WyoBC Posted January 16, 2008 Report Share Posted January 16, 2008 I have wanted to do agility with Black Jack for a long time. I think he's finally ready for it now! His back is better and we haven't had any problems with it for almost a year. He is on new food that is really doing good. So I wanted to know, what agility stuff can I build at home? So after I take some lessons I can do it at home too. Also, if anyone knows anyone in Wy that does agility let me know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pammyd Posted January 16, 2008 Report Share Posted January 16, 2008 You can build anything you want! - they dont have to be full size or even look proper So far I have started building for Ben (not that he can use them yet) Jumps (pipe lagging and garden canes) Tunnel (well I didnt build it it is a kiddies play tunnel) Tippy board (plank of wood painted and sand put on then legs in the middle so it tips over and gives him the idea of a see saw (well it will cos at the moment it is on the ground and he is just getting used to running over it) Dog walk (small fold down table, 2 planks of wood, wood batons stuck on and hinges to the table painted and sanded - again still on the ground for Ben at the moment) Weaves (pipe lagging and garden cane) Tyre (bike inner tube tied to my washing line) and I am rubbish at DIY - but it is enough to give Ben some fun and train contacts and stuff with him Will post fotos when the ground dries out and I can set it up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat W. Posted January 16, 2008 Report Share Posted January 16, 2008 I dont know how close you are to Casper but Cleanrun only shows one club in WY. Here is their website: http://www.angelfire.com/wy2/accw/ , the contact person is Megan Schafer and her email is kmschafer@msn.com. Since Blackjack has a history of back problems I would be careful, starting very slow and making sure that you stretch an warm him up well before any training. You might want to join the Cleanrun Yahoo list there are alot of people on there that might be able to point you to someone closer if Casper is too far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Root Beer Posted January 16, 2008 Report Share Posted January 16, 2008 Also, in the meantime before you build proper equipment, there are tons of ways to improvise. This is Dean's at-home teeter trainer. Since he's noise phobic, I am working on just the motion portion with him right now. That's why we are using a sofa cushion!! He really gets a kick out of this. I've done quite a few things like this along the way! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogsofmenace Posted January 16, 2008 Report Share Posted January 16, 2008 I think its nice to have at least jumps and a tunnel for at home. I also have weave poles and a teeter. I'm not good at all at DIY so I usually just buy things, (or rather use birthdays and Christmas as a way to get a new piece of equipment :]) but the easiest agility equipment to make is a jump. Two chairs and a broom! Thats the kind of jump I had for years until I actually got some stuff. I have these which are wonderful, cheap and nice and light so I can move them all over the yard without problem. They'd probably be pretty easy to make, too. If you search for do it yourself agility or something you'll probably find a ton of plans. Kiddie play tunnels are great to get, too. Agility equipment can get expensive, no doubt, so I try to find the cheapest way possible to get the stuff I want (without having to make it XD) Have fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mojo Posted January 16, 2008 Report Share Posted January 16, 2008 Good luck in agility with your pup--you guys are going to have a lot of fun! There's a fantastic Yahoo Group called "agility-equipment" that is dedicated to the building of home agility obstacles: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/agility-equipment Detailed plans and photos of works-in-progress and finished equipment available, all for free when you join. VERY active discussion group. I highly recommend it! In my trainer's opinion, the most vital pieces for a beginner are a set of 12 (not 6) weave poles, and a long board (2" x 12" x 12') to teach the teeter behavior, which are often the two most difficult obstacles and require the most at-home time if you are serious about progressing. I bought a set of PVC channel weaves, but eventually switched to using rebar to make my own "stick-in-the-ground" weave poles (with the hollow PVC pipes fitted on top of the rebar) once Mojo knew what he was doing. Regarding the teeter, keep the board flat on the ground first and teach the dog to run across it. After he's comfortable with that, then bolt a dowel or a piece of PVC pipe underneath, and teach the dog to depress the board and get used to the noise--that alone will take you a long way. Personally, when I first got started, I only had a large cardboard box that was open on both ends as a tunnel, as well as anything remotely pole-shaped (broomsticks, giftwrapping paper tubes, etc.) draped across two chairs as jumps...anything to get the dog working with you and navigating obstacles will definitely get you going, really, and once you decide to continue pursuing agility, you can start to accumulate proper obstacles, either bought or home-made. Hope that helps! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
