Owner Horrified as Dog Leaps Off Building During Leash Training

Since fostering her German shepherd and Belgian Malinois cross, Claire Lawrence has been training the pup and showing her how to behave off the leash. But there was one command she never expected to teach Dot—not to jump off a six-meter building.

During a visit to an abandoned temple, Lawrence expected to see the dog trotting back down the steps when she realized there was nothing to see at the top. But that would have been far too simple for 2-year-old Dot, who wanted to give her owner a much bigger fright by leaping off instead.

While Dot stood at the top of the temple momentarily, Lawrence, from Derbyshire, England, watched on from 19 feet below, telling Newsweek that she "didn't for one second think she would jump."

As a reactive dog trainer with four other pups at home, Lawrence spends the majority of her time around the furry companions. She has grown accustomed to their quirks and chaotic behavior, but needless to say, Dot's decision to jump off Solomon's Temple in Buxton was highly unexpected.

"We were about to start our off-lead recall training. As I was getting my camera ready and set up, Dot decided to check out the temple," she told Newsweek. "I then found myself in a difficult position because I couldn't recall her at the top in case she jumped off, but I wouldn't have had time to get up the stairs to fetch her back down either.

"I never for a moment expected her to jump. All my other dogs are more cautious when it comes to ledges and drops, or they at least look where they're potentially dropping onto before deciding what to do and whether it's safe to do it. Dot just didn't take those precautions, and it took us both by surprise."

As Dot is a mix of German shepherd and Belgian Malinois, her athletic prowess may not be entirely surprising, given that the American Kennel Club highlights how strong those breeds are when it comes to agility.

While Dot seemed to have a great deal of fun leaping from such a height, the AKC suggests that dogs shouldn't start jumping until they're at least 12 to 15 months old because it can cause injury if they challenge themselves prematurely.

Much to Lawrence's relief, Dot was perfectly fine after taking such a giant leap, and she even managed to walk all the way home afterward. While acknowledging that the outcome could have been far worse, Lawrence joked that she hopes Dot "won't try the flying lessons again."

The video of Dot's epic jump was posted on TikTok (@highpeakdogsofficial) on November 6, and it's already been viewed more than 89,400 times and received over 4,000 likes. Lawrence said that many social media users found the clip hilarious, and once they discovered that Dot is part Malinois, her brazen decision to jump "seems to make sense."

"Dot is a very well cared for dog who has many little life quirks. She's a foster dog who came to me with quite a few behavioral issues, so she's learning about life just as I'm learning about her," she said.

Hundreds of TikTok users were quick to comment on the viral video, as one person wrote: "What goes on in their heads when they do things like this. Just why."

While another person joked: "she was just seeing if she could fly."

"It's raining dogs, no cats though," one person commented.

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