This article is about teaching the Groenendael jumping for agility. We are often asked, “What number of jumps should I start with?” You can never have enough solo jumps to learn agility. One good starting point is four jumps. This is the fewest count of jumps that we recommend.
How to Teach a Groenendael to jump: Begin with Four
You can teach the Groenendael a number of skills, drills, and exercises with four jumps. 4 jumps will allow you to work on a short jump chute or jump grid. You can position a “box” with your jumps and work on collection, handling, and 270 degree jumps. You can teach your Groenendael jumping right and left. You could be outside the box and send your Groenendael or you can handle from within the box. Your jumps can be setup in a horizontal line, so you could practice serpentines and threadles.
Teach a Groenendael 8 Jumps
Take the next step and practice 8 jumps. Now you can position 2 boxes with one starter jump. You’ve now multiplied the number of routines that you can try with your Groenendael. Your jump grids can be of typical size and number of jumps. You can also position the jumps in a circle with the jump bars normal to the circle or on the circumference of the circle. This pattern also enables you to work on a variety of drills.
Teach Your Groenendael Double and Triple Jumps
The next step is a double jump and a triple jump. You can set 2 or three single jumps together to make your expanded jump, however having double and triple jumps in your course work is really beneficial to practice. We’ve seen many Groenendaels run a clean course and the final obstacle is a triple and the Groenendael is not prepared to do it, and bang, down comes the bar.
Don’t forget to check out these other articles about Groenendaels.Was this post helpful? If so, please take a minute to Tweet and Share below on Facebook. I would also love to know your thoughts so leave me a comment 🙂
Follow