Has anyone any recommendations for a set of training jumps?  I am looking at David Dowker or Jessejump.  Any pros and cons?  It is so difficult to know what they are like from a small photo.  I need advice from someone who has used them please.  I need them to teach my dog to jump at the full height for her now - she won't do it in class and I need something lightweight and easy to move.  At the moment I am using bean poles balanced on logs!  Have no time to do diy either.  I have also wondered if the Bessy's training frame is worth buying?  It is more like the real thing then stairs.

I don't think it matters what type of jump you buy, the dogs don't seem to care. I've bought online from Stormandmaxsplace and another on ebay with 'proper' wings and I also bought some cheap training hurdles from Jax Jumps. The dogs seem to treat them all the same so I would recommend the cheap training hurdles, they're only £15 I think it was, light and fold up to go in the car :)

Once you get a few jumps/hurdles the best thing to do is set them all at angles, different angles. So maybe the first jump has one end of the pole at full height and one at medium. The next jump can have the opposite end at training and one at medium etc etc  Someone at our club told me to do this and it worked a treat for my older girl that used to just run under jumps once they went up to full height. I put the odd jump in a course up to full height and she would fly over it, now it seems to have clicked with her.

I had mine made by a friend of a friend ( a retired cabinet maker ;) ), proper ones with wings, they are excellent   

The pro's to having jumps with wings is that the dog learns to go through the wings where as jumps without although the dog is learning to jump they arent going to look like the jumps on a course.

just a thought :)

Thanks good idea.  She is nervous of the new height and just ran round it.  

Sorry Claire you posted as I was writing my reply - don't know anyone handy enough to make jumps with wings but I think that once I get her to jump that height she may do it at classes.  If not then I can perhaps get one with wings too.   

Oh yes, certainly, the jumping is the important thing after all ;)

I dont know where you live but the guy who made my jumps has made them for a few others (as he is retired) and charges £25 per jump (they are really good quality wood and are light enough to carry but not too light that they fall over in the wind).  Im in Hampshire if you are interested.

Here is someone who is very clever on a site that I occassionally go on, I think they are brilliant!

http://www.petfriendlyworld.com/chat/index.php?topic=7141.msg59905;topicseen#msg59905

That's very clever.  It looks pretty stable too. I really don't have the time to be inventive at the moment.  Will bookmark that page thanks.

find a joiner that can knock one together for you with 2x1 then paint it whatever colour you want we used piping for the jumps and painted it with green paint in stripes , we also made a weave post with dowling glued onto a length of wood with two other pieces of wood either end to stabilize it you can make it as long as you like.
(my Hubby is a joiner he made mine in an afternoon)

Oh dear - I found an easy make your own and bought the plastic piping - it took over an hour to get the bits and bobs.  Homebase had the same piece of pipe ringing up as just over a £1 and £8 something.  I went to B and Q and spent £36 - not sure if that will make 3 jumps yet never mind 4 - which David Dowker offers.  He got back to me this evening with details to buy.  Wish I hadn't rushed - trouble is Saturday class comes round so fast.............

  Now I have done some research I thought it might be useful to someone else out there who isn't lucky enough to have a joiner for a husband like Starryeyes (believe me when you see mine banging in screws with a hammer I don't let him near any DIY)  This is the web site I used   http://www.freewebs.com/makeyourownagilityequipment/jumps.htm.  After looking at the David Dowker jumps I thought that the crosspiece was holding the side pieces together and would not fall if the dog hit it.  I have e-mailed to ask if this is the case.  This pattern that I have used has a fixed cross piece low down.  I have not used clips like him - the jump can only be used from one direction.  I have used 2 pipe clips screwed together and filed away the inner one to form a cup. Now can be used safely from both directions.
I used 8 x 3m pieces of pipe and made 2 jumps and a 3rd short of a 10 inch piece.  I think with 2 more 3m pieces I can make a fourth jump.  So: 10 x 3m piping = £14.80 + 16 90 degree tees = £23.60, 4 packets of pipe clips = £5.52 + packet of machine screws (have nuts) = £1.30  total for 4 jumps = £45.22.
The down side is that it took me about 3 hours to make this morning, an hour yesterday shopping and extra time to get more bits.  The upside is that the clips slide neatly up and down the poles and I had my dog jumping at competition height in minutes!!!!!!  Do hope this is useful to someone. :rolleyes:

No my maths is wrong - I think they were 2m pipes - will get back on total needed when my head is working correctly.

Yes needed 1 more 2m pipe.  bought from the local shop which was cheaper but oh dear not better.  I have had to tape up joins and the last jump looks awful.  Have 4 jumps though so we are in business.