Making my own agility course

[pmcrae71]

I have looked around here and didn't see anything about making your own agility course. There are no dog parks around here and no place to take them for an in door or out door agility course. I think they are getting bored with the walks we take. I try to find new places to take them, but sometimes it's just not feasable to take them somewhere and there isn't anywhere I can let them off leash to really run.

I am aware of the ramps and the little tube thing, but does anyone have any other ideas on what I can try to make or buy?

[Horace's Mum]

It's really easy to make jumps using pvc plumbing pipe and a few links - google "home made agility jumps" and you will get plenty of ideas. If you have a problem come back and I will find you the link I used. Tunnels are easy to get hold of if your dog is small enough to go through a child's play tunnel. Be very careful when making dogwalk or a-frame type equipment, make sure it is absolutely 100% safe and solid, and take your time training over them. Start with them flat on the ground and slowly build up the height so they don't get scared of the width and also learn to balance properly. Be even more careful with a seesaw because these can be very scary, but you can make a wobble board out of a large square of mdf or similar with half a football in the middle for it to rock over. If you are never going to compete then that would be a fun and challenging piece of equipment for him to play on, and much safer than making a seesaw.

Weave poles are easy, just make sure they are easily visible and high enough to be well above your dog's eyeline. I used lengths of plumbing pipe but pushed short lengths of bamboo into the ground and then slid the pipe over the top. I did make a proper stand with pipe, but I prefer now using the bamboo. DOn't use bamboo on its own though, it can be hard to see and dangerous if it breaks.

Will that do for now? Just make sure you introduce everything very slowly, it might look easy when you see it done but it takes a lot more mental energy than you think so the dogs tire more quickly, and it also uses muscles they are not used to using. Don't be in a rush to increase the jump height, and please don't make them jump too big - look up the height in the agility rules that your dog would jump at and stick to it. Same with weaves, it is probably the hardest piece of equipment for them physically and it puts a lot of strain on them when they do it at speed, so don't repeat it too much. Overall you are far better doing 3-4mins at a time than trying to do half an hour - we have been doing agility properly for 18monts now but I don't practise for more than 5mins at a time without some kind of break in between.Have fun!

[pmcrae71]

Oh WOW! Thanks for the info! We have alot of PVC pipe here as my hubby used to do home remodeling. I never even thought of the jump, that's why I posted this to get some ideas. I'll have to have a couple different sizes, I have a min pin and a chow/GSD mix. But thanks alot for the info. I'll make a few things this week for the little one to see if I can do it and see if he likes them. I'll keep you posted...

[Horace's Mum]

I made my jumps with adjustable cups for the poles - that way I could start small and work up to bigger jumps, and it also allows the poles to fall if they get hit. Especailly with the chow keep the size very low for a fair while - it took me 6 months to get my dog to 65cm which is full height for large dogs in the UK. We started with just 6 inches, and i still train over lower jumps most of the time to reduce the strain. Shout if I can be any further help, and have fun!

[pmcrae71]

You're awesome! Thanks so much for the information.

I have seen the jumps in TV with little pegs on the about 2-3 inches apart where you can raise the bar (so to speak), is that what you're refering to with the cups?

[maximoo]

I got a nice kids 12 ft playtunnel at jc penny.com for $30 about a yr ago--not sure if they still have it (?) Max just about fits thru it. He is 19 in at the withers so I don't know if Ozzie will fit (maybe he can crouch?) but Connor will have headroom It folds up easily to go back in the box.
You can also hang a hula hoop or lifesaver or use a real tire if you want from a frame made of pvc to similate a tire jump.
Check youtube for further ideas.

[pmcrae71]

That's a great idea too. WOW I love you guys. I am getting so excitted about this now! So many great ideas... Thanks so mcuh!!

[Horace's Mum]

Nope, my cups are like on horse jumps, they are actually and end cap sawn in half and then glued to a clip so it clips on to the pipe and can be slid up and down. you can do lots of little permanent pegs if you want, use 2 close enough together for the pole to rest in, but I don't like having them sticking out. There are lots of different ways to make jumps cups or pegs, I would make your jumps first and then have a look round the house and DIY store and see what ideas you can come up with. Making the equipment is almost as fun as using it!!

Do be careful using hoops and especially tyres for dogs to jumps through. There have been some very nasty accidents where dogs have misjudged the height and really hurt themselves, so think carefully about your design. Hoops in a frame aren't so bad because they are very wide and light enough not to harm if they fall over on top of the dog, but they can get their legs caught if they aren't concentrating. Tyres can be nasty, so maybe just use them as a kind of short tunnel, prop one between 2 bricks to keep it stable and let the dogs walk through it rather than jumping through it.

