What is dog agility?

Dog agility is a dog sport in which a handler directs a dog through an obstacle course in a race for both time and accuracy. Dogs run off leash with no food or toys as incentives, and the handler can touch neither dog nor obstacles. Consequently, the handler’s controls are limited to voice, movement, and various body signals, requiring exceptional training of the animal and coordination of the handler.

In its simplest form, an agility course consists of a set of standard obstacles laid out by a judge in a design of his or her own choosing in an area of a specified size. The surface may be of grass, dirt, rubber, or special matting. Depending on the type of competition, the obstacles may be marked with numbers indicating the order in which they must be completed.

Courses are complicated enough that a dog could not complete them correctly without human direction. In competition, the handler must assess the course, decide on handling strategies, and direct the dog through the course, with precision and speed equally important. Many strategies exist to compensate for the inherent difference in human and dog speeds and the strengths and weaknesses of the various dogs and handlers.

Dog agility course map

This is a course map showing the layout of a dog agility course. Maps like this are commonly used by officials to communicate the course to dog handlers.

What are the AAC regional championships?

The Agility Association of Canada (AAC) is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to promoting the sport of dog agility across Canada, regardless of pedigree. Founded in 1988, the AAC sets uniform and safe standards for agility competitions. Regional Championships are held annually, serving as both prestigious events and qualifiers for the National Championships. Dogs must qualify at their respective Regional Championship or through a pre-qualifier to compete at the Nationals. These events are organized by member clubs, which volunteer to host and manage the competitions. The annual AAC Regional competition for the BC/Yukon region is one of the largest in Canada, consisting of teams of handlers from all over the Lower Mainland, Interior, and Vancouver Island of BC, as well as from the Yukon. Many American competitors also attend the event

How are the winners determined?

In AAC dog agility regional competitions, scoring is based on a combination of speed and accuracy across various runs. Competitors must complete two Jumpers runs, two Standard runs, and two Gambler runs. Each run is timed, and faults (such as knocking down a bar or missing a contact zone) result in penalties that add to the dog’s time or deduct from their score. The aggregate score from these runs determines the winners, with the highest-scoring dogs in each category being declared the regional champions.