You just found a house with a fenced yard and now you might be wondering, however, if the fence is tall enough to keep a healthy Labradoodle contained. Is a 5-foot fence tall enough? Does it need to be 10 feet tall?
How high can Labradoodles jump? Labradoodles can only jump around four to five feet. While it is true that Labradoodles are very athletic dogs, they aren’t built for jumping really high, unlike other more agile breeds.
For this article, we had a group of Labradoodles tested, and among other things, we also show you how to train your Labradoodle to jump higher.
How High Can Labradoodles Jump
If you have ever watched an agility race or a Dock Diving competition, you are probably wondering if I really know what I’m talking about.
And while it is true that Labradoodles are usually quite successful at these contests, take a notion in which events the Labradoodles typically excel. It is more often than not jumping out and not up!
This ability to jump long distances comes from the Labrador Retriever genes in the Doodle, as these dogs’ have been bred with this skill in mind for centuries.
In the hunt tests and field trials done by AKC, dogs are, among other things, rewarded for enthusiastically racing after the prey. And that usually involves jumping over ditches or into ponds at full speed.
This is why dock diving seems almost like second nature to these athletic breeds.
7 Actual Real Life Tests
To get our own results, we decided to do a bit of testing with a group of Labradoodles, so we gathered 7 different Labradoodles in a local park and got the following results.
| Dog | Max Height | Surface |
| Labradoodle 1 | 4 foot 4 inches | Grass |
| Labradoodle 2 | 5 foot 1 inches | Grass |
| Labradoodle 3 | 4 foot 8 inches | Gravel |
| Labradoodle 4 | 5 foot 2 inches | Grass |
| Labradoodle 5 | 4 foot 6 inches | Grass |
| Labradoodle 6 | 5 foot 3 inches | Gravel |
| Labradoodle 7 | 4 foot 9 inches | Grass |
Since the main interest of this article was finding out how high Labradoodles can jump, it is safe to say the maximum is just above 5 feet.
Why Can’t Labradoodles Jump Higher?
Part of the challenge for Labradoodles is the composition of their bodies.
Labradoodles are a mix of Labrador Retrievers and Poodles and looking at what AKC mentions as the standard for those breeds, we find that the AKC breed standard for Labrador Retrievers says:
“Short-coupled; length from the point of the shoulder to the point of the rump is equal to or slightly longer than the distance from the withers to the ground. Distance from the elbow to the ground should be equal to one half of the height at the withers. The brisket should extend to the elbows, but not perceptibly deeper. The body must be of sufficient length to permit a straight, free and efficient stride; but the dog should never appear low and long or tall and leggy in outline…”
AKC Labrador Breed Standard
That “short-coupled” body is perfectly designed for endurance and strength that allows it to run through the fields chasing pheasants or going in the water to swim after a wounded duck.
The Labradoodle body type is designed from a breed that’s built for power and endurance, which is why they excel as powerful working dogs.
The extra weight they carry around from that stocky, strong body doesn’t suit the dog if it’s attempting to be able to jump straight up in the air from a standing position.
In dock dog events the Labradoodle is able to use his powerful legs to build up a lot of power from running before launching himself into the air.
There is a huge difference between jumping forward and jumping up, and each goal requires different traits and abilities.
A Dog Doesn’t Have to Jump 6 Feet to Clear a 6-Foot Fence
Even if you have a 6-foot tall fence, that doesn’t mean your Labradoodle won’t be able to get over it.
For example, some types of wood fences have a support board that runs parallel to the ground, and this piece of wood might actually give your dog something to stand on and use as a booster to get over the fence.
Many years ago when I was a kid living with my parents, we woke up one morning to the worst noise I had ever heard coming from our backyard. When I got back there, I found a neighbor’s German Shepherd with his hind legs stuck between the slats of our wood fence.
He had tried to cross the fence to visit our female that was in heat.
Much to his dismay, she was locked up in our large shelter, and to get into our backyard, the male GSD had managed to jump high enough to get his front feet on the fence and then launched himself over with a second attempt.
Unfortunately, his feet had slipped in between the slats when he tried for the second time to finish clearing the 6-foot tall fence. And at this moment he was stuck because his hind legs couldn’t reach the ground.
He attempted to run up the fence to try and get his legs free, but much to his dismay, he wasn’t able to get enough speed built up to get himself unstuck and on the other side of the fence.
So, if you are concerned that your Doodle might be able to jump high enough to clear your fence, you should primarily pay attention to what is near or around the fence.
If there is even the slightest thing he can use as a booster to make it easier to get over the fence, you can surely expect that your dog will use it at first given chance.
These things could also be something like a pile of wood, a stack of buckets, perhaps the ground has a slope, and so on.
Can I Teach My Labradoodle to Jump Higher?
But what if you want to enter the world of Dog Dock Diving, and you might be wondering how to get your dog to jump higher.
Some dogs aren’t able to jump high enough to reach the distances that would make them even the least bit competitive.
But if you are able to train your dog to jump higher, perhaps he might be able to add a foot or even more to his maximum jumping height.
The way I would recommend that you begin to work on jumping higher is by starting with an obstacle that will be really easy for your dog to get over. The best thing is if this is an obstacle that you are able to raise as your dog gets better.
Stand back from the obstacle at about 5 feet with your dog on a leash. Then move towards the obstacle and either pass over the obstacle yourself or move around it. Your dog should be able to jump over it without really trying much.
Praise him and give him a small treat, and then you go again.
This time, try to include a command that you want to use as the go-to command to get your dog to jump over the obstacle.
That command could be something like:
- JUMP
- HUP
- OVER
- UP
- SOAR
- NOW
But basically whatever you can think of is fine, as long as you remain consistent and stick by using that same command every time.
And this time, just as your dog is about to jump over the obstacle you must give that command.
Ensure that you say it at the exact time he’s about to take to the air.
The timing in this is quite important as it will help your dog quickly connect that command and the fact that he’s about to jump.
Continue to raise the bar if only for a few inches every time, so that your dog has to continually try harder. He shouldn’t have any problems with this distance the first several times you raise the bar anyway.
When your dog has connected your chosen command with his jumping, get him in a sit position and then you move to the other side of the obstacle. Call your dog towards the obstacle and yourself and then give your “jump” command.
If you have been good at reinforcing the behavior properly during the first attempts, then you will most likely have a dog flying over the obstacle to get beside you.
How Do I Teach My Labradoodle to Jump Into My Truck Bed?
One of the comments I hear the most from people that what to teach their dog to jump higher, is that they want their dog to be able to get in and out of the truck on their own.
The best method to get your dog to jump into your truck bed is by following the same process I mentioned just above. But with a truck, you’re not exactly able to raise and lower the bed as you please.
A way to work around this is if you just find a hill that gradually slopes away from your truck. Then you can back up to the hill and make the ground get closer to the truck bed and thereby making the jump surprisingly easy.
As always when training a dog, make sure to have patience and that you take your time so your dog can progress at his own pace.
But I would advise that you don’t let your Labradoodle jump in and out of your truck until he/she is older than 6 months old.
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