Is your dog timid around people or other dogs? Is your dog sensitive to sounds? Agility training can provide the environment and structure to build confidence in your dog. Agility classes are a great place for people to learn about the sport and learn how to train, but the timid dog may take a long time before he is ready to venture from under your chair or off your lap.

A timid dog is only ready to learn from inside its comfort zone. So the best place for training is probably the home, where it feels safe and the learning can be done in small increments.

If you want to train your dog at home, you need equipment and guidelines. There are multiple websites to be found with information about agility training. You can also study books and videos to get information, visual aids and lessons plans for both experts and beginners.

You can find a lot of equipment that is helpful and useful to have at home for dog training. All the equipment recommendations are based on location of training and the available space. Do you e.g. have a large yard with room for 10 obstacles? Or do you only have a small yard, so you have to tear down the equipment before you can setup something else up? Will the training be in the basement or garage; or maybe in the living room?

The equipment has to be safe and sturdy when training a timid dog. A good place to start your agility training is a pause table. A 12″ high pause table (preferable with adjustable legs) is a great starting point for dogs in all sizes. Setup the table in an area that the dog is familiar with. If your dog is the type that barks at everything new, you can leave in the house or yard for a couple of days before using it. Then the dog can inspect and smell it. Remember you need to use baby steps with an insecure dog.

To encourage it to get up on the table you can use treats or its favorite toy. And remember it may well take several lesson. If it loses interest, you should try something new like placing yourself on the table. Then you can either hold it or have it on leash, while you are sitting on the table. But remember only to treat it when it comes against you. Never reward it, when it is pulling away.

Later you might want the dog jumping on the table using a cue like Table, Stay on the table and Come when you are calling. Build your distance to the table slowly, so you do not push the dog to hard.

Following the above instructions, you can slowly introduce new obstacles. When it is able to succeed new pieces of equipment, you will see its confidence grow.