Best Agility Training Tunnel of 2019: Complete Reviews with Comparisons

Check out some of the best agility training tunnels that you can use both indoors and outdoors.

When it comes to practice tunnels, you have to make sure you’re getting something both fun and reliable. This Houseables dog tunnel is good for training small- and medium-sized dogs for competitions but it also makes for a fun toy to have around in the backyard.

Product Highlights

The first important feature is the 24” circular opening, which is exactly what your dog is likely to encounter during competitions. The material is a 600D woven Oxford Dacron which is very lightweight. It puts the weight of the tunnel well under 10 lbs. which makes it easy to reposition in any shape you want. Some 7” stakes are also provided which help you secure the tunnel to the ground.

The material is rather durable but not made for rough terrain or wet weather conditions. The good news is that it’s smooth on the outside and can easily be used inside the house.

Having regulation-size openings and an 18” regulation coiled shaft make it a very useful training tool if you have your eyes set on AKC and NADAC competitions.

The tunnel won’t last too long if your dog keeps banging into it instead of running cleanly through it. There’s no support for using the tunnel in indoor practice.

There’s no such thing as too long or too short when it comes to agility tunnels. The various organizations that hold or sponsor dog agility competitions may use varying lengths. Some of them use agility tunnels up to 20 ft. long.

The bigger tunnel may be better. Dogs don’t memorize the distance it takes them to traverse the obstacle. Having a longer tunnel also allows you to create more elaborate training courses because a long tunnel lets you create more curves for the dog to overcome.

But keep in mind that not all agility tunnels are retractable. Some can only be used at full extension, which can make storing them quite a nuisance.

Although there are also shorter competition tunnels the dog may encounter, familiarizing them with the longest version is usually the best approach.

There are two ways to look at this. If you’re only interested in an agility tunnel as a toy for your dog, the opening diameter should be based on the dog’s height. There’s no reason to make things uncomfortable if it’s all just for fun.

However, if you’re trying to prepare your dog for competitions,  you may want to study up and find a training tunnel with the same specifications as those on the official obstacle course.

Most competition tunnels will have any of the following diameters: 22”, 24”, and 26”. The 24” opening diameter is the most popular choice on most courses.

It’s important to pick a diameter as close as possible to competition standards if you want your dog to compete because all dogs have to pass through the same tunnel on the big day. That means that if your dog is taller they need to be accustomed to crouching and crawling. This may be a moot point but really tall dogs never come close to winning these competitions.

However, choosing a tunnel that has a much lower opening diameter can be detrimental to the dog’s training. If they learn to pass through tunnels flat on their belly they will likely do so even when there’s a larger opening available. This will slow down their course time.

PVC agility tunnels are usually the best on the market. They’re durable, heavy on their own, and waterproof. They make great additions to a permanent installation and require little to no maintenance. However, they’re not always the best choice for every scenario.

Dacron tunnels are more common and a lot more flexible. Dacron is a polymer fabric that can withstand a moderate amount of wear and tear. Dacron tunnels are also lightweight which makes them very easy to reposition and reconfigure for when you want to spice things up on the practice grounds.

Weight is a tricky thing to value in an agility tunnel. Of course, heavier tunnels are generally safer for dogs since they don’t roll and move as much. But heavy tunnels are also a pain to install, secure, and reconfigure for training purposes.

Keep in mind that some competition-grade training tunnels can weigh upwards of 50 pounds –and that’s just the shorter ones. Commercial-grade agility tunnels can weigh under 10 pounds and have the same length as competition-grade tunnels.

The weight is probably not as important for training purposes. Instead, you may want to focus your attention on the rigidity of the wires and the quality of the fabric. Even competition-grade tunnels have to be anchored and sandbagged.

Improving their stability is something you can do on your own, without needing an extra heavy and expensive tunnel.

When it comes to budget, things may get a little tricky. Most trainers tend to go for complete training kits, which not only include a tunnel but also other obstacles such as weaving poles, A-frames, dog walks, and others.

Of course, the size of the kit is not the only thing that determines the price. If you’re only interested in buying a tunnel, you should know that PVC agility tunnels are quite expensive, at least when compared to their fabric counterparts.

Depending on how long or heavy the tunnel is, you may have to pay a little extra. The interior padding and craftsmanship also factor into the final tally. Even so, most of the time it may be cheaper to just buy a dog agility tunnel instead of making your own from scrap.

It is a very popular sport. Dog agility involves the dog’s owner, handler, or trainer guiding it through an obstacle course. The courses can get quite complex, which is why human direction is needed.

