Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Beth on April 7, 2011 at 8:09pm

Hi Gail.  If we ever get to trials, I plan on running Jack at 12".   He sometimes brings down the lower jumps because he gets lazy.  He's a tall Corgi, over 13" at the shoulder.  

 

The breeder we got him from has bred at least one MACH, with a couple others on the way up.  My girl Maddie's one daughter (I'm not the one who bred her! We got her after she "retired") ran 12" at the PWCCA National Specialty, and she was far from the only one (though not that many qualified at that height).

 

I think if you have a tiny little 10" Corgi then you might want to stay at 8".  If your dog jumps well within himself then I would run the higher fences.  What I would NOT do is train regularly at the higher height.  I'd train as much as possible at 4" and just run the higher fences in training often enough for conditioning and to get the dog used to the height.  Running in a trial at a higher height isn't going to hurt him, but jumping them over and over again while training might.

 

I dunno, I've also heard that your Corgi should not jump out of cars, off the couch, etc.  The breeders I know (and I know a couple big-time ones--- specialty winners) all let their dogs jump on and off the couch, just not the bed.   Sometimes I think they are more likely to get hurt if you coddle them.

 

I've trained Jack at 4" and ran him at 12" at a games event (like a mini-trial with timed courses, but just for fun).  He paid so much more attention at the higher jumps.  His enthusiasm was greater too.

Permalink Reply by Beth on April 7, 2011 at 8:27pm

P.S.   I just got the winter edition of the PWCCA quarterly.  They have the National Specialty results in there, and there are plenty of MACH-titled dogs. 

 

The granddam (mother's mother) of the BOB winner at the National has both her conformation CH and her MACH, as well as some low-level herding and tracking titles.  So certainly it can be done with the right dog.

Permalink Reply by Carrie Ritter on April 11, 2011 at 3:10am

Its a good question. I'm not trialing yet but we are jumping at 12 at home. Sherman is about 14in tall. He takes the jumps easily. I worry about the pounding, but he is so hyper, he is jumping off all kinds of things at home. The 12in jumps are smaller than the couch he launches off of. Sometimes I wonder if climbing the A frame is harder on them then the jumps.

 

I think I am just going to make a greater effort at improving his muscle tone to protect his joints. I plan on lots of swimming this summer. I also have him on a joint supplement and adequan injections to keep him going.

Permalink Reply by Gail and Ashton on April 25, 2011 at 2:21pm

Sorry so long to respond and thanks for the comments. Both my husband and I were feeling that Ashton has no problems with the 12 inch height so we will continue on with it. As he gets older we will eventually move him down to Preferred. We feel some corgi people, like some parents, are being very protective and won't let their kids play sports since there is a chance of injury. At practice he jumps 8 (same height as rally jumps) and move the height to 12 before trials. We keep him active and his weight down. *sigh* Now if only I could be in as great of shape as he is! LOL

Permalink Reply by Cheri on May 4, 2011 at 6:56am

The issuse with jumping isn't as much the height but whether the dog knows how to jump that height safely. Since my dog had elbow dysplasia as a puppy so I wanted him to know how to jump properly. I took him to two jumping seminars so I could learn how to teach him how to jump properly. Jumping is actually quite complicated and we don't usually give it adequate attention in our training plans. Jumping involves the dog gauging his optimal take off point, collecting, rock back, launch using the hindquarters, extend, and land non ballistically all while also keeping in mind where the next obstacle is. The next obstacle location might make that jump a straight jump or change it to a slice. That adds which part of the jump to launch over, the center, close to the right upright, etc. I went to two jumping seminars and learned exercises to use to teach my dog these skills. Now, even with his orthopedic history, I don't have any hesitation jumping my 35 pound, over 13" Cardigan at his measured jump height of 12". That said, I do agility for fun so when I can take an exemption and jump my dog at a lower height without "penalty" I do so. I want our agility career to be as long as possible.