Agility Teeter Specifications

Dog agility training is a sport that humans and dogs participate in together. The human teaches the dog to run through, around and over obstacles. An agility course contains hurdles, slalom poles, raised planks, both open and closed tunnels, a "wait" table that requires the dog to pause for 5 seconds and teeter totters. Speed is not the only issue. The dog can lose points for inadvertently touching obstacles such as the hurdles. A dog can also lose points by missing an obstacle, such as running past a pole.

  1. Dog Agility Teeter

    • The agility teeter is used as one of the obstacles in dog agility competition. Similar to a child's playground teeter totter, a dog agility teeter consists of a plank on a fulcrum. At the command from the human, the dog approaches the teeter. The animal walks up the lowered side of the plank and stops upon reaching the fulcrum. The dog is then required to wait until the plank shifts before it walks down the other side.

    Competitive Requirements

    • The American Kennel Club and Dogs On Course, a dog agility organization, have set standards for dog agility competition. An agility dog teeter must be 12 feet long and one foot wide. The plank must be strong enough to support large dogs. The plank must be balanced equally so that even small dogs can change the pivot. The underside of the ends should be padded so that the dog is not frightened by the sound of the plank hitting the ground. The fulcrum must extend from the center at least one inch on both sides of the plank. This helps the dog find the pivot point. Both ends of the plank must be painted a contrasting color from the center so that the dog can identify them. The entire plank must be coated in a weather resistant paint and coated with a non-skid surface.

    How the Agility Teeter Is Scored

    • The agility team loses points if the dog leaps from the side of the plank. The team also loses points if the dog runs off the plank before the teeter comes to a stop on the ground. Of course, time is of the essence, so the dog must learn to use its weight to change the position of plank quickly.

    Other Agility Teeter Considerations

    • There are many dog agility teeters on the market. Some have slats that help the animal walk up and down the slope. Some competitions allow slats, while others don't. But both the AKC and Dogs on Course recommend using a teeter with slats for early training. There are also different size teeters available. Like the slats, shorter planks are excellent for early training. However, only a 12-foot plank is allowed in competition.