When should I start training my gundog to jump?

GUNDOG TRAINING
Peter Blatch
Yes, teaching a dog to jump is important but I do not think it should be started too early because the exertion can damage a pup’s soft bone structure.

Depending on the dog, I don’t usually move into this area until it’s ten months to one year old.

When jump training gets underway I make it as natural as I can in the early days, getting the pupil to ‘skip’ over low fallen tree trunks and the like.

To help these lessons along I have built a jumping lane in my rabbit pen where I throw a retrieve and encourage the dog to clear the obstacle.

As the dog grows in confidence I slowly increase the height of the jump.