Fenzi Dog Sports Academy - AG145: The Art of the Arc: Jumping Grids and Cavaletti Pole Games

Course Details

Unlock your dog’s rhythm, reach, and jumping finesse in this fun and skill-building 6-week class!

It’s open to all levels and focuses on using cavaletti poles and gridwork to improve form, footwork, and focus. Each week you’ll work through new progressive exercises with either poles or jump grids to help build strength, coordination, and confidence.

We will be learning about stride regulation, takeoff mechanics, collection and extension, and thoughtful linework, all while keeping things positive and engaging for your dog. Whether you’re getting ready for agility, building foundation skills, or just want to improve your dog’s overall body awareness, this class helps bring it all together one pole at a time.

Teaching Approach:

This course follows a progressive, step-by-step approach to skill development. Each training element is accompanied by clear written instructions, and most steps include supporting video demonstrations to enhance your understanding.

Lectures and materials will be released in weekly modules, with all content for the week made available at once to allow for flexible scheduling.

Feedback will be provided written and voice over video feedback when visual clarification is helpful ... especially for fine-tuning mechanics or subtle adjustments. There will be an AWESOME TA for this class for supporting auditing spots.

Please be aware that the first couple weeks of class are information-dense, focusing on essential foundation work. While this front-loads the cognitive and planning load, it sets you and your dog up for long-term success and smoother execution of the core skills.

The final weeks of the course will be lighter in content and assignments, providing more time for application, review, and refinement.

Instructor: Ashley Escobar

Ashley Escobar (she/her) has been training dogs and their people for over 20 years. She is a retired college professor of mathematics with a masters of mathematics and also holds a master’s degree in veterinary science, with advanced veterinary coursework and a background in clinical canine rehabilitation also studying animal biomechanincs. ..(Click here for full bio and to view Ashley's upcoming courses)

Syllabus

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Week 1:

Introduction defining Cavaletti and jump gridwork
Benefits of Cavaletti and grid work for proprioception and coordination
Correct setup and spacing for different dog sizes (Cavaletti and grids)

Exercises:
- Forward focus cue
- Ladder Grid & set point work
- Conditioning: Box Grid Work (Beginner)
- Assessment of your dog’s natural rhythm and body carriage through ladder grid
- Assessment of your dog’s core and rear usage and strength with the box grid work

Week 2:

Understanding the basics of our dog’s stride
Shaping consistent, rhythmic movement

Exercises:
- Variable Cavaletti height at trot
- Recalls on the flat
- Conditioning: Hold a sit on a small perch, balance disc, fitbone etc.

Week 3:

Advanced set point work
Building strength and balance through grids
Extension to collection work

Exercises:
- Growing set point workload
- Cavaletti Collection work
- Send around wing with recalls
- Send around a wing plus turns
- Push around a wing (turn away, weight shifting to rear, collection, bending away from me and convergence)
- Conditioning: Stand to down, down to stand

Week 4:

Cavaletti work on a bend
Collection work

Exercises:
- Collection recalls over a jump
- Bend recalls over a jump
- Collected trot cavaletti vs extended trot cavaletti

Week 5:

Introducing directional changes through grids
Reinforcing visual focus and stride commitment

Exercises:
- Lead change jump grid work
- Conditioning: lateral movement of front legs with rear legs elevated

Week 6:

Combining cavaletti and grids in flowing sequences

Exercises:
- Adding one obstacle before wrap work
- Creative combinations
- Conditioning: Tight turns on travel plank
Focus:
- Celebrating progress and setting future goals

Prerequisites and Equipment

5 jumps (wingless are perfectly fine) Cavaletti poles 6, and you can use cavaletti poles for the jumps but you will need one jump at your dog's height for some of the grids and work. A platform that can be raised as needed (klimb or similar), a perch of some sort that your dog can sit on (example: balance disc, fitbone etc) a plank, board, platform long enough to support your dog standing on it, doesn't have to be elevated.

Sample Lecture

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By systematically developing this behavior outside of agility sequences, you are setting your dog up for success in real course scenarios. This cue will become a powerful tool for building drive, clarity, and independent motion ... all key traits for confident, successful agility runs.

Part 1: Cavaletti Poles – Foundation for Form & Function

What Are Cavaletti Poles?

