# Agility at home



## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Almost everyone I know (myself included) who does agility in any seriousness would say you must have weave poles. I think a tunnel would fit the bill of being a playable thing for kids too. If you google you will be able to find plans for making jumps on the cheap.


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

Weave poles are #1 and I would buy a few cheap jumps because you can teach jumping now then use them for flatwork. I have cheap plastic ones that are easy to take apart to store and light to carry. My dog loves the tunnel and the large ones used in most competitions are expensive so I don’t think it’s worth buying. But minipoos can fit through smaller, play tunnels sold for children so if you think your kids would have fun with one, I would consider buying one. A-frames, dog walk and ladders are expensive and require a lot of space so they are only worth while for someone really serious with the space to store and use them. However a 8’ plank of wood from the hardware store can be leaned up against furniture on an angle to get a dog used to going up and down and training two feet on, two feet off. 

Boxes of various sizes to get in and out teach back end awareness as do walking through a ladder laying on the floor flat.


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## Johanna (Jun 21, 2017)

Another easy thing to make is a wobble board. For a standard poodle, use a 3' x 3' piece of 3/4" plywood. In the center of the side that will be the bottom, screw on 4 pieces of 4" x 1" x 3/4" strips in a square to accommodate a tennis ball or baseball (adjust the 4" to fit the ball). You can size the board down somewhat for a mini or toy poodle, but in our beginning agility classes dogs of all sizes use the wobble board.


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## Johanna (Jun 21, 2017)

One other easy thing to make is a beginner teeter-totter. Depending on the size of the dog, use a plank 6' to 8' long by 1 foot wide. In the center, screw on a 1' length of 6" PVC pipe.

Make a little dog walk from a board 1 foot wide placed on a couple of concrete blocks laid horizontally.

The tire for a tire jump can be made from a length of septic pipe.

I suggest you not leave the teeter or the dog walk set up in the area where you dog plays on a daily basis - that just invites him/her to think it's OK to jump off anywhere along the board.


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## scooterscout99 (Dec 3, 2015)

We attended a puppy agility seminar and most of the foundation exercises could be done without anything special. There are a lot of handling exercises that can be done at home with minimal equipment. A traffic cone can be used to teach 'around' or 'left/right.' You can also teach front and rear crosses on the flat without jumps. (With my first dog I used a stool and a trash can.) "Two on/two off" for contacts can be taught using a small board propped up, or even the bottom step of a staircase (I used the homemade platform that I also used to teach stacking for conformation--rigid foam insulation covered with carpet, all recycled). I use an inverted food dish with a rubber bottom to teach front and rear end awareness. Also paw pods.

One jump for teaching 'sends' would be good. I built one when first teaching jumping for rally obedience for $13 in parts from the hardware store, though Clean Run has some special components that simplify construction. "Stick in the ground" weave poles allow flexibility, for example, they can be used at an angle similar to weaveamatics, or offset to emulate channel weaves. Or just left straight to practice weave entries.

These are excercises that I do in the living room with both dogs alternating. It is pretty comical to see my older dog with newfound enthusiasm when Mom's attention and treats are at stake. They are more motivated by the competition between them than they are when training alone.


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## LizzysMom (Sep 27, 2016)

Thanks for the great advice! I actually have accumulated several of the things mentioned. (I wanted to see if I was on the right track before I confessed to my indulgences. <blush>  ) I have a wobble board my hubby made me, and a couple of other inflatable balance toys. One of these is a disc that we are using to help with rear end awareness. Her inexpensive tunnel arrived Monday (I knew the grandbabies would love that!) And, one of the members where we're training actually has an etsy shop to sell jumps, etc., so I'm able to get those inexpensively without paying shipping costs (Zippydogs, if anyone's interested). The jump comes apart, so I can use one end of it to teach "go around". Leaning a plank against furniture is a great idea. And, obviously, my next purchase needs to be weaves! 
Another question, though. Obviously, in my house, I don't have room for her to work up much speed. Do you think that will inhibit her when she gets on a real course?


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

Don’t worry about speed. When she has room to run she will


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## galofpink (Mar 14, 2017)

No agility pro at all here - I have some weave poles, jumps, tunnels for outside. I have used old car tires for jumping through and jumping in and out; have used a wood plank propped off the ground for a "balance beam". Inside the house, I use a small kitchen stool (as well as boxes) to work on hind awareness for Shae. She will sit on the stool (about 9"x11" big) and we also practice holding the back feet on it while stepping off before given a 4-on-the-floor off cue.


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## scooterscout99 (Dec 3, 2015)

Clean Run is celebrating the 12 days of Christmas. Today is day 1, jumping and weaving, 20% savings.

https://www.cleanrun.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=category.display&Category_id=1114


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