Easy Garden Jump

This is probably going to be the easiest garden jump you'll ever make.  The good news is you don't need any carpentry skills.  The even better news is that the jump is very cheap to make.  In fact my latest garden jump is dedicated to all the non woodworkers who despair of ever putting anything together that even vaguely resembles a dog jump.   

This is what you need to make the jump:

1) 2 pieces of wood 85mm long.  If you can't use a saw bribe someone to do it for you or ask them to cut it   at the DIY shop.  The wood can be any sensible size (not a plank).  I used 25mm x 50mm or 2x1 as it used to be known.  

2) 4 pieces of wood out of the garden shed.  These can be any offcuts.  They only need to be sturdy enough to hold the long bits in place. 

3) A hammer and nails.

4) Some jump cups (More about these later.)

5) A dog to jump over the jump when it's finished.  (I'm assuming that some non agility people may land on this page by accident and think we're making something else.)
 

This is how to put the jump together
You won't get over this part.  All you have to do is nail two of the big bits of wood to either side of each of the long bits.   This is illustrated in the picture on the right. 

I did this quite easily.  When I finished I realised that maybe I should have painted the wood before I nailed it together.   Oh well, you can't be brilliant all the time and today I just happened to be feeling as short as two thick planks.

Now you need to paint the jumps with something.  I used a bit of paint that was lurking in the garden shed and I got it all over me and the grass.  Sasha escaped without being painted.  Jamie hid indoors.

Jump Cups
Next we need some jump cups.  You can make these yourself or you can buy them.  To make them you just need to find any cylindrical container that you're about to throw away.  Cut it in half and then round the edges to make something shaped roughly like a jump cup.  Make a couple of holes in the end for the screws and away you go.

If you don't want to make your own jump cups you can buy them ready made.  The cups sometimes influence the way in which your dog jumps so think carefully before you decide. 

Agility Dogs Jump 4 Joy sells ready made jump cups and I buy mine from them.  Jamie used home made cups for years but Sasha can destroy them in minutes.  It just depends what sort of dog you've got.  Here's the live auctions from ebay.

Finally we have to get a dog to jump over it.

 

Jamie doesn't look very keen but how about Sasha?	Oh what?  it's very hot and  there is an interesting smell here?
..and I've just got a new Kong toy.	..oh well, if you insist.