DOG AGILITY COURSE The Stepping Stones 4-H Club has built up, over its three years of existance, a reputation (sometimes even controversial) for thinking that 'extends beyond the box'. Often we bite off huge bites of life and swallow what we can and choke on the rest! (luckily that doesn't happen often!) The Dog Agility Course is no exception. This was, perhaps, our most courageous undertaking thus far A personality flaw of my own is that I tend to dream too big sometimes & execution was going to prove to be a problem in this situation. If I had not found a partner able to see the vision, as large as it was, and shoulder the load, this project would not have seen the light of day; that person was Todd Harris, a parent in the group, who doesn't even have a child in the dog project, but saw the potential of what this could do for the Monroe County Dog project-Southeast district, and in the long run, the excitement that it should be able to generate in the comunnity, and what a great asset & draw factor we believe it to be for the Elroy Fair. Greg Olson was also available for a couple projects which look great. Jackie Menn was able to supply a few needed supplies also. Believe it or not, when my son Dylan recieved his birthday money, he wanted to become a contributor too & he is the sole sponsor of the Hula Hoop tunnel! After halling this equipment back and forth from Wilton training site, Jackie Menn & I decided we had better move the site to the Elroy Fairgrounds for the remaining 4 meetings. So, Saturday mornings 9am-noon the agility & dog obedience classes will be available for watching (through the fair dates) while the children practice with their dogs. Painting & final touches are ongoing so it is truely a work in process and with the red, white & blue paint jobs it has the patriotic appeal that everyone enjoys. It certainly should have the "eye appeal" we were looking for Painting is a thought evoking process on the agility equipment because dogs are red/green color blind, so I must anways be aware that this is an outdoor course (green grass being the major outer factor) All contact equipment (dog walk, A-Frame, see-saw) must have a 42" contact zone (area at the end & beginning of the obstacle that must be contacted by the animal in order to qualify that piece. WEAVE POLES 13 1" pvc Pipes painted red, white & blue, placed over coated garden stakes 24" apart. We found it important to vary the numbers used as the dogs count and easily get used to a set number of poles. Regulations are anywhere from 8-13. This is the hardest of obstacles for the dogs to master. BARREL JUMPS 3 barrel jumps were made by Greg with height adjustments of 6, 12, 18, & 24 inches. 2 had to be replaced when they blew out of my truck in transport and shattered all over Hwy. 71! All the dogs love to jump! A-FRAME This is a massive piece of equipment that has adjustable height requirements. It was amazing to me that requlation height at its peak is taller than me. The first coat of paint is applied with a layer of sand to provide traction. All the animals hesitated on their first attempts but are now very excited when they get to the A-Frame...tails are always wagging. LONG JUMP 1-4 low obstacles, placed side by side (Number depending on the size of the dog) Todd made these of small pvc piping and vinyl siding with uprights on all 4 corners designed to indicate when the jump has bumped by animal, thus faulting. Flexible materials used so that the dogs do not hurt themselves if they hit them. DOG WALK This is frightening for the beginning dog but a joy for any experienced animal. It is very high. It too has the yellow contact zones on the on & off ramps & is decorated with the red, white and blue with a sprinkling of stars. It too has the sand coating for traction. COLLAPSIBLE TUNNEL Wer really don't have this obstacle. We have been using a children's play tunnel (reinforced with duct tape). We also have been borrowing Sparta's tunnel & returning it weekly. Training begins with the tunnel compacted very short and extends to almost 20 feet. We are asking for donations to buy one for ourselves at the Elroy Fair as they are very expensive ($400.) CHUTE This is a cut plastic barrel mounted on a frame. This is what they begin training on. We then sewed a beautiful blue chute of ripstop nylon ( 8 yards) & attached the chute to the tunnel with a bungee cord. The chute works well as it allows light to penetrate the fabric and is not so frightening to the dog as he runs through. SEE-SAW This is Todd's favorite and truely a beauty made entirely of wood. It is really heavy. It too is a contact obstacle and counter balanced so that when the dog jumps off, the teeter goes back to the starting position The teeter needs to be eased in the off position so it doesn't frighten the animal. It's a great obstacle. Todd gets signage on this obstacle. PAUSE TABLE 4'x4' plywood table, 12" off the ground where the dog must down & stay for 5 seconds before being released to the next obstacle. I get signage on this obstacle. HULA HOOP TUNNEL This is an obstacle I saw at the Mad City Dog Trainers Agility course at this year's Dog Fest. It consists of many hula hoops having alternate sides taped withcolored duct tape & slightly spread apart to create the illusion of a tunnel. The dogs need to be trained not to go out the sides. it must be staked at the corners and connected with cable ties to the colored stakes. This was relatively inexpensive & my son, Dylan sponsored this obstacle. ************ WE hope to see you all out to the Elroy Fair to see our end result. We're all proud of this undertaking. The Elroy Fair Dog Show begins at 5pm on Thursday (the first night of the fair) July 26th. By the way, stick around afterwards for the Dog Games: where our entrants get to compete for gifts in catagories like, best trick, best pull, costume, & musical chairs!!! Can't wait to see you!! |
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