Introduction: Indoor Dog Jungle Gym
Do you have a super excitable dog or multiple dogs who have way too much energy? In the winter, or a really hot day, you won’t want to go outside, or it may be too cold or hot for your dog. No need to worry about it anymore! With this Indoor Dog Jungle Gym, their overbearing energy can be satisfied now! With this, they can play to their heart's content and you don’t have to entertain them! Oh! But I would recommend supervising them if they are puppies! :)
Step 1: Items Needed
In order to create this instructable, you will need the following;
1” PVC Pipes: (Doesn't have to be 1”. Look at the table above and decide which one you need depending on your type of dog and how strong they are. We have a pitbull, so we needed something strong, but flexible. I used 1”, so I circled it in red.)
Lengths:
-One 4” PVC Pipe
-Two 3.5” PVC Pipe
-Six 2.5” PVC Pipe
-Four 1.75” PVC Pipe
-Eight 1.5 PVC Pipe
-Eight 4” PVC Pipe
Connectors:
-Two 3-way (90*)
-Four 2-way (45*)
-Twelve T’s
Other Important Parts:
-Four 150 lb/68 kg Carabiner Clips/Spring Link Clips
-Four Nylon Lock Nuts ¼in
-Four Eyebolts ¼ in-20
-One Coil Polyethylene 3/6 in.
-PVC Primer
-PVC Cement Glue
The best place to find all of these is Home Depot. That’s where I bought my PCV Pipes. You’ll need four 10ft pipes. Ask someone who works at Home Depot to cut them for you. They are really nice about it and it beats having to spend more money on something else to cut it. Some of the connectors you can’t find at Home Depot, so you’ll have to order them online from FORMUFIT.
Step 2: Assembly Instructions
Set-up; Pre Assemble the two ends. It is very important that you know what it's supposed to look like before you actually start gluing and priming.
Step 3: Priming and Dry Marking
Priming and Dry Marking
Priming and Dry Marking. Dry marking might sound hard, but it is really just marking how far you are going to Prime the pipe and how far in you are going to Prime the connectors. By simply using a dry erase marker, mark how far you are going to prime the pipe. It should be about 1-inch prime going down the pipe. When priming the connectors, prime the inside up to the lip of the connector. Except for the 4¨ one. This project will be easier to put away if the top pipe can be undone and stored somewhere. BE CAREFUL. The primer can stain and dries quickly so I would recommend doing this over cardboard, or something you can throw away/get dirty. Try not to miss any spots, as I'm seen doing in the pictures below. Once you have primed everything, double check you got everything and both sides of every pipe.
Step 4: Drilling Holes
Drilling Holes
Drill four holes in the 4ft pipe, same direction and evenly spaced. Next, it's time to drill the holes in the top bar. The bar is 4 feet long, so that's about 48 inches, taking 3 ft of it for the sides of the 3-way connectors, divide 45 by 5 to get 9. So that’s 9-inch spaces in between each hook. Mark the spots with a dry erase marker, and drill all the way through the pipe.
Insert the 4ft pipe into a 3-way connector. Drill through the pole and the connector at the same time.
Step 5: Assembling Sides
Assemble ends
1)Connect the ‘A’ sections with the T-connectors
2)Connect the ‘D’ sections to one end with a T-connector
3)Connect the ‘C’ sections to the top ‘A’ with an elbow connector (45°)
4)Connect the ‘B’ pipes to ‘A’ sections with T-connectors
5)Connect the T-connectors to ends of ‘B’ pipes
6)Insert ‘E’ pipes to complete the side.
7)Use a 3-way connector for the very top.
8)Repeat 1-6 for another side.
Step 6: Cementing/Gluing
Next step is gluing. The glue dries faster than the primer so you HAVE to position it right the first time or else you're in big trouble. We did mess up a few times with the gluing as well, like gluing the wrong parts together, or gluing something the wrong way. We had to run to Home Depot and buy extra pieces. If you glue around one of the two pieces only then it slides in better.
Step 7: Sides Set Up
First line up the pieces like a puzzle and double check your measurements. Once you have lined up all the pieces like in the first picture below, once you do that, start gluing from the bottom up. Once that is done, place the sides upright for a minute and let the glue dry completely. Then, attach the Carabiner Clips to the 4ft long pole.
Step 8: Clips
Next, insert the Eyebolts through the holes and screw the nuts on. Next, clip the carabineer clips on.
Step 9: Locking Pins
Use these to lock (and unlock) the 4-foot pole to the ends of the jungle gym. For this, you need the Polyethylene coil, a razor, and two key-rings.
Step 10: Setting Up
Next, set the 2 completed sides upright and attach the pole to either side. Insert the locking pin. (3rd picture above) Once that is done, you can start having fun making the toys that you’re going to hang from the clips.
Step 11: Toys
Since we have a pit bull, we needed the toys to be durable, but this is the final step, and this gives you the most freedom and creativity! You should make toys that your dog will like. Maybe have a bone with a string that was drilled into it and add some peanut butter to the bone. Your dogs will have to jump to the bone in order to get the peanut butter. Have fun coming up with ideas and making the toys! Be creative! Make something your dog would love!
Step 12: Ball Toy
Step 13: Rope Toy
Step 14: Tug and Squeaker Toy
Step 15: Treat Bone Toy
Step 16: Bunch of Socks Toy
Our new puppy loves chewing on socks, so I grabbed most of the socks I don't use, tied them together, and made a loop to hang it on.
Step 17: Tennis Ball Toy
Step 18: Thanks for Reading!
Hope you liked this project! I worked really hard on this, not to mention that I'm spoiling our dogs rotten. Anyway, thank you again for reading, and I hope your dogs will like it!