This blog is about how to teach a Cairn Terrier jumping for agility. Often we are asked, “How many jumps should I start with?” You can’t ever have enough single jumps to practice agility. A suitable starting place is 4 jumps. This is the fewest number of jumps suggested.
How to Teach the Cairn Terrier to jump: Begin with Four
You can teach a Cairn Terrier many exercises, drills, and skills with four jumps. 4 jumps will let you develop on a short jump chute or jump grid. You can setup a “box” with your jumps and practice handling, collection, and 270 degree jumps. You can teach your Cairn Terrier jumping left and right. You can be out of the box and send your Cairn Terrier or you can handle from the inside of the box. Your jumps can be positioned in a lateral row, so that you could practice threadles and serpentines.
Teach a Cairn Terrier 8 Jumps
Go to the next step and practice eight jumps. Now you can setup two boxes with 1 starter jump. You’ve now increased your exercises that you can practice with your Cairn Terrier. Your jump grids can be of recommended size and quantity of jumps. You could also setup the jumps in a circle with the jump bars perpendicular to the circle or on the perimeter of the circle. This pattern also allows you to train a variety of drills.
Teaching a Cairn Terrier Double and Triple Jumps
The next level is a double jump and a triple jump. You could chain two or three solo jumps together to make your expanded jump, however having double and triple jumps in your course work is especially beneficial to work on. We’ve seen several Cairn Terriers run a clean course and the final obstacle is a triple and the Cairn Terrier is not prepared to do it, and bang, down comes the bar.
Don’t forget to check out these other articles about Cairn Terriers.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 🙂
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