Looking for a way to spend time with your dog that’s more interesting that just wandering around the park? Try setting up some dog agility equipment in your backyard. Agility training involves teaching dogs to surmount obstacles that the dogs jump over or through, climb, or walk a specific path through. There are types of dog agility equipment even older dogs and teacup breeds can enjoy. Agility training can be taken to professional show level (similar to horse shows), but you don’t need to get that serious to have a little fun with this sport. Here are some ideas for dog agility equipment you can make yourself.
Bar jump
The bar jump is one of the cheapest and easiest pieces of dog agility equipment to make. It’s just a support frame that holds a bar for your dog to jump over. Learning to jump over the bar improves dogs’ ability to judge height and distance. You can build one of these jumps out of PVC pipe using cross joints or T joints to create the support frame or wood. The bar itself is supported with bolts installed in the frame. Naturally, the width and height needed will depend on the size of your dog. For most dogs, a width of 35″ and height of 36″ is enough. To protect your dog from injury, the bar should be placed so that it will fall away if the dog’s fit hit it.
Tire jump
Another popular piece of dog agility equipment, the tire jump is simply a tire or similarly shaped object mounted on a support frame to raise it off the ground. In addition to accurately judging height and distance, to perform the tire jump, the dog also has to mentally calculate how to get through the tire instead of the spaces between the tire and support frame. You can make your own tire jump by suspending either a tire or PVC pipe on bungee cords in the middle of a frame constructed from PVC pipe or wood. For safety reasons, it’s important that the tire/pipe be suspended with stretchy cord that will allow it to reach all the way to the ground in case your dog happens to get stuck. Also, make sure there’s nothing on the inside of the tire/pipe or on the material holding the tire to the frame that could scratch the dog or catch his feet.
Weave poles
A weave pole set is just a row of poles the dog has to weave through like a slalom course. Believe it or not, this is one of the most challenging pieces of dog agility equipment. The problem isn’t that it’s physically difficult, but that most dogs don’t see the point. Dogs, being practical animals, just want to get to the end and take the shortest way by walking beside the poles instead of wasting time walking around them. Half the work is just getting your dog to understand the goal. On the up side, a weave pole set can be as simple as some poles stuck in the ground. If you want a portable set, you can build one out of PVC pipe.
Tunnels
Of all the types of dog agility equipment, the tunnel seems to be a favorite with dogs. There are two common types of tunnels: the chute, which is collapsed material the dogs burrow through, and the pipe, an open tunnel of rigid material the dogs run through. Tunnels are typically 4 or 5 feet long and, again, the size you need depends on the size of your dog. For safety, anchor the tunnel to the ground to keep it from rolling over on him. Tunnels aren’t physically challenging even for older dogs, but it can be hard to get the dog complete this obstacle correctly…or at all. The object is to go through without stopping, but many dogs like to stop inside the tunnel and start chewing or playing around, then go out the same way they went in.
Dog walk
The dog walk is a long raised platform with a ramp at each end. The goal for the dog is to walk up one end, cross the platform, and walk down the other end. While not overwhelmingly complex, it is somewhat difficult because most dogs have trouble walking in a narrow space. The challenge for the human trainer, however, is to teach the dog not to just jump onto the platform as most dogs want to do. This piece of dog agility equipment is also called a contact board because in dog shows the boards have yellow contact zones at each end that the dog has to touch. The contact zones are there specifically to dissuade the dog from jumping on or off. You can build a dog walk at home out of wood planks and saw horses. Just make sure the ramps and platform are stable and add some traction to the ramp with non-slip tape or bathtub traction stickers.
Teaching your dog to use dog agility equipment is a fun way to get a little exercise (for you and the dog) while improving your dog’s balance and coordination. If you’re ready to get started with dog agility equipment, you can find equipment patterns and training tips online at the many Web sites dedicated to dog agility training and dog agility equipment.
