Agility Equipment

[sandsarita]

Hi everyone - I have been doing some agility basics with my heeler since May, and she seems to be progressing nicely and enjoying it. My coach allows me to come over basically whenever and use her equipment to practice, but the drive time is equal to the practice time, and with it getting dark early, that makes it hard. She had mentioned a while back me purchasing some jumps for my house, but I wasn’t sure how committed I am to it. Now, even if I never compete, I think this is just a good thing for my dog. She is unfortunately out of town for a bit so not available for me to ask questions.

I am currently looking at getting 6 practice jumps. Is this an appropriate number to start with? Any company best to order them from. I am currently looking at Agility Gear and JJ dog. Does it matter 4’ vs 3’ wide?

Also, what other equipment would you guys recommend having? I am currently looking at a practice tunnel and training weave poles. Both from Agility gear seem to be reasonably priced overall. For the tunnel, is the 22" opening appropriate?

Thanks in advance

[Donkaloosa]

Affordable Agility has good basic equipment. You can also find bar jumps on eBay sometimes, and there are books that have directions to make jumps. A pause box is super easy — just lay a square of wood on the ground or make a square with PVC pipe. Size of the dog makes some difference in the tunnel size — unless your dog is very tiny or very huge, get the standard size. Even a set of 6 weave poles is a good start, so if you can get a full set, even better. There are affordable tire jumps, but you can always start teaching that by teaching your dog to jump through a hula hoop.

[knightrider922]

You can also buy pvc and cut it…the joint connectors too…then order the jump cup strips from clean run

[Bicoastal]

Clean Run’s “ready jump” is not the cheapest option but sturdy, easy to adjust, and the easiest to transport.

I think six jumps is super useful.

[bdj]

Clean Run also carries the whole line of Clip And Go stuff - so you can either buy bases and jump cup strips and supply your own PVC or just buy some of their “Jump Start” jumps (be aware that the Jump Start jumps have only one jump cup - if you’re only working one dog, at one height, that’d be fine, but if you might want to work at different heights, it might be worth it to invest in a set of jump cup strips for ease of height changes. https://www.cleanrun.com/index.cfm?displaycount=1000&fuseaction=category.display&category_id=762
I have a bunch of Max 200 practice jumps - they’ve held up really well, despite my absolute lack of care for them (they stay outside all year, unless we have a hurricane forecast). http://www.max200.com/cp5200/scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=36
They also have a DIY jump kit - just supply your own PVC: http://www.max200.com/cp5200/scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=612
Affordable Agility sells a decently priced little travel jump set with 4 jumps: http://www.affordableagility.com/traveljumpset.htm
One vendor or another used to sell tunnels with free shipping, but I can’t remember who that was (and it was years ago, so that might be long gone…)

I’m not familiar with Agility Gear, so they may have better prices - I’ve only mentioned companies that I’ve personally purchased from. J&J - it’s been a while, but I don’t remember them having a great selection or particularly good prices, and (I know you’re not looking at one), but I really don’t like their dog walks.

As far as jump width - 5’ is AKC standard, but you’ll see plenty of practice jumps at 4’. Dropping down to 3 is getting a little skinny - it may come into play if you have a bigger dog and want to work on slices, etc. Little dog? Not so big a deal.

Tunnel height - I’d go 24" (AKC) and bigger is better for the dogs. For practice, you can save a little money and weight by getting one with a 6" pitch, rather than 4" (that’s the space between the ribs on the tunnel). 15’ is a good length for home - not so unwieldy as a 20 footer, but gives you a little more flexibility than a 10.

Weave poles - up to you, but go with the 24" spacing. I don’t like the PVC based ones, because it’s something that the dog has to step over. I’d spend the money and get a regular metal based set - they’re heavy and safe. I’d get the stick in the ground poles and a spacing strip http://www.max200.com/cp5200/scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=344 before I’d consider PVC bases.

Also, check out local trials - if the club rents equipment from a vendor (some do, and for AKC, it’ll be listed on the trial premiums - or you can check vendor websites to see if they have a trial calendar), you can often get a slightly better deal by contacting the vendor about buying the equipment that they’ve brought to the trial (so it’ll be slightly used) or asking if you can meet them at the trial to pick up your order, rather than pay for shipping.

[BEARCAT]

Jumps are super easy to make out of PVC from the hardware store, so are weave poles and tables.
For example: https://www.thisoldhouse.com/how-to/how-to-build-pet-agility-course

That said, if money is no object, there are many companies you can buy from.

[vxf111]

I have a bunch of stuff from Affordable Agility. It’s held up super. I bought 5 standard bar jumps, 12 weaves, a tunnel, and a tire jump-- but honestly I could practice most of my groundwork with 2 jumps and the weaves. That’s what I use BY FAR the most.

[Sswor]

Second the motion that you can practice 99% of your handling skills with 2 jumps, a tunnel, and weave poles.

vote 3’ on the jumps–easier to work with inside during the winter season.

[sandsarita]

Thank you guys sooo much! Appreciate it greatly. When my coach gets back I can ask her about the equipment for trials. She runs the ones around here. Went and watched recently, but it looked like some of the equipment is what we practice on as far as the dog walk, A-frame, and teeter. I know she had bought new equipment at AKC nationals to have higher quality.

I’m doing this with a 30lb Heeler, and she loves all contact equipment. A bit too much at times. And she definitely prefers the cooler weather to work in right now. Above 70 and she doesn’t want to drive, and turns into a different dog below that.

[Sswor]

I also use a contact board to practice 2 on 2 off. It’s about 3’ long and bright yellow with rubber skin surfacing. I can use it flat or connect it to a paws table for elevated 2o/2o practice. I haven’t really found I need to practice the full equipment, just to have my dog solid with the landings helps the most.