How agility training can be a positive welfare activity for dogs when approached with welfare-first principles.
Dog agility done well is a positive welfare activity that provides physical exercise, cognitive challenge, and strengthened human-animal bond. Done poorly, it causes injury from premature high-impact training, stress from aversive handling, and welfare compromise from requiring participation from dogs who show discomfort with trial environments. The welfare-positive approach to agility centers on honest assessment of dog enjoyment and capacity, force-free training methods, age-appropriate introduction of high-impact skills, and prioritizing dog wellbeing over competition success.