Agility Association of Canada

Agility began in Canada when Art Newman, of North Gower, Ontario, founded the Agility Dog Association of Canada (now called the Agility Association of Canada - AAC) in 1988. It quickly spread from central Ontario outwards to ultimately encompassing almost all of the provinces and territories. As of June 2005, there were 103 officially recognised membership clubs listed and hundreds of unofficial clubs thriving throughout Canada.

Levels and Divisions

Performance Levels

There are 3 performance levels in AAC agility - Starters, Advanced, and Masters. All dogs must start off at a Starters level and may only climb to the next level when they have achieved enough legs or "Q's" to complete a title. Once a title is completed they then must move up to the next level at the next trial they attend.

Class Levels

There are 3 class levels in AAC agility - Regular, Specials, and Veterans. Most dogs enter at a Regular class level in their respective height divisions. A dog may be moved to or start in the Specials division and will have to jump one height lower than what their Regular height would be. This is usually done in special circumstances such as when a dog measures just over its Regular height or the dog's build isn't conducive to performing at its Regular height. A dog may be entered in the Veterans division when they reach the age of 7 or if the dog is over the age of 5 and has been competing in Specials for a minimum of 12 months.

Divisions

There are up to 5 height divisions available to compete in within the 3 class levels. The Regular class offers 10", 16", 22" and 26" height divisions. Specials and Veterans offers 6" 10" 16" and 22" height divisions. A dog will be measured at the highest point of its scapula to determine what height division it will compete in. The handler is given a choice of what division the dog will compete in according to the chart below:

After the coveted ATChC/SATChC/VATChC is achieved a dog may then work towards the following awards using a combination of Master Standard classes, Master Games classes, and Steeplechase qualifying scores: