How to Build K9 Agility Equipment

Dogs can be trained to do a number of things. Sometimes, trained dogs participate in competitions to show what they have learned. One of these types of competitions is the agility contest. In an agility contest a dog completes a number of set obstacles without any human interference. If you want to train your dog for agility courses, you will need some equipment. Although you could purchase commercial equipment, there are a few obstacles you can make yourself.

Things You'll Need

  • Tri-fold lawn chair
  • Twine
  • Tent spikes
  • PVC pipes
  • Rubber mallet
  • PVC corner connectors
  • Rope
  • Tie
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Instructions

  1. Pause Table

    • 1

      Place a tri-fold lawn chair on flat ground outside.

    • 2

      Fold the chair up so that is just a square. Make sure the legs are extended.

    • 3

      Cut four pieces of twine that are 12 inches long each. Drape these pieces of twine over the legs of the chair.

    • 4

      Insert tent spikes on either side of the legs and tie the ends of the twine to the tent spikes to stabilize your pause table. Most folding chairs have two legs connected together with a horizontal bar. If this is how yours is made, use two pieces of twine per horizontal bar. If your chair has four separate legs, unconnected, use one piece of twine per leg. This finished table will be smaller than the pause table in competition, but it is an easy substitute.

    Tire Jump

    • 5

      Insert two PVC pipes into the ground using a rubber mallet. Each pipe should be 1 inch in diameter and 4 feet tall. Place the pipes approximately 4 feet apart.

    • 6

      Place two PVC corner connectors onto the exposed ends of the pipes you inserted into the ground in Step 1. Make sure you attach the connectors so their exposed ends point in towards each other.

    • 7

      Insert a 4 foot long PVC pipe, which is 1 inch in diameter, into the two corner connectors. This will create a horizontal bar attached to two vertical bars.

    • 8

      Tie two pieces of rope to a tire at the ten o'clock and two o'clock positions. Tie two more pieces of rope at the seven o'clock and five o'clock positions. The pieces of rope should be about 3 feet long so that you have room to tie. The tire should be a large truck tire, or you can use a large pool inner tube if you prefer. The important thing is that the tire is between 17 to 20 inches wide at the opening and the walls of the tire are at least 4 inches wide.

    • 9

      Tie the top two ropes you used in Step 4 to the horizontal PVC pipe in from Step 3. Tie the other two ropes to the side supports of your frame to complete your tire jump.

    Tunnel

    • 10

      Stretch out a 20 foot child's play tunnel on flat ground. Choose a tunnel that is vinyl, flexible and a minimum of 24 inches in diameter. These can be found at your local toy stores.

    • 11

      Lay pieces of twine over the top of the tunnel. You will want to space the twine every 24 inches and each piece of twine should be approximately 36 inches in length.

    • 12

      Insert tent stakes in the ground on either side of the tunnel. Also space these 24 inches apart.

    • 13

      Use the tent stakes to tie off the twine. Tying the tunnel down will keep it from moving when your dog runs the obstacle.