Straight cavaletti - Intermediate
Straight line cavaletti, as the name implies, refers to a set of cavaletti poles set in a straight line, with equal distance between poles.
This setup is the foundation of all cavaletti exercises, as it promotes body awareness, improves shoulder and hips flexibility, activates and strengthens the core muscles, and encourages focus forward.
Straight line cavaletti is designed for trotting purposes.
-
A set of cavaletti: 4-6 poles with cones/blocks (Want to make your own adjustable cavaletti?)
A relatively flat and non-slippery surface
A handful of yummy treats
A dog
Optional: Two "anchor" objects (e.g., traffic cones, rubber feeder bowls, platforms, raised beds, flat targets)
-
The distance between two poles should start at about the height of your dog’s withers (or ~2 times elbow height if you have a short-legged breed)
For example, if the dog measures 24” at the withers, I will set the poles to be 24” apart to begin with
If I have a Pembroke Welsh Corgi that measures 6” from the ground to the elbow, I will set the poles to be 12'“ (i.e., 6 x 2 = 12) apart to begin with
-
Aim for feet landing about mid-point between two poles
Adjust the distance depending on your dog’s stride length and size
If you hear your dog’s feet keep hitting the poles, the distance may be off and need to be adjusted
For some dogs, you may need to shorten the distance until they learn how to maneuver across them
-
Start with the poles on the ground and slowly increase the height, but the height of the poles should be no higher than your dog’s hock height .
-
Trot across the poles
Aim for focus forward (i.e., head looking straight)
Aim to have your dog’s feet land approximately midway between two poles (video is truly your best friend here)
-
One repetition (i.e., 1 rep) refers to the dog trotting across the cavaletti setup once (e.g., trot across 5 poles set in a straight line).
In the beginning, reward after each rep (i.e., dog trots across cavaletti setup -> mark + reward)
Once a dog understands how to trot across the poles, focusing forward, with feet landing about mid-point between two poles, I will usually start doing 4-6 reps in a session. At this point, the dog is doing 1 set of 4-6 reps.
Slowly increase the number of reps in the set.
Once a dog can reliably do number of reps in 1 set, slowly increase the number of sets. I typically reduce the number of reps when increasing the number of sets to help my dogs succeed.
Until the dog can reliably do the increased number of reps without fatigue, I will not progress further with the exercise.
As cavaletti is a relatively repetitive exercise, I typically do no more than a total of 30 reps
Need some help tracking cavaletti progress? Download our FREE cavaletti trackers below.
-
Panting/drooling
Knocking/kicking poles
Tripping/bumping into “anchor” objects
Unable to maintain trotting gait (e.g., jumping over poles when they could trot consistently a few reps before)
Poor form and posture (e.g., head dropping, excessive bouncing, back twisting instead of maintaining straight, limbs swinging out)
Common stress signals (e.g., scratching, yawning, sniffing, head shaking, checking out)
-
Tip the cavaletti cones to the side can set the poles lower than the lowest hole on the cone
When the poles are on the ground, secure them sandbags, bricks, or PVC connectors so they will not roll
Troubleshooting
-
Make sure your dog is comfortable with at least 10 single reps in a session with your intended number of cavaletti poles. For example, I will not attempt multiple reps with 5 poles unless a dog is able to complete 10 reps of 5 poles in a session, maintaining a trotting gait, focusing forward, and with good form and posture.
When are you ready to do multiple reps, warm up with a few single reps, ask for a multiple rep (2 reps), then ask for a few single reps. My first session attempting a multiple rep may look like this:
Rep 1: trot over 5 poles, mark + reward
Rep 2: trot over 5 poles, mark + reward
Rep 3: trot over 5 poles, mark + reward
Rep 4: trot over 5 poles, wrap cone, trot over 5 poles, mark reward
Rep 5: trot over 5 poles, mark + reward
Rep 6: trot over 5 poles, mark + reward
By mixing multiple reps with single reps, we can keep the dog interested while increasing difficulty.
-
I totally understand that space is limited. If you do not have room to set up more than 5 poles, I would recommend working on multiple reps as an alternative to increasing the number of poles.
For example, if your dog is comfortable with 1 set of 10 reps of 5 poles, you can try to aim for 1 set of 4 double reps (i.e., trot across the 5 poles twice before mark + reward). In other words, you are increasing the number of poles the dog has to trot through before they are rewarded.
-
Slowing down is one of the common signs of fatigue. I would recommend aiming for a lower number of reps to build up the stamina (e.g., 1 set of 6-8 reps) for a few sessions before trying to do 1 set of 10 reps.
I would also recommend keeping a record of the number of reps at which your dog starts to slow down. If your dog does not seem to be improving despite reducing the number of reps, it is possible that there are other underlying issues that should be addressed.
-
Depending on the size of your dog, this adjustment could range from 1/16" to 1/4".
For my medium sized dogs, I usually increase the height at about 1/4" at a time. For example, if the poles are typically 1/2" off the ground, I would increase the height to 3/4" once they are able to meet my intended goals.
If you have toy breeds, raising the poles 1/16" could make a big difference to the tiny dogs.