Making Cavaletti For Dogs

Dog Agility Equipment sales can be found in the Doggie Shop

Cavaletti are small jumps that are generally used for schooling horses.  They can be turned around in different ways so that they make jumps of different heights.  Smaller sized Cavaletti can be very useful for dogs that are getting fit for agility.  They could also be used for training a new dog or for pet dogs that only do occasional jumping.  Jamie is just recovering from a leg injury and he's been kept very quiet for around four weeks.  Putting him over a few cavaletti will help to strengthen his leg in a controlled way and hopefully we'll soon be back to full height.   
 

Here's how to make dog sized cavaletti

To make one jump about six inches high at its maximum you'll need four pieces of 2"x1" batten about 12" long.  Use a pencil to mark the centres of two of these pieces with a little cross.  Now put one piece of wood on top of another piece so that they line up with each other and nail through the centre.  Do the same with the other two pieces of wood.

Now you should be able to turn them around so that they form a cross.  Nail them again to hold them securely in the cross shape and you've made the ends of the cavaletti.

To make the pole you'll need a broom handle.  These cost less than a pound.  They're free if you've given up gardening and housework in favour of agility.  You just need to cut the handles off the mop and the broom and the gardening tools.  You'll need to drill some holes at right angles through each end of the broom handle.  Use a power drill and don't be tempted to try and nail.  It doesn't work because the wood's too hard and it's round.  (I tried it.)

Now you can screw the pole to the ends that you've made and hey presto you have your first cavaletti.  I'm afraid Jamie wasn't impressed but he will be when I've made four and he sees them all in a line and realises he's going to do some jumping. Let's just try him over the first one and see what he thinks. 

Oh for heavens sake.  Don't say they've lowered the jumps again!  Can we take up heelwork to music?