Argo

Argo, the "Blonde Bombshell", is owned by Shannon White. Shannon wrote this April 2000.

Argo and I are training at the intermediate level in agility now. We haven't competed in a trial yet because she isn't ready. Her tendency to invent rules shines through in agility, just as in obedience. Here are a few pictures, taken on a bitterly cold spring day, that show the joy she gets from this sport. She is off-leash, but works with a leather tab attached to her buckle collar so I can grab her if necessary.

Leos have to go through the same size equipment as the small dogs. The tunnel is a good example of how a Leo has to adjust her body to fit this smaller equipment. Argo loves all the obstacles, but tunnels really get her jazzed. She has plowed through them so fast that they actually move.

Argo is, according to our instructor, a Teeter Fool. She is absolutely fearless on this apparatus. She will charge over it, getting quite a thrill out of slamming it down. Here I'm trying to teach her to wait at the critical moment to let her weight ease the teeter down. It didn't work -- she still slammed it.She loves this!

Argo's absolute, most favorite obstacle -- the A-Frame! I call it "climb" by way of a command. And she adores it. Here is one place where being a giant dog is an advantage. She is up to the top in just a few steps. Teaching her to hit the contact on both sides is my only challenge so far.

There are several kinds of jumps in agility. This one is a long jump. Argo is kind of bored with jumps. But the weather was so crisp and cold this day that she was just having a ball. That grin on her face is typical of her reaction to this sport. If you haven't tried agility with a Leo, you don't know what you're missing!