Question:
: I own a 10 month old male Jack Russell Terrier. He is very active. I am planning on doing agility with him and me and some friends have some jumps and tunnels. I was wondering how high I should be jumping him, and for how long each time I do jump him. (About once a week) I belive the highest he will have to be jumping is from 8 to 12-16 inches, buy I am not posotive.Thanks!!!
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Hi Rebecca,
In USDAA agility, dogs over 12" in height jump 16". Dogs 12" and under jump 12". In NADAC agility, dogs under 13" jump 12", and those over 13" jump 16". Unless your terrier is very, very large (over 16" tall), he won't see jumps higher than 16" in the all-breed venues.
At this young age, he should not be jumping full height. There are many theories to when to start agility training, and most agree that jumping higher than elbow height before a year of age can have a negative effect on joint development and growth plate closure.
How often and how long to practice depends greatly on the fitness level of your dog. Even if he is in extremely good condition and muscle tone, I wouldn't jump him more than 10 times in one practice session or expect him to work more than 5-10 minutes at a time.
Please talk with an agility trainer about these issues also. They'll be able to give you more specific advice after seeing and working with your dog.
Have fun!
Heather
