I pretty much follow the training ways of Silvia Trkman so this is it:

 

1. A trusting bond with your dog is a must.

2. Keep your dog agile and fit as much as possible.

3. Teach as many tricks as you can think of. They are great to develop a bond with your   dog,  learn how they learn and help them to be aware of their body.

4. Enhance your dog’s confidence – only confident dogs will perform at their utmost.

5. Do only things that you know are the best for your dog.  Trust your intuition.

6. dogs work best when they get something for themselves rather than something for you.

 

Regarding Agility there are a few things I consider very important:

 

1. Forward focus. Working on teaching them how to change forward focus and back to handler focus on time is one of the most important things to get a good speed on the course.

2. Sends. The dog needs to know what his /her job in the team is,

 Knowing how to go to the obstacles independently from the owner makes things easier and faster.

3. Commitment. The dog needs to perform independently from the owner under commands.

4. Speed. Agility today is not about obstacles... it is about how capable is your dog to do those obstacles in the less time possible. For that you need to work on the fastest way for your dog to negotiate those obstacles regarding lines.

5. Tight Turns. This is a very necessary tool which will allow you and your dog to gain time in Agility and it is very fun to teach.

6. Running Contacts. Has been said a lot about running contacts lately and I would just add that I am a fan of running contacts. I teach all my dogs RC and they love them apart of course, the many more good things about them.