Dog Obstacle Course

In my backyard, I have an obstacle course that I take my dog through if I'm not going to do an actual obedience session that day. Here are the obstacles in order that I do them and these are the cues I have my dog do.

Three boards lined up on top of two other boards to make a bridge

I give the cue "over" and give him his "wait" cue. This teaches a dog not to rush through a cue.

Two boards stacked with one end of the poles resting on the stacked boards and the other end of the poles on the ground

I say "across" and continue on. This teaches a dog to slow down and focus on their footing.

A pause box

I tell him "down" and "stay" when we're at the pause box. I then do a full circle around him and then return at his right side, the side I lead him on when doing the obstacle course.

A large piece of wood stacked on top of two other pieces of wood to make a platform

I say "place" and once Blue is on it, I say "sit" and "stay." Just like with the pause box, I do a complete circle around Blue and then return on his right side. Then we continue walking to the last obstacle.

Three jumps

I use the cue "hop" as he goes over three jumps. I keep the leash completely loose at this point because he goes over the jumps so quickly. I then will give him a handful of treats, and that's the end of the session.

Everything is just as simple as using things you can find for free on Craigslist. Such as wooden boards, cinderblocks, bricks, and PVC pipe. If you can't find it in the free section on Craigslist, you can buy it at the store. You won't be spending thousands on agility equipment and you can work your dog on several cues: sit, down, stay, place, over, across, and jump. The dog also heels during this practice so you can get some heel practice in, even if you don't walk your dog on a leash.

I don't do obedience sessions as often as I'd like to, so I just take Blue through the obstacle course once per day so I still get to practice some commands and also keep him from getting rusty from lack of work.