Agility Training
Agility training can be great fun for you and your dog, especially for shy dogs as it is a great way to give them more confidence. Absolutely any dog can participate. Agility training can be started when your dog is mature and knows most basic tricks, if you want professional help, ask other agility trainers. I have not yet started to train my dog in agility but these are some great tips on each separate obstacle to be trained on.
Jumping over fences
Your dog will learn to jump over a variety of fences quite easily. The best way to teach him to do so is to use your hand to lead him over the fence, walking alongside him, and giving the command "over" or any word that you find easier to train him with. Praising with treats and stroking may help during this exercise.
Pause table
Teaching your dog to go to the low "pause table" should be part of your dogs agility training. Get him to lie down on the low table for around ten seconds and then let him off. This is a simple way to reinforce your control over him.
Tunnel training
Tunnel training can be quite a difficult obstacle for your dog to learn, so here is a great way to train him to do it that I have heard from many dog owners. You will need two people to hold the tunnel steady and to calmly send your dog through, while you will be at the other end calling him and having a treat in your hand. Remember to slowly decrease the amount of treats you give him and soon simply give him verbal praise instead.
Teaching weaving
This exercise is quite hard for most dogs to learn, so do not expect your dog to learn it immediately. The easiest way to teach him to weave is to have a short lead in one hand and a treat in the other. Guide your dog using the hand with the treat in it through the poles giving the command "weave", this lets your dog know what to do. Just repeat this exercise until you can do it without the lead or treats, just using the command.