Instructions
Check the phone book for pet shops and feed stores. Even if your local pet store doesn̵7;t have agility equipment in stock, the employees can usually order it for you. In rural areas, feed stores that cater to farmers and hunters often have training equipment for working dogs. Herding dogs (like border collies and Shetland sheepdogs) and hunting dogs (like Labrador retrievers and Irish setters) benefit from the mental and physical discipline and agility these courses provide.
Browse the Web for agility equipment vendors. Online companies like Affordable Agility have a multitude of agility course items to choose from, including a complete set of portable equipment you can take to the park in combos ranging from $80 to $150. The NextDayPets website offers a ̶0;Dog Agility Starter Kit̶1; for about $60 that includes everything from weave poles to award ribbons.
Search online auction and sales sites for new and used equipment. Sites like Craigslist and eBay are valuable resources for finding dog agility equipment. It may take some time and you might be finding your agility course piece by piece, but often prices on these sites are extremely reasonable. Dog owners who invested in new equipment and have either upgraded or ceased training may turn to these online markets to try and recoup expenses.
Consult your local pet experts. Your veterinarian probably knows which clients have dogs that train on agility equipment and can point you in the right direction. Dog agility clubs, the Humane Society, and hunting and tracking clubs are also good resources.
Make your own agility equipment. If all else fails, make your own dog agility equipment. A complete agility course (except for tunnels and chutes) can be made from PVC pipe from your local home building store for about $150. Use an old tire inner tube or a hula hoop for the jump-through, a padded up-ended spool (obtained from phone company cast-offs) for the pause table, lengths of capped PVC pipe thrust into the ground for weave poles, and an upholstered plank of wood for the teeter board. The one thing you will need to invest in ready-made is the tunnel. Since these can be expensive, you may want to start out with a child-sized toy tunnel found at any large toy store for under $20.
How to Find Dog Agility Equipment
Ever see an Australian shepherd leaping over hurdles and dashing through tunnels in an agility competition and wished you had the equipment to train your own dog? The typical agility course is made up of adjustable-height hurdles, weave poles, a teeter board, rigid and collapsed tunnels, a pause table and tire jumps. Purchasing safe, sturdy, portable components you can adjust to your dog̵7;s abilities and rearrange into various layouts will help your pet get plenty of mental and physical exercise.