Clean Run - May 2012 - 48

The rubber granules used are made of new rubber, not recycled. Dreese does not say that they are non-toxic but that a dog “would have to eat a lot of the rubber for it to be harmful and since the rubber does not shed off, they would be okay.” In the two-and-a-half-years of selling this rubber product, Dreese has not heard many complaints. “It has been doing great. So far I had one training center that just put another coat of paint over it after the two-year mark just to make it look nice and clean again.” Competitor Holly Jean Newman of Orange, Virginia, followed M.A.D. Agility’s directions and used their rubber with a good quality primer and marine paint to rubberize her plywood A-frame for at-home use. She says that, after six months of use, “So far, so good! The plywood frames, while heavy and not appropriate for lugging to shows, have good grip and are sturdy for home practice and use.” M.A.D. Agility offers a manufacturer’s warranty on their products that covers problems related to the manufacturing of the products, not to accidental damage. Their prices for rubber to coat each obstacle are:

ber on the Run products are also available through www.cleanrun.com. Her rubberizing technique is so successful in making slippery surfaces safer that she’s been working with a bath designer to make custom mats for seniors to use in showers for extra safety. She’s also made mats out of this rubber for a canine rehab center, for use on and around their open water treadmill. All wet-pour methods involve combining rubber granules with a binder in specific proportions. Woz then pours the concoction onto a plastic sheet on which she has marked the shape of the contact she is rubberizing. She smoothes the product and then lets it cure. After drying, the skin can be peeled off the plastic and applied to an obstacle using her preferred adhesive. Woz has determined that rubber adheres to an obstacle best when glued on rather than using the binder itself as an adhesive. This method requires some know-how and various tools, gloves, and other items that will add to the expense. But making your own skins is a significantly less expensive way to rubberize, especially if you are applying the product to multiple obstacles simultaneously. Holly Newman (not Holly Jean Newman, who was mentioned previously), who made table and chute skins with a group of Northern Californian competitors, says, “In order to benefit from the economy of scale, you have to have a reasonable amount of shop or garage floor space available and you have to have time. In our case, we taped

A customer who purchases enough rubber for the three contact obstacles will have enough left over to do the table.

· Dogwalk: $30 · A-frame: $40 · Teeter: $20 · Table: $10

Wet Pour: Rubber on the Run
The wet-pour method of rubberizing contacts is growing in popularity. This technique is used to create tracks and playground surfaces. Smart agility competitors have adapted this process to create rubber-coated contacts that don’t shed granules and withstand temperature extremes while providing good traction. Properly rubberized contacts made using this method should last 10 years, according to “rubberizing expert” Darlene Woz. Woz has taken rubberizing to the next level, immersing herself in the topic over the last several years. She has picked the brains of workers at American Recycling, a company she feels provides the best virgin rubber on the market. She created the company Rubber on the Run (rubberontherun.com), which produces finished “skins” of rubber which can be applied to pre-existing equipment. Her company also provides materials and knowhow for those who want to create their own skins. She’s written the book Making Rubber Skins for Agility Equipment (published by Clean Run), which is free with the purchase of a rubberizing kit or it can be purchased individually from her website for $15. Rub-

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It may only be half a ball but it's twice the fun and super strong!
• Keeps your dog happily occupied when you need a break • Helps keep your dog’s teeth clean • Made with a destruction-resistant material that's stronger than rubber • Can be used with either the Everlasting Treats or the Interlocking Treats

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Combine two Bento Balls for really tough challenges!

Clean Run | May 12

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Clean Run - May 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Clean Run - May 2012