Old Trainer: How to show your dog to jump on command — and have fun while doing it

Dear Old Trainer: I saw an Australian Shepherd jump over her human’s arm on command. I’d love to teach Nick, my 5-year-old Boxer to do that. Can Boxers learn to jump on command and how hard is it to teach?

Anna, Denver, Colorado

Old Trainer: Boxers are superb athletes, so Nick can jump over your head if you teach him how to do it.

Training a dog to jump on command is easy. All you need is a hula hoop and a narrow passage you construct by moving two chairs about 18 inches apart. Walk through the passage, hold the bottom of the hula hoop on the ground in the opening and call Nick through it.

Nick doesn’t care what word you use for the trick, so pick one easy to remember. I use “hoop” with my dogs and give it a guttural, drill sergeant sound. Pet Nick and brag on him when he comes to you. All he has to learn the first couple of lessons is that when he walks through the hoop, you love on him.

Take a break from training after a few minutes, but repeat the exercise several times a day. Dogs get bored fast so keep sessions short, but intense. Start with the hoop on the ground each session until Nick understands to walk through it, then raise it a couple of inches next session and do a few more reps.

Raise it a little each time you come back to the exercise. At some point it will dawn on Nick to jump through instead of walk. When he does, give him max petting and praise and immediately repeat it a few times.

Once he’s jumping, move the exercise outside. Raise the hoop a few more inches each training session until it’s waist high. Nick can clear it at five feet, but practice will tell you the height he enjoys most. Dogs love jumping so Nick will become an expert in a week or so. Now it’s time to refine the trick.

Stretch your arms across the top and bottom of the hoop. Keep your head out of the way because when dogs are learning they concentrate on the hoop, not your body parts. Give Nick the command. It may take a moment for him to understand it’s the same trick. If he hesitates, pull your arms back so he sees more of the hoop.

Once he jumps through it, extend your arms a little each time until they are fully extended on the hoop as Nick jumps through. The two of you are now at the point you can take the final step.

Forget the hoop and merely hold your arms out and let him jump through them. By now Nick knows the trick — I jump over whatever Anna holds out and then she loves on me — and will jump over one arm, through both arms, any variation that occurs to you, as long as you say the word and hold your arm out. Practice it every time you walk or go outside with him and he’ll get better and better.

The great thing about this trick is little dogs learn it as fast as big ones and a lot of small breeds are better jumpers than the big lugs.

As in all training, loving on Nick each time he does it right is the most important part.

The Old Trainer has been a trainer for three decades and has rescued, trained, loved, and placed more than 4,000 dogs. Send questions to: theoldtrainer@gmail.com