Clean Run Magazine - August 2007 - 70

Baby A-frame Article and photos by Lynn Baitinger What do you do with a four-month-old puppy in December in the North? A baby A-frame worked perfectly in my basement. With this A-frame, I was able to start my puppy at a very low height, working on speed and conﬁdence, and I could easily adjust the height at will. I started with the apex of the A-frame resting on a ﬂyball jump. The 24"-wide A-frame ﬁt right between the uprights of the ﬂyball jump, supplying great support. By adding additional wood slats to the ﬂyball jump, I could raise the Aframe to 18" at the apex. Then, as I wanted more height, I simply laid the A-frame over my size 200 crate (metal or plastic). Two plastic milk crates would make great supports, too. Although my puppy was very fast and rough on this little A-frame, I always had a solid base. The A-frame’s small size and light weight made it easy to move and store since it folds ﬂat. I would not recommend using a chain/hook connection with this baby A-frame as the A-frame is so extended the chain is unsafe at this extreme angle. This simple idea worked very well for me and would be suitable for all puppies as well as beginning small to medium dogs up to about 35 lbs. The heavier the dog, however, the sturdier your base should be. I’ve even loaned my baby A-frame out to a few friends—it ﬁts in a minivan! Materials • 2 – Wooden doors, unﬁnished 24" x 80" x 1 3/8" • 2 – Door hinges, 3 1/2", with screws and removable hinge pins • 2 – Packages Premium Rug Mate™ 23" x 90" , • Optional: Duct tape or double-sided carpet tape • Optional: Paint Instructions 1 With your pencil, mark the hinge holes on the top end of each door by measuring in 2" from both outside edges and pre-drill holes. Note: When installed, the hinge edge should not protrude from the door edge. The pin end of the hinge should face downward on the ﬁnished A-frame and make a “V.” 2 Remove the pins from the hinges so that you have four pieces of hinge and two pins. 3 Use screws to attach two hinge sides to the end of door A. 4 Use screws to attach the hinge mates to the end of door B. 5 Lay the doors ﬂat on ﬂoor with hinge ends coupled, pin end facing down. 6 Insert the two pins to connect door A to door B. Stand the frame upright. Check to make sure the pins are facing down toward the ﬂoor. There should be a slight void between the doors at the apex, with the hinges making a “V.” Tools • Pencil • Drill with a 3/32" bit • Screwdriver, straight blade 7 correct. At this point you have a choice: • Use the A-frame as is; the Rug Mate pad can be removed for storage. • Duct tape the outside edge of the Rug Mate pad to the vertical edge of the door. • Afﬁx the Rug Mate pad to door with double-sided carpet tape, following manufacturer’s directions. Note: I found that with my small dog I did not have to permanently attach the pad at all. He was pretty rough on it but it did not move, even when he and my other mini decided to roughhouse on it. 8 Cut the non-skid Rug Mate pad to the length of the door. The width of the pad is 70 Clean Run | August 07
Clean Run Magazine - August 2007

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