Making a simple but reliable practice jump

Hi, this is Carmen. My dad Rich Dieppe has put off making new practice jumps for me for just too long, but today is the day. He has some new ideas that should make it simpler, and between you and me, I'm hoping this set of jumps will be a little nicer than the ones he built last time. I’ll show you pictures of what we’re doing this as we go. As I’m an 'All American' (crossbreed to you) please excuse me if I speak in American English and use inches and feet instead of metric measurements. 

The first thing that Dad has to do is to buy all the material required. Since I have been working hard all morning, I’ll sleep on the couch while dad runs to the hardware store to buy the following items for one jump:-

  • (12 feet) 1' PVC (plastic pipe)

  • 1 x 1' PVC elbow

  • 2 x 1' PVC tees

  • 8 x ¼' screws

  • 8 x feet - ¾' PVC

  • Some pretty colours of tape for dressing the bars.

  • Don’t forget the PVC glue

He already has the jump cups. He bought these real cool (and inexpensive) cups to hold the bars from a guy here in California. They are easy to mount and almost make my jumps look like something from a catalog.

Carmen Says

Get all of your tools ready to use.
This time you’ll need:-

  • PVC cutter

  • Tape measure

  • Pencil

  • 7/16' wrench and screw driver or something to fasten with.

  • Cookies or a pint of something cool (You need these during the photo shoot to keep your Mum or Dad's interest up. Rich prefers Oreo cookies.)

Yawn, what a nice nap. The sun is shining. There is this frisky little ground squirrel...

Oh the jumps, right
Dad just walked in. He’s finished cutting all the PVC. He started with the 1' PVC only. He said to wait till the end to cut the ¾', I guess he’ll explain later, but these are the lengths and quantity for one jump:-

  • 1 x 45"

  • 2 x 30"

  • 2 x 16"

  • 1 x  2"

This jump will be smaller than regulation in just about any country, but your handler won’t notice, and it will be easier to load in your car.

Dad mentioned that if you are building a set of four, this happens to be five 10-foot lengths (just about perfect). We need to clean (not with your tongue) the ends before we start gluing. Since we don’t need a structural or leak-proof bond, just smooth the ends with some light sand paper, so it’s easy to put together.

Now it’s time to glue, I just can’t stand the smell, and Richard thinks it’s bad for me, so he’ll have to explain the order and technique.

'Thanks Carmen'. Let’s do this in steps so no mistakes are made and we don’t have to go back to the hardware store.  This will also be a good time to look at the pictures. Glue the stabilizer together first, that’s the section that consists of the one real little piece, the two other small pieces and one of the 1' tee’s. If you look at the picture and glue it like it shows, it’s a 'no brainer'. The other piece at this time will only be one of the 'standards' (that’s what we call them) and the base pole attached with the 'elbow'.

We’ll also glue the other standard with the other 'tee', so all the pieces should be attached with glue to something else.

Before I let Carmen out, I’ll probably finish the gluing, oops she got in the picture. This may seem like a long time, but so far I’ve spent more time typing this for you guys than I have picking up hardware, measuring, cutting, and gluing.

And then, glue the other standard that has the 'tee' on it, the base pole that has the 'ell' and other standard. I want you to look at that picture and think about what is going on. If you glue these together hap hazard, the angle of the pole may vary across the two standards, and the distance between the standards would be such that you would need custom length poles for every jump. So I used one pole as a 'stop' up against the fittings prior to my final gluing. At this juncture (while Carmen and I are waiting for the glue to dry) I’d like to mention that you could add caps on the stabilizers and the standards. That would increase the price of each jump some but although the caps are not necessary, they finish off the 'look' of the jump very nicely.

Carmen keeps butting in and trying to tell me that I could have been more efficient by drilling the holes for the jump cups before gluing, and she has a valid point. But I’m the one with the thumbs in this family, and if you try to do that you will be fighting alignment of the holes, to the standards along with getting the correct height. Also don’t forget that the height of the top of the bar is not where you will drill the hole to mount the jump cup. More on that later.

Let’s talk jump cups
There are many different ways to support the bar on the standards. Some ways involve cutting into a PVC tee. Other ways utilize just screws, see the comparison photo. The jump cups that I have used on these jumps are very simple and meet all specifications. It can mount on round tubing, like we used here or on a flat steel standard. They are inexpensive and will last a lifetime.

Well, there’s not a whole lot to add at this point. I ended up cutting my poles to 45 ¼' long. If you want to transport your new jumps in a small car, don’t glue on the stabilizer bar. If you have enough property to always keep your jumps set up (we’re jealous!) glue the standard. Not only do you now know how to make some very nice jumps, but Carmen now has four brand new jumps to try out in the morning.

Over the last few years Team Carmen has grown to understand the sport of agility not for what it is, but for what it isn’t. Week after week we continue to have fun, and try to burn as much energy as we can. Since we have entered the master’s ring (USDAA) we’ve realized that this sport isn’t about placement and winning. We haven’t placed in our class for over a year. But 'lordy' do we have fun. Dad has been teaching a beginning pet obedience class and a little agility this last year. He has also been become a judge for the USDAA.

About Carmen, Warrior Princess & Rich Dieppe
Carmen is a whippet/shepherd mix who was rescued from a local shelter. She lives with four other brother and sister dogs including a Whippet puppy, five cats and Rich and Ginny Deppe in Port Hueneme, California (USA). Her favorite sister Kelsey (PWD) is also involved in agility.

Carmen has her AAD title in USDAA, and her NADAC; EAC, OJC, and OGC. She takes three classes a week, and one private one. Luckily she lives in an area that makes trialling easy. She has quick access from the Bay area to San Diego.

Over the last few years Team Carmen has grown to understand the sport of agility not for what it is, but for what it isn’t. Week after week we continue to have fun, and try to burn as much energy as we can. Since we have entered the Master’s ring (USDAA) we’ve realized that this sport isn’t about placement and winning. We haven’t placed in our class for over a year. But 'lawdy' do we have fun! 

Carmen also does therapy work and obedience. Since she can only do obedience with the UKC, it's taking a while to get her UCD. (There are few UKC trials in Southern California).

Carmen's future will be a happy one. Although she has great potential as a champion, her handler Rich insists that he will not spoil the fun. He promises that he will not get a Border Collie puppy just to compete. He will not get mad at Carmen nor will he lose sight of the reason he started this sport. Together they will try to be more of a team, and to know each other. Ever since Rich started thinking like this, Carmen's got faster!

Rich has been teaching a beginning pet obedience class and a little agility this last year. He has also been become a judge for the USDAA.

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