easy steps for a clingy dog?

Obedience classes (or even CGC classes) tend to be the best thing to give a dog more confidence  -- and usually that's the only recipe for a clingy dog -- and realize some are more 'clingy' by breed.

I have a VERY clingy dog.  I'm not really interested in training her not to be clingy, since it's important we work closely together and I would not have gotten her if I wanted an independent dog, but I have used the clinginess to my advantage when I need some personal space.  She is in tune with subtle motions and body movements.  I use certain hand waves and movements to indicate where I want her physically positioned.  Sometimes if I get up to do something quick and don't want her literally on my heels, I give her a "wait" command as I'm getting up so she stays put.  I've also used hand signals to train her things like going out and around objects, moving away from me or ahead of me, and doing obedience at a distance.  We also do things like "go say hi!" where I direct her to leave me and go "say hi" to a strange person (this is done in training class where the other person will have a treat for her).  Then she realizes 1) I'm not going to leave her 2) she can come right back to me and 3) the other people are nice and give treats too.