I Should Have Seen This Coming

So what did Sam get in the mail? If you guessed his own brand new agility starter kit, you'd be right!

I've done some agility work with Sam before on homemade obstacles--staggered crates for stairs, an old picture frame for a hoop; you get the picture. He had such fun learning the obstacles and getting rewarded for completing them correctly that I decided to order him an actual agility set that could be assembled without lugging five heavy crates into the yard. The kit has four obstacles: a jump bar, a tunnel, weave poles, and a pause box. Since Sam has done jump and hoop work before, I decided we'd try out those two obstacles first before introducing the weave poles and pause box.

The jump bar


The tunnel

I set up the tunnel and jump bar and set to work getting Sam accustomed to the obstacles. He took to them almost immediately, but not quite in the way I wanted. The tunnel, for instance, he would uproot by crawling underneath it rather than through it. So I enlisted Dad's help and tried a new tack. Dad would hold Sam on one end of the tunnel, and I'd call Sam from the other, camera ready, to get a picture of him going through.

Now, in my enthusiasm for Sam's new agility set, I forgot several key things that should have sent up red flags. One, it had been raining most of the day, so Sam had a ton of pent-up energy he had yet to expend. Two, I didn't have my clicker with me, which lets Sam know it's training time, not play time. Three, Sam would be entering the tunnel at a ridiculous velocity only 6-month-old Labs can achieve. Four, Sam has a habit of tackling people he likes. Five, I'm top on the list of people Sam likes.

What a good angle!

What a--no, Sam, stop, stop, STOP!!

On the plus side, I got some good pictures of Sam barreling through the tunnel. On the negative side, Sam took me OUT. If any of you have seen Waterboy, you'll know my pain. Sam Bobby-Bouchered my ass straight into the ground. He smashed into me where I knelt on the ground, crushing my glasses into my face and knocking me for a backflip. Eventually I ended up sprawled on the ground with scrapes to my leg and arm, a bruised cheek, and a soaked camera. But Sam had fun, right?

Subsequent attempts to get Sam through the tunnel--this time without bodily injury--were unsuccessful. Sam seemed to think that the tunnel was more fun to abscond with than to run through, and in short order he'd ripped it up and was prancing around the yard with it billowing out behind him like an oversized windsock. I decided it was time to move on to the jump bar.

The theft


The getaway


The aftermath

Unfortunately, Sam wasn't ready to give up his thieving so soon. He grabbed the jump bar, pulled it down, and ran off with it. Before we could get it back, he snapped it in two and chewed the ends. Once we put it back together it was a bit worse for the wear, but still usable.

This is not part of the manufacturer's instructions


It still works, just a little more bent than before

Even though Sam has done jumps before, I could not for the life of me get him to jump over the bar. Even when I jumped over it myself, Sam would just go around. After he stole the jump bar twice more, I finally gave up.

You're supposed to go over, not around

Argh! I give up!

Hopefully in the coming days I'll be able to try again with the agility set and achieve better results. I know what to do now: make sure Sam isn't in one of his manic moods and have the clicker and treats handy. And, by all means, NEVER stand in the line of fire.