Pre-Agility class

Yesterday was Clyde's first class in Agility.  There were four other dogs in the class.  Two yellow labs, one aussie and one ACD/boxer mix.  Clyde did well enough, though he's definitely not quite as energized simply for treats the way he is for tennis balls.  We went through a lot of basic obstacles - getting up on a table, raised board, wobble board, walking over bars, etc.  At the end of class she let each dog try everything out off-leash.  Yeah, watching the herding dogs do everything?  So different.  Kind of made me wish I had a herding breed...  But that's okay, Clyde is still going to be awesome.  I have high hopes for him.  I just need to figure out how to get him motivated enough to be excited for it.  I think the answer is going to lie in tennis balls but I am not sure yet how to harness that energy.

Tennis balls.  His intensity and concentration when you have a tennis ball out is amazing.  But so much so that he can be entirely distracted.  If he even sees a ball, all he can think about for the next 5 minutes is how to get the ball, even if you've hidden it away.  Hello, front brain, where are you???