Agility sport places significant physical demands on dogs, requiring proactive conditioning, course design awareness, and injury recognition to protect welfare.
Agility is physically demanding, and welfare concerns arise when competitive pressure leads handlers to train through pain signals or push dogs beyond their fitness level. Dogs cannot communicate discomfort in ways easily recognised by handlers focused on performance metrics. A welfare-conscious approach requires baseline fitness testing, progressive conditioning, and willingness to withdraw dogs from competition when injury is suspected. Contact equipment represents particular risk and requires careful training before competition-height exposure. The growing field of canine sports medicine offers evidence-based tools for injury prevention, but uptake among recreational handlers remains variable.