BFF, I had to chuckle at your comment on their being a lot to do with getting ready to show in conformation. Thats the truth no doubt about it but weirdly I get more stressed out getting ready to take one of the dogs to do obedience or rally than I ever could with conformation.... maybe that has something to do with the fact I haven't shown a poodle yet, only other breeds.
Leave it to me to be stressed and hyper about the oddest things.
As for doing training on your own totaly without the help of a group class or a trainer with a book my advice would be to be careful about that. It's NOT impossible, don't get me wrong, but you're not as likely to reach your potential without a second set of eyes watching you. It take a lot of time and effort, why not make the most of it.
Funny Story; I started teaching Saleen basic heeling almost as soon as I got her, without the mirrors of the training center and without somebody watching. I've put plenty of obedience titles on dogs, I know what I'm doing. While I've worked with TONS of larger breed dogs all the dogs I have competed with have been small so I tend to turn my torso in slightly and look down on the dog just so I can see them. Thats a no no really, but it was just an habit I had that I wasn't aware of. Well with saleen being larger there was no reason I couldn't see her out of the corner of my eye but still I did it the 'old way' without even noticing it. Guess what my fellow trainer pointed out less than five minutes into a practice session I had come out for (her place has mirrored walls, amazingly helpful, which is what I was doing there in the first place). She stopped me, laughing of course, and pointed out that I had taught Saleen to lag beautifuly. I didn't believe her and was really annoyed when I watched myself in the mirrors on the opposite wall and saw that YUP she was right. By turning my body I had changed heel position enough to teach her to be a few inches behind where she was supposed to be, UGH! I was digusted, I've been at this 16 years, I know better. It took the second set of eyes to catch it though and thankgoodness she did. It only took a week to fix it. I could have plodded along the wrong way for months which would have taken a lot longer to undo.

The social skills your dog can pick up in a class too in invaulable.