hey
i can try and help you as much as possible
. i started out making little jumps out of chairs, buckets etc to try just for fun, plus it gave me a good idea of how high he could jump. As i didnt have the space for agility equipment, my dad and i just used some 3/4 inch pvs piping to make some simple jumps (i think i have the plans some where XD) which required some cutting and pvs elbows etc and that was it.
I trained him to jump by using his one weakness... food XD. I started by having quite a wide jump (a broom length) and i put the food in my hand and ran over the jump with him following me over to. I then rewarded and repeated until he would jump on his own. It didnt take very long at all, and he picked it up fairly quickley.
I cant remember how i measured the jump sizes for him, but i just went on how high i felt comfortable making him jump without damaging anything. That was about 90cm for him ( he is pretty tall, plus he rarely jumps that high). I found this website though that you can use :
The Agility FAQs - Miscellaneous, Jump Heights
On the pvc jumps i used three different heights so that i can constantly change it for him. And for an energetic dog i would try setting up a long course which has a fair distance between each jump as it really helps get them fit. Also i constantly change how we are jumping so its not the same thing he is doing. I dont have much space so i might do some simple jumps (one after another) or put them over a large distance. Sometimes i do courses that require him to listen to me. A favourite one of mine is a triangle that my dog has:
to jump the first one then run to the next corner
and jump the second jump then turn and jump that same one
then run to the final corner and jump the third jump then jump it again.
You can think of some great ones that get them thinking.
Just tell me if you need any more info
good luck and i can give you the plans if you want
