Agility at home?

[babycavlove]

Does anyone do agility in their own garden just for fun? Is it hard to teach them by yourself? Also is all the equipment expensive? Id love to give it a go with Phoebe and then Arnold (cav) when hes a bit older. I wouldnt honestly know where to start!! Would it be best to start off with just teaching a few small jumps and then moving on to other things? So in theory i could buy bits of equipment rather than all in one go? I have a feeling the equipment will be expensive!!

[Cob-Web]

I made agility equipment for use in the garden (well, OH did  ) - out of plastic waste piping from Screwfix Direct    It comes apart for storage, too 





I have a cheap childs play tunnel, that lil'bit has grown out of that the dogs love

you can buy "fun" sets from PAH, but they are expensive compared with the home made equipment and not much more robust, and the professional wooden sets do cost a lot but withstand a lot of wear 

[Clover]

I made some jumps last year after doing a beginners course locally.  Basically, used electric fencing posts and garden canes, they don't fall if the dog catches them but as long as you are only doing small jumps, I don't think thats a problem. And weaves are just canes, will post a picture later as I don't have them to hand.
An agility class would give you lots of tips though.

[fionad]

Our Penny Black learnt to do the weaves in our hall using baked bean cans   She did jumps over canes balanced on flower pots and the dogwalk was made of planks on bricks! We had a childs tunnel and a hula hoop for a tyre. When she had mastered all of this we found a club to go to.

She competed for nine years before retirement and now does veteran classes at the age of almost 13. She was placed at Crufts several times and has given us so much pleasure.

Use anything you can find that is safe and fun. Dogs don't know what is expensive. They just like the attention and activity.

Hope you do as well as Penny Black!

[JaspersMum]

Mine have the Pets at Home jumps and hoop, and a kids play tunnel I picked up on freecyle.....

I like the look of Rachels weaves though and would have a go making a set.  Here's my lot anyway

[Becky and Wilson]

After reading this post yesterday I went and ordered some Electric fence posts (because they have a spike to push into the ground) and some plumbing pipe (to go over the posts to make them look more like weaves) to make myself a set of weave poles!  I can't wait for the posts to come so I can start practising in the garden!

[JaspersMum]

Is there a correct distance for the weave poles to be set at?

[Max X 2]

Is there a correct distance for the weave poles to be set at?

My OH made Max some ages ago, along the same basis at Rachels & TBH they're spaced too wide, I must measure them & ask him to reduce them as Max can't build up any real speed through them.
The rules say 18inches to 24inches between poles but 22" is pretty most common I think (according to an agility forum  )

[Pudding]

I made my agility equipment for use in the garden out of  some plumbing pipe
and we too have a childs tunnel

  Wendy and Bob

[Pudding]

there is some where on the web that shows you how to make them and what distance they should be
i will have alook and see if i can find it for you

   Wendy and Bob

[Pudding]

i found it have a look on here they show you how to make it all             www.freewebs.com/agilityequipment

Good luck with the make

   Wendy and Bob

[JaspersMum]

i found it have a look on here they show you how to make it all             www.freewebs.com/agilityequipment

Good luck with the make

   Wendy and Bob

thanks for that 

[Max X 2]

Good link 
Yes mine are very similar to this http://www.freewebs.com/agilityequipment/weavepoles.htm I found it useful to have the pipes that are on the ground spaced as these are as the dog should always go in on its left shoulder & this way he wont go over the tubing on the ground 

[tillyson]

we bought a set of ebay and have childs tunnel 

[Saffaroo]

OH made some weave poles with stands as we don't have a garden (so nothing to stick them in )  and we got a cheap tunnel - lots of fun in our hallway and even Shelley who can hardly see a thing likes the tunnel...