I was working on teaching my two bitches to jump over a broom stick (well, a broom stick was just what I happened to have nearby). The young one found it to be incredibly funny. I started out with the broom on the floor, clicked her for walking over it. Put it on two low chairs, clicked for jumping, attached cue [0]. Then up on ordinary kitchen chairs, click for jumping on cue. Then I tried something I have been wanting to do since the situation described in an earlier blog, where she jumped on cue, but in front of, not over an obstacle. I put the broom back on the ground, and cued jump. Yes! she jumped high up and over, I moved the broom away, and had her jumping, in that perfect "jumping horse" style all over the room, and with nothing to jump over. Hilarious. Beautiful! We ended with a scattered handful of treats.

I knew my older (4½ years old) bitch would never do that, she thinks the whole jump over thing is silly to do indoors. She knows the cue, and will gladly jump a fence when I ask her to outside (when hunting e.g.). But indoors, it's obvious that she only does it because of the treats...

Anyway it would be a nice shaping experiment. COuld I get her to jump with out using any cues or body language?

Broom on floor. Dog in room. C/t for approaching broom. c/t for leg over broom...etc. when she was walking back and fort over the broom I put it on the kitchen chairs. She walked up to it. looked at it. Then hooked a paw over it, pulled it off the chair, then walked across it, and turned around looking  for her treat. She got a handful and we ended the session, as I was laughing too hard to focus....