in2adventure Posted January 16, 2008 Report Share Posted January 16, 2008 Where are you in WY? MT has quite a few places to practice and trial along the WY/MT border. With all my traveling, I've gone to making my own stuff too. I just recently made a set of 6 weave poles out of pvc for $9.00 PVC is the way to go. A 10ft piece of 3/4" is only $1.85 at Lowes. The connector pieces are very cheap too. I haven't worked on making the contact stuff yet, but soon I spent just under a year in formal training, now I train on my own and try to get a really good private lesson every 3-4 weeks. More for me than Lucia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alaska Posted January 17, 2008 Report Share Posted January 17, 2008 Well, it's been a while since the last time I made this suggestion, so for you let me strongly recommend CyberAgility. The website has been recently redesigned and it's not initially obvious how much information is there, so make sure you keep clicking the little paw next to "NEXT" until you've gotten to the page that has a link at the bottom for "Home Schooling Your Clicker Trained Agility Dog", and definitely read that article. If you can find a local trainer, and if s/he happens to be a good agility trainer, that's great. But it sounds like that might not be in the cards for you, just as it wasn't for me when I got started. Here's why I recommend a CyberAgility course for you: 1. The instructor is a FANTASTIC clicker trainer. She really, really understands the theory behind it and will MAKE SURE that you do too by the time you are done. This alone is well worth the time and cost of this course, even if you never went on to do any more agility. 2. This is a foundation course. You'll be focused on building a teamwork relationship with your dog mostly through ground exercises. That means no risk to Blackjack's back, no need to buy or build a bunch of stuff before you start, and most important of all you are starting with foundation handling skills. Nearly every experienced agility handler will tell you this is the right way to do it, but lots of people skip this step and then have to go back later to establish this foundation. 3. The intructor provides instructions for building the equipment you will need, when you need it. 4. Unlimited email access to the instructor. Ask any training question you want, agility or otherwise. But don't sign up if you aren't ready to commit to doing a little bit of training every day. This is a really intense course, and the more effort you put in, the more you'll get out of it. Highly recommended. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WyoBC Posted January 18, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 18, 2008 Yes I will be starting very slow. We always warmed up before his obedience classes so we know how that goes. I don't really think we will be getting into it full time because of his back, but I know he could do it once in a while. We will see how he does. Thanks for all the help guys. I am really excited to go build some stuff. Do you need to have a trainer go over how to train of the stuff, or can I just kind of start on it? I know he'll have a lot of fun with it once the weather gets better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
in2adventure Posted January 18, 2008 Report Share Posted January 18, 2008 Since you are probably not interested (yet ) in trials (because of his back), IMO, I would find a local trainer and do a basic set of classes, just for safety purposes and to give YOU a good foundation start. My first trainer did a 6 week beginner session with a max of 4" on jumps. It gave exposer to EVERY piece of equipment that she knew of, how to properly train the dog on it and showed us how to run simple combinations of equiment. The second six week session touched on handler body movements and longer "courses". After that, depending on the dog, it's was up to the handler how far they wanted to go with it. Good luck and let us know how he (and you) like it! It's a very addictive sport. It's also a fantastic way to build the bond Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat W. Posted January 18, 2008 Report Share Posted January 18, 2008 there are alot of DVD's and books on agility out there they can also be found at the Cleanrun.com website definately read before starting, and start with foundation work before going onto equipment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kate40541 Posted January 18, 2008 Report Share Posted January 18, 2008 That's great that Black Jack's back is better so you can think about agility with him, even if you never go to any trials it's still a blast. If you do enter trials an option is to enter veterans type classes instead of the regular classes. It's the same courses but with lower jumps heights that might be better for his back. You can decide that later, there's so much training that can be done first that's important and fun. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MyMace Posted January 18, 2008 Report Share Posted January 18, 2008 there are alot of DVD's and books on agility out there they can also be found at the Cleanrun.com website definately read before starting, and start with foundation work before going onto equipment. i'm new to these boards...finding them very helpful as i raise my very first bc! question about agility...maceo is turning 1 yr old soon, and i want to get him into some agility training...however, the next session at my selected training facility doesn't start until august! do you think by starting this late we are losing precious training time, or does it not really matter? i just want to make sure i'm getting him involved at the 'right' time....thoughts? he has already been through basic obedience twice... thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Root Beer Posted January 18, 2008 Report Share Posted January 18, 2008 i'm new to these boards...finding them very helpful as i raise my very first bc! question about agility...maceo is turning 1 yr old soon, and i want to get him into some agility training...however, the next session at my selected training facility doesn't start until august! do you think by starting this late we are losing precious training time, or does it not really matter? i just want to make sure i'm getting him involved at the 'right' time....thoughts? he has already been through basic obedience twice... thanks! I started Maddie in agility training when she was 5 years old and have just started competing with her now that she's 7! I started Dean in Beginner Agility at 1 year and 7 months, and I have found that his level of maturity was just about right. So, if you are just looking to learn agility for fun and bonding with your dog, August would not be "starting late". Getting a DVD to do some foundation work specific to agility might be a good idea, if you want to get started now. Or, maybe take some more obedience or some Rally classes in the meantime. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MyMace Posted January 18, 2008 Report Share Posted January 18, 2008 I started Maddie in agility training when she was 5 years old and have just started competing with her now that she's 7! I started Dean in Beginner Agility at 1 year and 7 months, and I have found that his level of maturity was just about right. So, if you are just looking to learn agility for fun and bonding with your dog, August would not be "starting late". Getting a DVD to do some foundation work specific to agility might be a good idea, if you want to get started now. Or, maybe take some more obedience or some Rally classes in the meantime. thanks so much for the response, kristine...it is helpful to know what ages you started your bc's! i think i will take your advice, as there is a rally class starting in february... it is so nice to have a place to go for bc advise! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kate40541 Posted January 18, 2008 Report Share Posted January 18, 2008 That wouldn't be too late at all! Kate and I started our first class when she was 1 1/2 and she retired 12 years later, you have plenty of time. Don't let anyone make you feel your dog is too old, some people do have every title there is before their dog has even grown up but they're rare and I think agility should be a life-long game for you and your partner. Right now you can start on ground work and basic obedience. I found this site that has some suggestions for things to do with Mace - http://www.fcrsainc.org/resources/articles/puppyagility.html There are some ideas here too - http://www.dogpatch.org/agility/FAQs/faqgen09.html The most important thing is to learn that agility is a way to have fun with your dog. Suzanne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
haleigh Posted January 19, 2008 Report Share Posted January 19, 2008 http://www.peak.org/~helix/Agility/ Great site for improvising and building equipment! For my birthday last year, dad got me a 150 dollar gift certificate for affordable agility. With that, I got a (very) sturdy, 9 ft. practice tunnel, 6 pole practice weave set, and a 16" duffle jump. That was my basics. For about 20 bucks you can make apporx 6 of those duffle jumps. The duffle jumps are lightweight collapsible jumps that can fit inside a duffle bag for easy storing. They are one height, and have a fixed bar, so you have to make sure they are made withh 3/4" PVC, or else they won't fall down when knocked. I don't really like the online courses, because you don't have someone showing you how to do it, and someone THERE to help adjust your footing, etc. To me, it's a whole lot easier to take lessons then an online course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana Nichols Posted January 19, 2008 Report Share Posted January 19, 2008 There is a really good yahoo group called "ColoradoAgility" that has a bunch of the Wyoming agility folks on it too. I'm sure if you joined the group and sent an email asking about instructors or classes near you, you'd get some great info since you are so close to Colorado. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BC Wild Child Posted January 20, 2008 Report Share Posted January 20, 2008 Here is a link to NADAC's website with several WY clubs. NADAC Clubs There are several NADAC trial held in Casper, Sheridan and Gillette. The Champs will be held in Gillette again this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hpjoe2001 Posted January 20, 2008 Report Share Posted January 20, 2008 HOW TO BUILD WEAVE POLES http://www.dogpatch.org/agility/FAQs/faqweave.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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