Apart from learning specific tricks and understanding how to overcome obstacles, the dogs also have to complete the race in a fast time. Both time and accuracy are judged, which is why intense training is needed in preparation for such competitions.

It’s also important to know that dog agility competitions do not allow leashes, toys, food, or any type of incentive for the animal. Multiple surfaces can be encountered as well as unique obstacle course designs.

Of course, many owners and dogs only take up agility for fun. It’s something to do, and it might be a good way to bond with your pet.

When looking for agility tunnels, there aren’t many features to consider. There are only a handful of them that are easy to remember and even easier to compare:

• Length
• Opening diameter
• Material
• Stabilizing accessories

Long tunnels are preferred since most organizations use tunnel obstacles up to or even longer than 20 ft. The opening in competitions is usually 24” diameter. It can be larger but never smaller, so for proper training, you need to get as close to that number as possible.

The material is also important. Although most commercial-grade training agility tunnels are made from Dacron polyester, not all weaves have the same durability. PVC would ideal for any training scenario but it’s many times more expensive than polyester tunnels.

Stabilizing accessories such as stakes or opening saddlebags are sometimes included. While the stakes could be replaced with just about anything that can fit the grommet and be pushed into the ground, the saddlebags are hard to make as a DIY project.

The budget is also worth considering. If you’re not preparing a dog for competition, even the cheapest agility tunnels or toddler tunnels can be loads of fun.

Agility tunnels are essential if you’re training your dog for dog agility competitions. The tunnel is one of the most popular obstacles on the course and it’s also one of the most customizable.

There are usually two types of tunnels – a regular tunnel and a collapsed tunnel. Each one presents its own level of difficulty. Regular tunnels are not just long but also flexible. This means that the judges can configure them in a variety of ways to make the dog’s task harder.

Collapsed tunnels use a fabric that lies closed until the animal reaches the end of the chute and makes their way out. These tunnels are not used as much, with some organizations going as far as banning them.

The reason agility tunnels work is that they can help prepare dogs for a wide range of scenarios. They can teach dogs to overcome curved tunnels, elevated tunnels, maze tunnels, etc. They also help a dog get a better time in a competition.

As previously mentioned, agility tunnels can have various shapes. But they’re not exactly built for sturdiness. During dog agility competitions, tunnels, whether straight or curved, are stabilized with heavy sandbags.

You should attempt to do the same to make sure your dog doesn’t collapse the tunnel while rushing through it. Sandbags are preferred because they can support larger portions of a tunnel. They also help to keep the dog injury free as there’s no chance of running full speed into a side support pole.

First of all, let your dog explore your backyard course or tunnel, if you only have one obstacle. Teaching dogs to overcome agility tunnels shouldn’t take too long once they familiarize themselves with the obstacle.

The trick is teaching them to go through one side and out the other without any incentives. You can use food or toys at first but make sure you’re always vocal.

Gradually lower the reward to make the dog feel like this is something it naturally knows and likes to do, without expecting anything in return. It’s not all that different than teaching the dog commands and tricks.

It just takes a lot longer to master for both the handler and the dog. You should also make sure to put different types of obstacles before and after the tunnel. That way the dog will have a faster reaction time when transitioning between obstacles in a competition.

Most competition-grade agility tunnels are made from flexible vinyl tubes and wires that provide structure. Different competitions may have varying lengths of tunnels but generally speaking, they rarely exceed 20 ft. in length each.

To make your own tunnel, you just need some supplies, most of which you can find at home improvement and hardware stores. You could also use children’s play tunnels if your dog is small- or medium-sized since they should have the same effect.

Another neat trick is to put some tables or chairs in a row and cover them with blankets. Make the interior dark but leave the entrance and exit open. It’s a nice way to start teaching your dog to go through a tunnel if you don’t have the materials.

Of course, building your own tunnel is advised if you can’t order one or if you want to practice with custom lengths. There’s no right or wrong answer about how much wire you should use to create those support circular segments.

The only thing that’s important is that the wires are covered within the tunnel to avoid injuring the dog. And that the exterior fabric is stretched out enough so it doesn’t collapse on the dog while going full speed through it.

As you can see, most of these agility tunnels tend to look alike. But, they’re rarely equal. Every model on this list has its own benefits and drawbacks, depending on what you need it for.

If you’re just looking to convince your dog to be more active, you don’t need to shoot for quality. But if you want to train them and eventually enter dog agility competitions, then going for durable tunnels built to regulation sizes is your best bet.