3 Types of DIY PVC Dog Agility Equipment

Having your own equipment is a necessity if you want to participate in dog agility competitions. Given the extraordinary price of this equipment, a lot of dog parents have to look for alternative ways of training their dogs. PVC pipes and fitting can help you in this regard as they are inexpensive and durable. You can make the following PVC dog agility equipment at home.

PVC Dog Jump

This simple agility equipment offers a nice start to your dog’s training. It is really easy to make as you just need some PVC pipes and a hammer to build this equipment. If your dog is new to agility, it is the perfect partner for you.

Materials Needed:

• 2 1-inch PVC pipes (5 feet in length)
• 1 1-inch PVC pipe (24 inches long)
• 2 1-inch elbows
• PVC glue

Directions

1. Use a rubber mallet to fix a couple of 1-inch PVC pipes into the ground. The distance between these pipes should be 24 inches. Keep hammering them until the height of pipes is about the top of your dog’s head.
2. Now, connect a PVC elbow on top of each pipe. Rotate the elbows so that both of them are pointing towards each other. Apply some PVC glue to these connections to make sure that the joint is strong.
3. Take a 24-inch long PVC pipe (having a diameter of 1 inch) and attach it to both the elbows to complete the dog jump.

PVC Pipe Hurdles

Once you have learned the basic method of making dog jumps, you can make a number of pipe hurdles to train your dog. You can use a pair of jump cup strips to alter the height of your dog’s jump while using the same pipe hurdle. Replicate the following instructions to make some PVC pipe hurdles for your canine friends.

Materials Needed:

• 2 1-inch white PVC pipe (5 feet long)
• 2 1-inch any color (we are using blue pipes) PVC pipe (5 feet long)
• 2 4-way PVC tee connector
• 6 PVC end caps
• 1 Pair of jump cup strips
• 1 Measuring Tape
• 1 PVC pipe cutter
• Colored tape or permanent marker

Note: All the quantities are for one pipe hurdle.

Directions

1. The process of creating these hurdles begin by cutting the PVC pipes. For making one hurdle, you will need to cut both the white pipes at 47 inches. One of these pipes will be used to connect both feet of the hurdle. The second 47-inch pipe will be used as your jumping bar.
2. Each of the blue pipes will be divided into 3 parts. The first cut will be made at 36 inches. After that, you will cut a couple of 9-inch pieces from each blue pipe. Consequently, you will have 4 9-inch pieces, 2 36-inch pieces, and 2 47-inch pieces.
3. Start the assembling process by inserting two 9-inch pieces into a 4-way tee connector. Place an end cap at both ends to complete one leg of the hurdle. Repeat this process to create the second leg.
4. After that, take a 47-inch piece of PVC pipe and connect both the feet.
5. Now, take the two 36-inch pieces and insert them into the top of the 4-way tee connector. Connect an end cap on top of these blue bars.
6. Then, connect your jump cup strips to these blue pipes so that the jumping pipe could be placed.
7. Add the jumping bar to complete your PVC pipe hurdle.
8. In the end, add some strips of colored tape (or permanent marker) on the pipes to improve the visibility.  

PVC Weave Poles

The challenge of weave poles is one of the most difficult dog agility training. It will take a lot of patience and practice to teach your dog to go through the poles. However, you must have the agility equipment to start practicing and following is a method to make some PVC weave poles.

Materials Needed:

• 6 ¾-inch PVC pipes (38 inches in length)
• 6 ¾-inch end caps
• 6 Weave pole stakes
• Weave pole placer (enough for 6 pole stakes)
• PVC pipe cutter
• Colored insulation tape

Directions

1. Attach one side of the PVC pipes to the weave pole stakes and connect an end cap to the other side.
2. After that, stripe some colored tape on your weave poles to increase their visibility.
3. Then, spread the pole placer on the floor and place the PVC weave poles into the ground. There are specialized holes in the pole placer that allows the pole stakes to go through.
4. Once all of this is done, you are all set to train your pet with this dog agility equipment.

You can have a look at an agility training tutorial in the following video.