Agility Equipment

Hi Again!

I have some ideas to make easy dog agility equipment.

Weave poles:

Find some small PVC piping (check thrift stores, or if you have a local ReStore that works good too. Or find some PVC pipes around your house) Then get some small stakes that fit inside the poles. Measure out about 20 inches and pound the stakes in. Slide the PVC pipes over the top of the stakes and then pound the PVC pipes lightly to make it sturdier. Or you can take thick dowel rods and pound those into the ground and leave them uncovered. I have used both these ideas and they both work well.

Jumps:

You can build some jumps with PVC piping if you have it, but it can be slightly expensive. If you have scrap wood you can pound together a simple jump. The dog won't care if it is perfect or not. Or for big dogs use garbage cans on their side. If you have a short role of fencing your big dog can also jump that. Small dogs can jump small logs, and big dogs can jump log piles. Anything that is the right height can be used as a jump. In fact, the dogs that are used to jumping crazy things often do the best when faced with crazy wings jumps and such.

Table:

Tables are pretty easy to get. Use the top of your dogs kennel covered with a piece of plywood or a grooming table adjusted to the right height. I also use the top of a picnic table in our backyard. Another thing to use is a bow and arrow target on it's side. Wooden pallets can be stacked to the right height and a piece of plywood can be placed on top and that could also serve as a table. Pretty much anything sturdy and flat could be used.

Teeter Totter:

I use a old board that is slightly smaller than the regulation size (it is about 10 feet long and 7 inches wide, a wider board is needed for larger dogs) and I put it on a stool. That will work for a mini teeter totter or until you get a bigger one. I also use anything I can find that isn't super high since the board is small and test it to make sure it doesn't wobble that much. You can also train your dog for a teeter totter by putting a piece of plywood on top of a slightly deflated ball, also called the Buja Board.

Dog walk:

A dog walk is a harder piece of equipment to get. I made a mini one since the wood is so expensive. Get two hinges and connect 3 boards together. Then place the boards on top of 2 five gallon buckets and then bungee cord the boards to the buckets so it doesn't wobble as much.

That is some of my ideas, I'll keep posting as I come up with more. It is your responsibility to make sure that the equipment is safe. If you build a jump that is to high or has nails sticking out and your dogs injures herself, that is your responsibility since you are the one giving the command to the dog, it wasn't her idea to start agility, it was yours. Have fun doing agility with your dog!