DIY Agility Course

I don't have a good answer for you because I haven't built one. However Jdata has. Check out the blog here for pictures

http://community.dog.com/members/jdata/blog/archive/2007/11/19/finding-chloe-s-stress-triggers.aspx

 Also there is a yahoo email group for building your own agility equipment.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/agility-equipment/ 

My A-Frame will not look exactly like that (lol) I did it out of scraps of wood that were laying around the store. I will be doing everything out of scraps of wood I find around the store. Except for the jumps.

It looks like the total length of the side is 4 Ft right.  I got that because the slats should only be 12 inches apart.  2 important things.  How thick is the plywood you are using.  I ask this because I don't see any framing under the wood.  It looks like you have a big dog and if there isn't any framing he could snap that board in half.  Also pay attention to the top to insure there isn't a gap that paws or claws can get caught in.  You can use a piece of PVC pipe to fill in that V gap you would have at the apex.  Insure that you use non-skid paint.  Mixing fine sand in with the paint can accomplish that.

Like Steve said.. the official jumps are all about Safety first. the way that one is set up i would worry about the dog hitting the jump and it toppling forward with him hanging on at the top, or him kicking out from under him, which would still result in a heavy hit from the bottom. you might want to make it a little wider at the base to avoid that.

instead of using those boards for an A-frame you could turn them into a wall jump.. but you may want to work on building him up to that later on down the road.. and i only say that because i dont how good he is or how high he can jump at this point. but you should still make a frame to brace it and get some sort of traction on it. i'm sure its no fun digging splinters out of paws lol

i want to see more pictures too!! 

 I built a small A frame like that for home practice.  I think it's the same size as yours.  4' x 2'?  I made mine that size so I can fit it in my car.    I'd love a full sized one, but it's not practical for me right now.   What is keeping the frame upright?  I have aircraft cables that stretch across between the boards to prevent it from collapsing.  Because it's not very wide, I never have it up on an extreme angle.  I would worry about the whole thing toppling over.  Usually I keep it just high enough that I can put my tunnel under it.  Ditto what someone said about the top gap.  I put a strip of carpeting across the top over the hinged part.  And of course, make sure there are no exposed nails or splinters that could injure your dog.

The grip additive that you want for the paint is available, I think.  I got mine at the Home Depot.  I used much, much more additive than the packet recommended! 

I find that it's more of a contact trainer than anything.  Since it's only half sized, no matter how much we practice, my dog has trouble learning to control his speed on the way down the real thing.  He builds up way more momentum coming down the full size frame.

It looks pretty steep, like a SchH A-frame.  You might want to make it not quite so steep so the dog will learn the contacts.  I think it would be more important to make it conducive for training proper contact than have the height and angle exactly right.

Agility A-frame

SchH A-frame 

DumDog

instead of using those boards for an A-frame you could turn them into a wall jump..

Please don't do that it is dangerous in agility.  I have never seen a jump that the cross bars or anything the dog jumps over made out of anything other that plastic and all jumps are easily displaceable.  Even the panel jump is made of 4 inch plastic panels each hung on their easily displacable jump cups.  For that matter if you want a really cheap "panel" jump you can take a regular jump and place a really large towel over the bar so it appears like a solid jump.

 Good idea!  :D

Yes that A-frame is too steep.  Much too steep for agility.

I can send you an Excel sheet of basic agility obstacles you can make from PVC if you pm me. 

I am not finished yet. The A-frame will not be as it is right now. I just put it like that so I could get an idea of how it was going to look. ;) Since I am not doing it for competition just for fun I figures a 4'x2' would work. I will be putting a frame under the wood to help support some of the weight.

I layed it against two blocks but I WILL NOT make Shailer go over them until the frame is finished. I wanted to know at what angle do I need to keep the boards at? I was thinking of using hinges but (I don't really know what I am suppose to use here). For the paint I was thinking of using outdoor paints and adding sand.

Any more input will be greatly appreciated.

 P.S. tashakota I send you a PM. 

Sowilu

I am not finished yet. The A-frame will not be as it is right now.

Heavy duty hinges the top should work ok.  Since the hinges would be attached to the framing you will have a gap at the top.  Any of the above described methods of covering that gap would work just fine.  The competition angle is 37 degrees.  Since this is such a small length it really is most useful for contact training so you really don't have to have it at competition angle.  Insure that when you use sand with the paint use plenty.  You want the surface to be really rough.  They need lots of traction.  You probably should use 2x4 framing with the 2 inch side against the wood.  That would provide the most strength.  Cross pieces about every 12-16 inches would probably be enough. 

About the framing. I ask my dad if it needed a frame and he said no. I asked him why and he said because the board is 2" is that thick enough? He said it should support his weight.Can you please show me a picture of the framing I need to use? I am more visual lol. I will be putting a hinge on it today. If we go to Lowe's this week I will get the paint, sand, and some pvc. Do I need to use a chain to keep it open an not collapse as well?

timsdat

DumDog

instead of using those boards for an A-frame you could turn them into a wall jump..

Please don't do that it is dangerous in agility.  I have never seen a jump that the cross bars or anything the dog jumps over made out of anything other that plastic and all jumps are easily displaceable.  Even the panel jump is made of 4 inch plastic panels each hung on their easily displacable jump cups.  For that matter if you want a really cheap "panel" jump you can take a regular jump and place a really large towel over the bar so it appears like a solid jump.

 

 

which is why i also said wait until later on to work on that when he is better trained and more confident

 but to do a wall jump you would have to build a totally different method of bracing, otherwise it WILL tip over with him if he comes into contact with it.

DumDog

 but to do a wall jump you would have to build a totally different method of bracing, otherwise it WILL tip over with him if he comes into contact with it.

That's how it should work, come apart if he touches it.  It doesn't matter how old or well trained the dog is, they will always knock bars at some point.  Some of the fastest, most talented and well-trained agility dogs typically NQ for knocking bars (often b/c more speed = flatter jumps).  You CAN teach proper jumping to an extent, but there's always the chance the dog might slip or jump flat.  If the jump is solid and the handler makes a mistake or the dog slips b/c of the turf, the dog could pay with a serious injury. 

I added the hinge here it is. I need to take the pictures when it sunny outside :) .

 I think I will add two more hinges and put something inbetween the crack. It is not finish yet.