size of the object or increasing the height of the sides.
Advanced Version: Send your dog to specific objects from a distance. This is a great way to practice directing your dog to a specific location.
Find objects that move. This can be things with wheels or something that tips when the dog gets into it. This is a great foundation for teeter work.



Practice obedience exercises in the objects such as sit, down, stand or spin.

Monday, June 15, 2015

Skill: 4 Feet On




Skill: Jumping on Objects: Dog jumps on walls, logs, rocks, benches, posts
Benefits: Increased muscular strength and proprioception,  increased confidence, increased ability to work with distractions
Other sports applications:  Agility- Table, Jumping, A-frame; Obedience-directed jumping, sit, down, stand; Flyball-jumping, box turns; Barn Hunt-Straw bale climb.
How to train: Find a low sturdy object. Mid forearm to elbow height is a good starting point, it is tall enough that the dogs see it as an obstacle, but not so tall that it is intimidating. Reward any paw interaction, shape the behavior until your dog will put all four paws on the object. Don’t worry about your dog jumping at first, as the object gets taller and you approach it with more speed, your dog will make the transition from walking onto the object to jumping onto it.  Gradually increase the height of the object, while always working within the comfort level of your dog.  As always, work with your dog with a variety of objects.
Safety: Always spot your dog, be ready to catch him or provide assistance if needed. Let your dog choose to perform the behavior, and then reward. Lift your dog down from the wall or find an alternative route down if jumping above dog’s shoulder height.
Advanced Version: Train your dog to jump onto small diameter objects! These require quite a bit of precision and will take time. Make sure to start low and spot your dog. Also, be sure it is of a diameter that your dog can balance on when not jumping to it!
Send your dog to jump onto specific objects. Practice left and right.



Practice obedience exercises on the object: sit, down, spin, stand.

Saturday, June 13, 2015

Dog Parkour Benefits

 Here are some benefits we have seen of dog parkour, with cute pictures of course.



Physically and Mentally Demanding
Sports Foundation


Increased Coordination

Increased Focus

Increased confidence

Increased Strength

Adjustable for dogs of all ages


Improvement of Behavior Problems

Improvement of Obedience Skills


Individually tailored


Increased Problem Solving Skills
FUN!!!!!!



Friday, June 12, 2015

Dog Parkour: What is it and why should we join class?


What is dog parkour (Urban agility)?

Parkour is a physical discipline in which individuals move through their environment and conquer obstacles in their path. It includes climbing, balancing, jumping, running, vaulting, creativity and working past fear. So what is dog parkour? Dog parkour, sometimes known as urban agility, is an activity based on the same principles. It is a challenging but fun physical activity in which the dogs learn to interact with their environment. Just like in the human version, in dog parkour class we work on ways to conquer obstacles, such as climbing, balancing, and jumping.




What do we do?
This class is always different! We meet at different parks every week and focus on different skills depending on the setup of the park.  Skills learned may include balancing on logs, walls, rocks, or benches, jumping over objects, standing or placing two paws on objects that move,  going under, around or climbing on objects. What we do varies each week and is tailored to the needs of the individual dogs in the class.
What dogs and handlers this class best suitable for?

Dogs should have basic obedience skills such as sit, down, walking on leash and something resembling a recall.  Taking at least one basic obedience class before coming to dog parkour is highly recommended. Keep in mind classes are held in a park setting, so there may be other dogs, running children, bikes or other distractions present. This is a great opportunity to work with distractions around, but the environment may be too over stimulating for some dogs.  

Dogs should be in good health and able to perform simple physical skills such as climbing stairs and going on ½ - 1 mile walks. Class is tailored to each dog, so old dogs, young dogs, and dogs with physical limitations are welcome to come play too!

Class moves around a lot, so handlers will need to be able to walk ½ - 1 mile. Some bending and kneeling may be needed in order to teach your dog specific skills (Handlers we can tailor class to your physical needs too! And don’t worry you don’t have to do parkour in this class).

Why will my dog benefit?
You and your dog will have the opportunity to work as a team and have fun in a new and sometimes difficult environment. Interacting with the environment will increase your dog’s confidence, ability to problem solve, and ability to work with distractions present. This class is a great foundation for agility or other dogs sports and is also an excellent way to work on things such as teeter fears outside of agility class. It can be a physically and mentally demanding activity, so is excellent for conditioning (and wearing out!) your dog. It is also a  fun activity to do with your dog without the pressure that comes with some competitive sports.

Who teaches it?



Karin Coyne and Abigail Curtis DVM teach dog parkour. They are the founders of Adventure Unleashed, and the Ohio Teen Dog Experience, an overnight camp for teens and their dogs. In addition to running dog camp and teaching for nine years they have also both been training for parkour for 4 years, giving them what they like to call “parkour vision,” seeing creative ways to use their environment that they didn’t realize before being introduced to parkour!

Wednesday, June 3, 2015

Skill: Long Balance


Skill: Balance: dog walks across narrow curbs, walls, logs or boards
Benefits: Increased proprioception and body awareness, improved confidence, increased ability to work with distractions, and increased core strength.
Other sports applications:  Agility-dog walk;  Obedience-heeling, rear end control; Flyball-box turns.
Safety: Always spot your dog, be ready to catch him or provide assistance if needed. Let your dog choose to perform the behavior, and then reward. Be aware and prepared for the fact that some dogs (like some people!) seem to be afraid of heights and might panic and jump off unexpectedly after a certain elevation. Lift your dog down from the wall or find an alternative route down if you’re balancing above your dog’s shoulder height.
How to train:
Find a low, wide wall that your dog can easily get onto. Start with a wall about mid-leg height and at least twice as wide as your dog. Have your dog walk across, reward frequently.   Gradually decrease the width of the wall.  If needed, shape the behavior of four paws on the object and start with a ramp-like object.. Start in a low distraction environment and click and treat for any paw interaction with the object.
Work at low heights when the width is challenging for your dog.  Include a variety of surfaces, such as logs, metal, and concrete walls. Have your dog balance during the day and at night, in  all weather conditions, and at a variety of places.
Separately train balance at higher heights, only working your dog on a wall width that he can consistently balance on at low heights.



Advanced Version: Train your dog to balance on rails. Teach your dog to back up on narrow walls. Balance over your head height (REMEMBER your safety rules!)