# Tunnel and chute for home practice?



## vegas (Jul 5, 2014)

I am taking a puppy agility class with my toy puppy DD, and I'm pretty sure we will continue with agility once she is old enough for jumps, weaves, etc. (about 6 months from now), with the goal of actually competing in trials. Although I only have a small yard, I would like to get a decent quality tunnel and chute for home practice. Can anyone suggest brands that they've had a good experience with? Is a 10' tunnel enough, or should I get 15'? Does it matter much whether the pitch is 4" or wider? And I've read some scary stuff about the really lightweight nylon chutes that dogs can get tangled up in, so I think I need a pretty substantial chute, more like competition quality.

Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you!


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## Quossum (Mar 18, 2011)

A tunnel is fun to have for practice, but I would prioritize weaves, jumps, and contact practice equipment, in that order, over a tunnel. Good ones are expensive, but I've seen practice ones for more reasonable prices, if less durability. Maybe check out Affordable Agility. (I don't have one of theirs; was just going by the prices I saw online.) We do have a tunnel; we got it after a big show (Houston World Series of Dog Shows) was selling off the "gently used" equipment that was used at the trial, and it still wasn't cheap. For a toy dog, a lighter weight and shorter tunnel would be fine for practice. 

I wouldn't bother with owning a chute. It's an obstacle that most dogs have no problem with, and it's unwieldy and even potentially hazardous to have set up at home. (And if you don't leave it set up, a pain to drag it out there to work with.)

Just some thoughts. Good luck! Agility rules!

--Q


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

I used a children's play tunnel with mine - narrower, shorter and lightweight, but the dogs enjoyed it and recognised it as a tunnel, and if you are worried about safety you can peg it down with loops of elastic. And a cloth thrown over a stool works as a practice shoot!


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

I agree with Quossum about the priorities of items to have if you are serious about competing. Many trials will have equipment for sale at the end. It is easier for the supplier of the equipment not to have to take it back to their business. For example if you look at Max200 you will see that they offer pick up at trial as an option and they have a calendar of the shows they are supplying the equipment for on their site.

I do have a good tunnel and it is 15'. I wouldn't bother with a 10' if buying a good one. Weave poles are essential since it is one of the least natural obstacles for dogs to perform on. My weaves are channel weaves and in the picture you can see they are open fairly wide for starting Javelin. You can also see that with a 15' tunnel you can make bends in it which would be hard to do with a 10' tunnel. I just adjusted this tunnel for Javelin to learn that it won't always be straight. He loves the tunnel. I also have a chute (which I do leave out, I tuck the chute into the rigid part and put cones at both ends when I don't want the dogs to be able to access it unsupervised) and a table. I use the table for impulse control behaviors. The table is from Max200, but we had made one when Lily and Peeves were younger. It was a fixed height though and being out in bad weather had taken its toll. Most of my jumps are home made, but I do have a Max200 triple jump. I never leave bars up on any jumps even if I leave the stanchions out.

























If you look at the premium lists for trials in your area you will be able to see who is supplying the equipment. Often they would be your best choice for who to purchase equipment from. I'm in New York and so is Max200 which is why I have their equipment for the things I haven't made.


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## vegas (Jul 5, 2014)

Thank you. I appreciate all the replies. As for prioritizing equipment, DD will not be old enough for jumps and weaves for at least another 6 months, so I won't be investing in that equipment for a while. (We are working on contacts and entry, so right now two toilet plungers work just fine for weaving!) But she can certainly practice the tunnel and chute now. She finds the chute rather intimidating in her puppy agility class, so I think home practice will help her acclimate.


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