Dog agility training can be an expensive sport to get involved in. These events involve large obstacle courses that dogs must traverse, and the vast majority of these objects are not everyday items. As such, it is imperative that you expose your dogs to these different objects if you intend to do well in the competition. Buying all these objects is costly for even the deepest pockets, but you can alleviate some of the cost by purchasing a dog agility starter kit.

Starter kits will not have the larger objects, like see-saws or A frames, but they will contain a few weave poles which can be transformed into jumps or double jumps. These are considered some of the most difficult obstacles in dog agility competitions, and can help you determine if your dog is ready for larger obstacles. Some dogs lack the coordination or maturity to be able to do well with the larger, and potentially more dangerous objects.

In general, starter kits are a good idea because they will often come with trainer tools as well, and often a short introduction to the sport, as well as guide to getting started on obstacle training. Typical tools would include ribbons, wands, and other training tools which can get you started. These may not always be available outside of a starter kit.

If you were to simply dive right in and attempt to create your own obstacles, you will likely run into trouble without the correct training tools and the knowledge of how to get started, and in addition, you run the risk of injuring your pet. Most professional agility training equipment is built with the animal in mind, and are built to fall apart easily on contact to be reassembled. This ensures that your animal is not injured when running these basic obstacles. These advanced designs are difficult, if not impossible to replicate at home.

You must also consider the cost of the larger objects. While they certainly may look more impressive and be more difficult to train for, these objects are costly, and difficult to store. Sometimes you can take advantage of local parks and playgrounds for some of these obstacles, but remember to check with local ordinances before you do. Some playgrounds may disallow dogs from the playground area and fine you if your dog is seen working on the equipment.

Even if you felt confident in that, you would still have to invest in a training manual and some tools. If you purchase all of these separately, then you’re still spending a majority of the money that you would spend on a starter kit anyways.