Cavaletti poles are a powerful and versatile tool used in dog training and conditioning. Adapted from equine sports, they consist of low poles placed on the ground or slightly elevated. The dog moves over them ... typically at a walk or trot ... in a slow, controlled manner.

This simple setup creates complex benefits. By requiring careful foot placement and coordination, cavaletti work develops both the body and the brain.

Why Use Cavaletti Poles?

Let’s break down the benefits:

Improved Proprioception
Teaches your dog better body awareness ... knowing where their feet and limbs are in space.
Improves Stride Rhythm and Stride Regulation
Promotes clean, efficient movement and helps identify or correct imbalances.
Builds Core Strength and Body Stability
Builds the foundational muscles dogs need for stability, especially in sports that require jumping.
Injury Prevention and Rehabilitation (where needed)
Low-impact, controlled movement makes this a great tool for rehab (with professional guidance).
Boosts Focus and Confidence
Helps dogs learn to think about their body’s movement ... boosting confidence when it comes to jumping mechanics.

Who Should Be Doing Cavaletti Work?

Everyone! But here’s where it really shines:

Agility foundations and sport dog prep school
Canine fitness and conditioning
Retired sport dogs for mobility
Puppies building early proprioception
Dogs in rehab or returning from injury
Any dog that needs to move with more intention and strength **jumping sports**

Why It Matters

Cavaletti pole work is deceptively simple but deeply effective. It’s easy to set up at home, fun for your dog, and incredibly valuable for improving how they move ... one step at a time.

Part 2: Jump Grids – Building the Confident, Skilled Jumper

What Are Jump Grids?

Jump grids are structured sequences of jumps, set at deliberate distances, designed to teach dogs how to jump ... correctly, confidently, and safely.

Grids help isolate individual components of jumping: takeoff, arc, landing, stride regulation, and decision-making ... without the complexity of handling or full agility courses.

Why Use Jump Grids?

Testimonials & Reviews

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A sampling of what prior students have said about this course ...

I have taken TONS of Fenzi courses and this is the first where I have reviewed ALL the gold threads! Thank you Ashley for doing the feedback in a video where you could mark and highlight exactly what you were saying. It was so very helpful and made things super clear.

I've tried grids and set point work in the past, but I didn't get very far. I'm happy that I now understand so much more. These exercises are have definitely been added to our repertoire.

This class was so fun. I liked all the "little" drills and exercises. It wasn't too much and I was able to keep up. And I enjoyed watching all the class dogs videos, cause they were having fun too.

Jump grids and cavaletti work I know are valuable in a training fitness plan but we rarely did them. This class has give me the knowledge of how to do them correctly with added variations so that I feel confident going forward jump grids and cavaletti will be part of our plan. In addition weekly Ashley added a fitness exercise which added to the fun.

Ashley is an amazing teacher! Her feedback to the gold students is very detailed and supportive. Excellent class content and progression of skills. Love Ashley's classes!

Ashley had great material, everything was very clear and I especially appreciated the videos. She was always helpful and supportive. Thank you Ashley!

Registration

There are no scheduled sessions for this class at this time. We update our schedule frequently, so please subscribe to our mailing list for notifications.

Registration opens at 9:30am Pacific Time.

SILVER LEVEL Testing Project for April 2026 - In this session students will be permitted to submit ONE 90 second video per week when registered at the silver level. All "your dog" specific questions must be accompanied by video so the instructor can assess video and questions together. Silver students may also ask generic questions and participate in discussion forum threads.

AG145 Subscriptions

	Gold	Silver	Bronze
Tuition	$ 260.00	$ 130.00	$ 65.00
Enrollment Limits	13	25	Unlimited
Access all course lectures and materials	✔	✔	✔
Access to discussion and homework forums	✔	✔	✔
Read all posted questions and answers	✔	✔	✔
Watch all posted videos	✔	✔	✔
Post general questions to Discussion forum	✔	✔	✖
Submit written assignments	✔	✖	✖
Post dog specific questions	✔	With video only	✖
Post videos	✔	1 per week	✖
Receive instructor feedback on	Questions All videos	Questions All videos	✖

Find more details, refund policies and answers to common questions in the Help center.

Course Schedule

AG145: The Art of the Arc: Jumping Grids and Cavaletti Pole Games

Course Details

Teaching Approach:

Gold

Silver

Bronze