We are a Dog Agility club in Greater Vancouver and the Fraser Valley. The club was formed back in the dark ages of dog agility when NOOO!!! could be heard often as the command of choice. Back when the excellent “call off” was an admired move. Before trials could be filled with Canadians and crossing the border to play was common. Over the last two decades we have seen immense change in the sport of dog agility. Now we are all “yes” oriented, using positive training methods to build motivation and drive in addition to obstacle performance skills. Handling skills have also changed incredibly over the life of our club. We have seen the end of an era, with the “steeple” now officially gone from the visual signal repertoire. Blind crosses once considered lazy or bad handling are now the move of choice with highly motivated and skilled dogs.
Although competitive in nature, our club and it’s members always put our dogs and their well being first and foremost. Club members practice with the intent of creating desire and drive in their dogs. The K9 Cliffhangers are not based on training others, but rather are focused on becoming excellent trainers and handlers of our own dogs. Most attend classes elsewhere and several of our members hold their own Dog Agility classes for students of the game. Our club practices are self directed, with each person working on their own techniques for training and running their dogs.
We are also a group of hard working individuals who come together to host our two annual trials. Most are hard working volunteers at all agility trials, as we are all very aware of how much effort goes into hosting dog agility trials. It seems we are mostly gluttons for punishment. Although regional championship events are not officially Cliffhanger events, several members work hard almost annually to host the AAC BC/Yukon Regional Agility Championship. All members seem to contribute in some way to these events in addition to the smaller, more local agility trials.
In essence, we are a group of hard working, dog loving, dog agility enthusiasts.