If you want to get started now, there's no reason why you can't use piles of books, bricks, crates, buckets or anything else you can think of that would be safe to rest a pole of the top of (between 2 piles I mean) if you can cut some plumbing pipe to a decent length. Proper jumps are about 4ft wide, but mine are 3 ft because I only have a small garden!! But you can really make them as wide or narrow as you want.

[pmcrae71]

Thank you so much for your help. We actually have some cinder blocks and I could stand on end and put the PVC pipe through. that should be low enough for both of the to start with, only about a foot high and I can cut the PVC to about 4 ft just to make sure they don't hit the bricks. I think we have some insullation for pipes I could put on the bricks to add padding, just in case. I can get hulla hoops at walmart for like $2. I will just hold them in my hand until they get used to them then I can think about putting them in/on a frame of some sort. I will try to get these made and pics posted by the weekend.

Thanks again for you help on this. This is going to be so great!!

[maximoo]

I believe that i read/heard that the jump should go no higher than the chest for practice. You have to start lower of course & build up to chest height for both dogs. How tall is The Ozster anyway? You might eventually have to make 2 sizes 1 for Connor, 1 for Oz.

[pmcrae71]

from the floor to the top of Oz's front shoulders he's about 22-23 inches tall. hard to really tell with all that fur! lol... so Connor is about half that size. But Connor can really jump high. About at least a foot in a half. But I won't start him out that high. just on the ground first and then work up from there about an inch at a time. I don't think I'm going to the the see saw thing for a while just the jump and the tubes to start. then i'll work on the ramp. trying to think of how I can make it so I can adjust the height as they get used to it. WOW! Ya'll have got my brain running so fast, I can smell the smoke coming out of my ears!! LOL!!

[Fundog]

Hey Pmc, isn't it great? Just wait until you discover you can't sleep at night because you're lying awake having a brain storm, and you're just too excited. So then you get up and start scurrying around the house like a gerbil, and before you know it, you've woken someone else up, and they come out and startle you by asking what in the heck you think you're doing, and have you lost your mind, it's the middle of the night, for crying out loud!!!

[Horace's Mum]

Please don't be fooled into thinking that because Connor CAN jump really big you need to ask him to jump really big. There is a difference between him bouncing on his own, and you asking him to do several jumps in a row with twists and turns, on a regular basis. The height really isn't important to them, and you run a much higher risk of longterm damage or injury if you let him jump high just because he can. In the UK, Oz would be a large so he would jump no higher than 65cm in competition. Assuming Connor is about 10-11 inches, he would be a small and only expected to jump 35cms max. But take into account Oz's weight and build, if he is heavy built then keep it smaller, there is no point putting the extra strain on his joints if you aren't planning on competing.

Just as a guide, I spent 6 months building up to 65cm, and every time Horus has a break he is built up again over a few weeks.Currently we are back training on small (35cm) because he has been diagnosed with hip dysplasia and arthritis and I want to make sure he is happy and fit over small jumps before I try increasing the height again. But I will continue to train over smaller jumps even if I do get him back into competition, because it is the mental stimulation that is more important, not the height.

Also, make sure you are on suitable ground, don't work on concrete. If you have absolutely no choice, then keep the heights very low forever.

Have fun, and we need video!!

[Fundog]

Not only all that, but I know I don't want my girls to realize they can actually clear our fence and go exploring on their own! So I would keep their jumps low for that reason, if nothing else. (Dottie actually DID escape her kennel while at the rescue. The first time she joined a herd of sheep-- not chasing, but rather just trying to blend in. The second time, she got her toe caught in the chain link, and the rescue people had to go out and get her unhooked).

[Horace's Mum]

It is a common misconception that teaching a dog to jump means they will then go out and jump all your fences. I'm sure there are a few who would jump over boundary walls, but generally they are the ones who would try it anyway. Horus could easily clear my walls in places, and yet he never has, even when things are on the other side. He jumps only when I tell him to jump, that is the idea of teaching it, it is like a trick on command. Most dogs wouldn't tend to jump out of their home unless whats outside is far more exciting that what is inside!

Just walk around an agility show, where all the dogs are kept in little gardens made of 3ft netting, very few of them jump out despite the fact that many of these dogs jump for a living!