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Performance tips:
       - Keep a loose, long lead. Using a short and tight lead will result in deductions at shows.
       - Communicate with your animal using vocal cues. This is very helpful when training as well!
       - Never walk backwards or directly in front of your animal. These are major safety hazards!
       - Do not let your lead rope hang below your knees, this is another safety hazard! 
       - Try to keep a smooth, medium pace when going through courses. 
Weaving is fairly basic and the goal is to have your llama follow you through the weave pattern closely with minimal cues from the lead rope. You want to stay close to the weave cones without touching them. Vocal cues such as "follow" are helpful to communicate with your animal. 
Jumping is a common thing seen in obstacle courses. For jumping, the goal is to have your animal jump over the obstacle without hitting it and while having a loose lead. Vocal cues are very important to communicate what you want your animal to do, in this case you may just say "jump". Though a running start may be helpful in training, it is not always feasible when at shows. 
You will see backing at every show. When backing, try to have a loose lead, back your animal in a straight line, stay between the "barrier", and do you best to not stand directly in front of your animal (safety hazard!). You may walk towards your animal, but points are deducted if you touch your animal. As seen in the video, more advanced backing may include turns that are more difficult to navigate. 
When asking your animal to put their feet in a tire, it is important to have them lined up to the tire and to talk to them. A more advanced variation includes all four feet in two tires or putting back feet in one tire.
Siding can be a more difficult concept to learn. Ideally, exhibitors stand towards the front of the animal and the animal moves sideways with little to no handler interference (as seen in the video). For more novice animals, the handler may need to use the lead rope a bit more and stand towards the side. Remember to always talk to your animal, saying "side" is typically the cue used for this.
Sometimes, you may be asked to put a hoop over the animal's head and to the withers (where the neck meets the back) or over the entire body. You should make sure your animal is standing still, and slowly pick up the hoop to put it over their head. Some animals may be nervous as something is lifted above/near their head. This is a good one to practice at home, remember to  talk to your animal!
When asked to go over stairs, the goal should be to walk at a smooth place and for your animal to have at least one foot touch each step (no jumping up or down!) Though the lead should be loose, it can still be used to guide the animal and control their pace. Your animal should never be in front of you and you should never be directly in front of your animal (safety hazard!).
When asked to load into a trailer, you should always have a loose lead and talk to your animal. It is important that your animal does not jump in or out of the trailer.
Duck unders can be a bit scary for llamas, the goal should be to go under at a good pace with no hesitations and to maintain a loose lead. Handlers should not hold the duck under so it does not touch the animal. Sometimes the lead may need to be tightened to encourage the animal to continue. This will result in a deduction but it is better than refusing the obstacle!
Asking your animal to self-load into the trailer is a more difficult task. In this case, the animal will go in and out of the trailer while the handler never enters. It is helpful to maintain your loose lead and communicate with your animal. 
You may be asked to have your llama look into a mirror. As always, try to keep a loose lead. Handlers should try to get their animal close to the mirror to make sure they really look. Some animals may be a bit nervous and stop far away from the mirror, which is not the goal.
Handlers may be asked to walk their llama near or around balloons or similar items. This is very common in a public relations course, as you may see similar things when at parades, etc. When doing this, handlers should maintain their loose lead and try to keep their animal close to the object (as demonstrated in the video). Many animals will try to keep their distance from unfamiliar objects so it is important to practice this at home, especially if you plan to take your animal to public events!
This video is a great example of training an animal on picking up feet and showing teeth. Besides preparing for shows, this is important in case of injury or to trim nails for regular maintenance. Tying your animal's lead to a fence is helpful when first working on feet and teeth. Remember to always speak to your animal and let them know what you are doing. The more you work on touching feet and showing teeth the more your animal will get used to it and the better they will be! Simply picking up all feet and showing teeth everyday will make a huge difference. It is helpful to start this process while they are young, but equally as important for adult animals to learn.
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