Creating a backyard dog agility course is an exciting and rewarding way to engage your furry friend in fun and challenging activities. Whether you’re a beginner looking to introduce your dog to the basics or an experienced trainer aiming to refine skills, having the right agility equipment is essential. Let’s look at eight critical pieces of dog training equipment that will transform your backyard into a versatile training ground, helping your dog develop agility, confidence, and a stronger bond with you.
Dog Agility Jumps
In general, you’ll find about 15-20 dog obstacles on an agility course, and this will include several types of jumps. Generally, courses include four contact obstacles (A-frame, dog walk, teeter and pause table), a set of weave poles and a tunnel. The remaining obstacles will be jumps, which underscores the importance of constant jump practice.
While the majority of obstacles on a course are jumps, it’s not necessary to purchase a huge amount of jumps to teach this skill. You can easily get by with just two or three jumps. We have single, double and triple jumps, as well as panel jumps and fence wing jumps.
Before you purchase jumps, take a look at the rules and regulations of the agility organization or organizations for which you wish to compete. Determine which jumps seem to be the best options and then purchase several jumps for your backyard course. One option might be to purchase 2-3 triple jumps and simply remove one or more of the poles to create a single or double jump.
The Tire Jump
The tire jump is a unique type of agility jump, so it truly deserves its own little section. In addition to some of the jumps mentioned above, virtually all competition courses will feature a tire jump. At Carlson Agility, we carry both a standard-size jump and a mini agility jump, which is ideal for those smaller breeds.
The Weave Poles
Weave poles are one of the most difficult dog obstacles to teach, and every agility organization features a set of weaves on its competition course, so it’s an essential piece of dog agility equipment. We also highly recommend purchasing our training guide wires or perhaps our training chute to make this obstacle easier for your dog to learn.
The Dog Agility Tunnel
In the past, agility courses often would include a collapsible chute as well as a tunnel. The chute has been phased out due to safety concerns, but the tunnel is still going strong. This tends to be a relatively easy obstacle to teach, but if your dog seems hesitant to enter the tunnel, simply have a trusted person at both ends of the tunnel and coax the dog through with the promise of a treat and a few pats once they make it through. Before long, your dog will be zipping through the tunnel with ease.
The Pause Table
While it’s not the most exciting piece of dog training equipment, you’ll find a pause table on every course, and it is a great obstacle to use for basic obedience training and distance training. Dogs must pause and sit, stay and lay down on the table for several seconds before moving on to the next obstacle, so you can use this obstacle to teach those basic skills.
Once they’ve mastered these skills on the pause table, keep practicing them in other locations in your yard as well as in your house. All dogs should be trained to sit and stay on command, and the pause table can serve double duty for teaching both agility and obedience skills.
The Dog Agility Teeter Totter
This can be a bit daunting for dogs, given the movement of the teeter and the fact that dogs must learn to balance their bodies carefully in order to move up and down across the teeter. Dogs also must touch the dog agility teeter at specific points on the board, which is why you will notice two colors on our teeters. Dogs cannot simply leap onto the middle of the teeter and leap off, they must head up one side and down the other.
The Dog Agility A Frame
The dog agility A-frame also can be a bit intimidating because of the height. Dogs also must enter and exit this obstacle on the colored areas at the bottom of each side of the obstacle. Usually, we recommend guiding your dog, perhaps on-leash, on and off this obstacle several times before allowing your dog to try it without your help. Be sure to stand nearby during the early stages of training to ensure safety.
The Agility Dog Walk
The dog walk is the fourth piece of contact equipment and can take up a good amount of space in your backyard, but it is essential as every agility organization uses this obstacle. We do offer a mini dog walk and while it’s meant for smaller breeds, it’s sturdy enough for bigger dogs, too, so choosing the miniature version can save some space in your yard.
How To Set Up Your Backyard Course
The first step will be to assess your yard space and determine how many obstacles will fit with enough room for the dog to maneuver safely from obstacle to obstacle. In many cases, you might not have enough space to add all of the obstacles at one time. This is fine, as you can set up just a few pieces of equipment at a time, practice those skills, and then swap in new pieces to ensure that your dog gains experience with each obstacle.
We often recommend that people begin by purchasing a dog agility starter kit, and we have several options available in our online store. This allows you to start with just a few items, which is cost-effective, and you shouldn’t try to teach every piece of dog agility equipment at once anyway, so it makes sense to start with just two or three obstacles and build from there.
Safety should always be the top priority, so be sure to set up a course on a flat surface and remove any non-agility obstacles, such as furnishings, planters, hoses, etc. Purchasing quality equipment also is essential, and while our equipment is sturdy and built to competition standards, be wary of cheaply priced agility equipment as this can be poorly constructed and dangerous for your dog. It’s better to slowly build a collection of high-quality dog training equipment than to use cheaper items that could cause injury to your dog.
We always recommend getting started with just one or two pieces of dog agility equipment at most. For instance, you might train your dog to use the pause table and one jump. Once they’ve mastered these two skills, add the tunnel or perhaps the teeter. Once those are mastered, add a new piece of equipment and so forth.
Carlson Agility: Top-Quality Dog Agility Equipment
At Carlson Agility, we have just about any piece of dog training equipment that you might need, including some helpful training tools. Each piece of equipment is handmade using the highest quality components to ensure safety as well as longevity. If you have any questions about our products don’t hesitate to get in touch with us at any time.
