Why Use PVC Pipe?

• PVC pipe is an ideal choice for making agility equipment because it is inexpensive, strong, lightweight and durable. If your practice space is limited or you practice in several locations, you can even take your agility equipment apart for storage or transport, and then quickly reassemble it.
  
  PVC pipe is also easy to find, as you can buy it at any hardware or plumbing store.
  
  

What You Can Make

• With PVC pipe, you can make several types of agility equipment, including jumps, weaves, ladders, pause tables and teeter boards. You can buy kits that contain all the PVC pipe and connectors you need, so that all you have to do is assemble the pieces. Alternatively, you can buy the PVC pipe and connectors you need for a particular piece of agility equipment. In this case, you would cut the PVC pipe to the sizes you need. Books such as Jim Hutchin's Do It Yourself Agility Equipment provide plans for making agility equipment.
  
  

Types of PVC Pipe

• PVC pipe come in three strengths, called schedules: 40, 80 and 120. The difference has to do with the thickness of the pipe wall. Schedule 80 and schedule 120 PVC pipe are ideal for high-pressure water systems but are not necessary for agility equipment. The less expensive schedule 40 PVC pipe is adequate for your needs.
  
  PVC pipe also comes in different thicknesses. For agility equipment, you will use 3/4-inch or 1-inch PVC pipe. These numbers refer to the diameter of the pipe: 3/4 inch PVC pipe has a diameter of 3/4 inches. Which type of PVC pipe should you use? That depends on the size of your dogs and the amount you plan to use your equipment. If your dogs are small or you plan to use your equipment only occasionally, 3/4-inch pipe will be fine. For larger dogs or more regular use, you will want the more expensive but sturdier 1-inch pipe.
  
  

Cutting and Connecting PVC Pipe

• You can cut PVC pipe to the lengths you need with a hacksaw or a PVC pipe cutter. To connect pieces of PVC pipe together, you can use elbows, tees and other connectors. You will want to buy the same size connectors as the PVC pipe: if you are using 1-inch PVC pipe, be sure you buy 1-inch PVC connectors.
  
  The connectors fit tightly, so you don't generally need glue. This is an advantage if you need to disassemble your agility equipment for storage or to move it to a new location. You can use glue with your connectors if you want to.
  
  

Building Agility Equipment

• Building agility equipment out of PVC pipe is a matter of cutting pipe to the right length and then connecting the pieces. For example, to build a pause table, you would make a box out of PVC pipe and then place a board on top for the table top. For a jump, you can make two T-shaped legs out of PVC pipe and connect them with another piece of PVC to make the jump. Almost any kind of agility equipment can be made inexpensively out of PVC pipe.