OCEANSIDE -- Cloudy weather may have kept people away from the beach this weekend, but it was perfect for the hundreds of dogs and their owners gathered at Skydance Ranch in Oceanside to show off their nimble best.

Shouts from scurrying handlers, including "weave," "tunnel," and "touch" were answered obediently as dog after dog ran the two-day agility trial sanctioned by the North American Dog Agility Council (NADAC) and sponsored by the Ups 'N' Downs Agility Club.

From tiny terriers to large Labradors, there was one thing all the dogs in and out of the ring appeared to have in common -- they looked like they were having a great deal of fun.

"Blue gets exercise and mental stimulation," said Bonita resident Rebecca Kriz, 18, of her Shetland sheepdog. "Plus, she loves to visit with the other dogs."

Kriz won the NADAC junior handlers championship in 2006 and 2007 in Wyoming and insists that dogs like Blue "need a job" like running a course instead of being left alone to "destroy things or bark."

Trial secretary Lynn Spears agreed.

"The training and these trials encourage people do more with their dogs so they aren't just sitting in the backyard," said Spears. "They might as well just get a statue."

The "non-jumping" trial held Saturday and Sunday utilizes just one ring and draws a largely North County crowd . But according to organizers, they've had folks come to NADAC events from as far away as the East Coast and Canada.

Many dogs have a special story, told by proud "parents."

Kriz describes Blue as her "miracle dog" -- she was rescued from a busy Utah highway after running under a moving horse trailer while dragging a long rope.

"It's amazing she survived," said Kriz.

Harriet Seldin of Encinitas tells of the day her flat-coated retriever, Hunter, tortured by an anxiety disorder, jumped out of a second story window when he was nearly 10 years old. After healing from his injuries, Hunter was successful on the course Sunday afternoon, and Seldin boasted of his tremendous progress.

According to the NADAC, the purpose of the agility trial is to demonstrate the ability of a dog and its handler to work as a smoothly functioning team.

Handlers are divided into veterans and juniors. The dogs are separated into size groups and compete in novice, open (or intermediate) and elite classes. The bigger the dog, the more time they have to "qualify." All qualifiers receive a ribbon and the top fastest dogs in each class receive a ribbon as well.

Sandy and Bruce Crook have too many ribbons and trophies to count after showing their Boston terriers and Portuguese waterdog for the past 15 years.

"Our house is like an museum," laughed Sandy.

The couple got involved in agility training after breeding and selling a dog that eventually became the first Boston terrier to win the American Kennel Club's prestigious master agility championship. They now run the U.S. Agility Training Center in Poway and say that agility training is not only great for the dogs, it also keeps humans "young and healthy."