# Teaching jump into my arms.



## Tofu_pup (Dec 8, 2008)

I could use a little help.
I've seen a lot of people have their dogs jump into their arms and it's so cute. Kaki and I just started it. I started out in a normal chair but she wasn't quite getting it so I moved to my reading chair that she sleeps in often. That was she was comfortable getting into the chair. From there, I moved the normal chair next to the reading chair and beckoned her from there. Whether the chair is next to the reading chair or not, I'm running into the same problem. I can only get her upper body into my lap. Will picking her caboose up prevent her from learning the trick?
I'm pretty much asking her to go against all the manners she's learned so I don't expect her to get it right away.
On a side note, her confidence has come a long way. She was so happy learning this today that it gave me hope for agility in the future. The clicker doesn't scare her anymore because I've been using it with my foster. I'm so proud of both of them.


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## Mac'N'Roe (Feb 15, 2008)

he he. I thought about trying this with Mac Mac. But, the first time I tried to catch a flying 60lb dog in the air...I had second thoughts  

Good luck!


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## Tofu_pup (Dec 8, 2008)

Mac'N'Roe said:


> he he. I thought about trying this with Mac Mac. But, the first time I tried to catch a flying 60lb dog in the air...I had second thoughts
> 
> Good luck!


Haha. Lucky me, Kaki is only 22lbs on a fat day.


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## rogueslg71 (Dec 6, 2007)

well honestly i have no clue but if you see anyone doing it maybe you cuold ask them? i saw a woman doing that i the parkw ith her little dog and her bigger one (a lab , a BIG one...) tried to do the same right afterward lol. if i see her again i will ask


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## Lounrox (Dec 23, 2008)

Our Tahoe was a 60-70 pound pit and my husband taught her how to do that.. Everytime he would hold his arms out and call her name she would make a flying leap into his arms. It was the cutest thing...lol


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## pamperedpups (Dec 7, 2006)

I've trained both of our yearling pups to jump into my arms, and it is a very cute trick. First, I started by teaching a nose target, raising it up every now and then so they had to jump up higher and higher (over many days) to get it. I would also sit on the floor and worked on having the pups have to jump into my lap to nose touch every now and then, "catching" them more realistically over the course of their attempts with my free arm. After some time of this I would raise up on one leg, then stoop over with my back straight, and finally I would be standing. Now I can simply call them, pat my stomach (which I introduced as the cue once I got the right behavior consistently), and they will jump up to be caught. I no longer need the nose touch since it naturally faded out as they leap higher and really needed to be caught. Along the way I would mark the most successful attempts of the various stages with a Yes! and treat. Every so often I will still treat the pups immediately after they are caught to reinforce. In the beginning I had to be VERY careful not to ask too much, and to be ready for the pups to jump up when not under stimulus control, as a fall could really put a damper on their enthusiasm, not to mention hurt them.


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## Tofu_pup (Dec 8, 2008)

pamperedpups said:


> I've trained both of our yearling pups to jump into my arms, and it is a very cute trick. First, I started by teaching a nose target, raising it up every now and then so they had to jump up higher and higher (over many days) to get it. I would then sit on the floor and worked on having the pups have to jump into my lap to nose touch every now and then, "catching" them more realistically over the course of their attempts with my free arm. After some time of this I would raise up on one leg, then stoop over with my back straight, and finally I would be standing. Now I can simply call them, pat my stomach (which I introduced as the cue once I got the right behavior consistently), and they will jump up to be caught. I no longer need the nose touch since it naturally faded out as they leap higher and really needed to be caught. Along the way I would mark the most successful attempts of the various stages with a Yes! and treat. Every so often I will still treat the pups immediately after they are caught to reinforce. In the beginning I had to be VERY careful not to ask too much, and to be ready for the pups to jump up when not under stimulus control, as a fall could really put a damper on their enthusiasm, not to mention hurt them.


This sounds great. I do need to reinforce her touch.
My main problem is that she's unwilling to unplant her butt. She like, "Oop, treats are out. Time to sit".
We'll get started on this tomorrow.


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## pamperedpups (Dec 7, 2006)

Wait her out. If you didn't tell her to sit and that's all she does, ignore it. If sit isn't reinforced for a bit she WILL do something else (blink, yawn, look around, lay down, get up, wander off, etc.). Say nothing, stick your hand out and if she so much as glances at it, click and treat. Play some shaping games with her, like 101Things To Do With a Box to get her into thinking:

http://www.clickertraining.com/node/167


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## Tofu_pup (Dec 8, 2008)

I've been so excited to start shaping exercises! Tomorrow it begins!


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