Jumping Through Hoops

I started training Rion to jump through a dollar store hoop because I wanted something fun to train while I was also training behaviors that weren’t so much fun, like trimming nails.  It was easy to train him to walk through the hoop near the ground but we got a little stuck when I raised it high enough so he could no longer comfortably step through.  However, a light bulb finally went off when he jumped and I was able to give him a big reward.  (I am pretty sure I got a dirty look that meant “you should have told me I could jump!” at the time.)  Rion is a champion hoop jumper now: willingly jumping as high as I am willing to hold it. I hold it higher on carpeted floors than on slick floors.

This is a fun trick to train since most healthy dogs seem to like to jump, at least for reasonable heights.  If the dog has a structural problem, you might want to check with your vet for recommendations about safe heights. If your dog won’t fit through a hoop, you could try using a bar in a doorway at first.