Agility Equipment
Agility Obstacles
These can be a variety of Jumps, Tunnels, Tyre jumps, Contact area equipment (Dogwalk, A-Frame and Seesaw) and Weave Poles. All are designed with safety and spectator appeal in mind.
Our Rules and Regulations contain descriptions and measurements of obstacles and covers how performance is marked in a competition. The height and width settings for the obstacles in relation to the different event classes can be found in Sections 3 and 4. Diagrams of the obstacles are included in our Rule Book and may help you with building your own agility equipment.
A Frame
The A-Frame consists of two wide ramps. When upright the A-Frame looks like the letter ‘A’. The part of the ramp nearest the ground (when upright) is painted in a contrasting colour to the top part. This indicates the part of the ramp that dogs need to make contact with.
Long Jump
The Long Jump consists of two to five low planks, spaced slightly apart and raised off the ground a little. This jump has marker poles at each corner. The planks have a slight horizontal slope and each graduates in height and width. The narrowest plank is the lowest to the ground.
Jump (Hurdle)
There are a variety of hurdles (jumps) utilised for agility competitions and include single, spread, winged and solid. Hurdles consist of two uprights that hold a bar, bars or solid element. Dogs jump between the uprights and over whatever is between. The height of the jump depends on the height class of an event.
See-Saw
The See-Saw is similar to a child’s see-saw in that it consists of one long plank fixed to a sturdy base it can pivot on. Each end of the plank is painted in a contrasting colour to the rest of the plank to show where dogs need to touch. Dogs run up the plank, tip it, and then run down. The see-saw is known as a ‘Teeter’ or ‘Teeter-Totter’.
Tyre
The tyre obstacle consists of a specially constructed circle with a magnetic aperture to break open at the bottom if hit (allowing the dog to travel forward). This is suspended in a sturdy frame and dogs jump through the hole in the tyre. The height the tyre is suspended at depends on the height class of an event.
Tunnel
The Tunnel is a long flexible tube that dogs run through. The diameter of the tunnel is 600-800mm and the length when straight is around 3-7m. This tunnel is often flexed into different shapes, from straight to a complete ‘U’ shape.
Dog Walk
The dog walk consists of three equal length planks. These join together to form an up ramp, across ramp, and a down ramp. Like the A-Frame, the area on the up and down ramps closest to the ground is painted in a contrasting colour. This indicates the part of the plank that dogs need to make contact with.
Weave Poles
Weave poles consist of a set of upright poles spaced at 600 mm between centres. Most events utilise a set of 12 poles but some games can use a different number. Dogs slalom in and out of the gaps between the poles.
