Teeter, A-Frame, or Dogwalk?
Let’s have a vote. Which would you like to see next? I think Roger has worked quite a bit on dogwalk plans on paper. There is no guarantee that what you vote for will guide the next set of instructions, but we are curious to know which has the most demand.
Alternatives for Jump Cups
Related posts: Bar Jump or Hurdle; Adjustable Jump Cups.
PAPER BINDER CLIPS: (Pam) One of my favorite ‘jump cups’ for home use are paper binder clips. Just go into an office supply store and purchase binder clips for paper. I put the plastic part around the pvc upright and the metal part straight in front to hold the bar. What size clips you use will depend upon the size of your pvc.
VELCRO: (Pam) I’ve also seen people put the loop part of sticky Velcro (use craft or industrial strength) on the pvc uprights. The hook side is on the bar. This is worth it for a dog who needs to move to height in very slow increments.
Dura 3/4″ Snap Clamp: (Mike) Save yourself a lot of time. Just google “Dura 3/4″ Snap Clamp” the actual part number you can google as well. That is 463-007. It is the same part number with Dura and Spears. Just cut it in half and snap it on you pvc pipe. One snap clamp makes 2 cups ready to use in about 10 seconds. Cost is about .60 cents for two!
TEE CONNECTOR AND RUBBER BAND: (Andrew Geffert) Try this: Cut a Tee connector in half, and use a rubber band to keep it in place. The Tee connector should be the next size up from your verticle pipe size. If you are working with 1/2″ PVC, us a 3/4″ Tee connector. The next bigger size will slip over uprights. To get it to stay, first put a rubber band around the upright so the half tee rests around the rubber band. The half round will then hold the cross bar.
BUY ONLINE: (Carol) Try this site for the saddle clips: http://www.flexpvc.com
SHOWER CURTAIN ROD HOLDER: (Suzanne) I went to Lowes, Valu and Home Depot looking for something that could reasonably substitute for them. A really helpful Home Depot worker helped me discover that 1/2 of a shower curtain rod holder holds 1″ pipe perfectly. I had to purchase 2 for each jump because the other end is a complete circle and I wanted the bar to easily fall away if she hit it while going over.
MYSTERY ITEMS (photo below): (Wendy) I was still able to make the jump cups, but I had to improvise by adding another piece. I’m not sure what it is called, but here is a picture. The piece is threaded on one end, which I screwed into the saddle. The other end fits 1″ pipe, so I inserted the “cup” piece of pvc into this end. It works well, but I ended up having to cut my jump bar a little shorter, so it would fit on the improvised jump cups.
If you have something you used not listed above, please leave a comment!
Share your stuff!
I thought that with everyone out there building these nifty things, you might want to share some photos, especially if you had ideas to share with the other folks using these instructions. If you want to do this, you can email the pictures to me and I will choose some (or all) to share here.
I would also LOVE to see photos of dogs using these obstacles that you built.
I will do two new pages here at the blog — one for hints and tips, and one for your dogs showing their stuff. 
Please size down your picture a bit before sending it so that it does not blow up my computer.
Please include a caption for your picture, such as “I used Widget A for a jump cup” or perhaps “Mac loves his weave poles!” so that I have something to put with the photo. I won’t publish any names without permission and email addresses will not be published under any circumstances.
Send your pictures by email to agility (at) weebordercollie.com (you’ll have to copy/paste that and put the little @ symbol in there).
Happy New Year, everyone.
Roger hopes to do a dogwalk next, but it is very miserable with rain, etc. outside on the porch and in the yard where he builds stuff just now. We will be moving — soon, we hope — to a place with some kind of shop building and garage.
In the meantime, please continue to enjoy the instructions for jumps, weave poles, and pause table.
Plastic Pause Table
The pause table is a big challenge for a dog zooming through an agility course. The dog has to climb onto the table and sit or lie down for five seconds, the antithesis to the speed required in the rest of the course. Assembling a pause table like we’ve built here will take four to six hours and will cost about $60 (not including the non-skid surface).
Previous Articles
Welcome to Instant Agility
Learn how to build inexpensive but sturdy agility equipment that will give you and your dog hours of fun--and then learn how to put the equipment to use.
We hope to put up a new obstacle or training piece fairly frequently.
