[Britster]

Can agility be dangerous and hard on a dogs body? It CAN. It's also important to teach a dog the *correct* way in order to safely compete in the sport. That's why doing the foundation work is so important, even if it's kind of boring to the human. Much like a human athlete wouldn't be able to play a game of football or baseball without first learning the rules and basics.

But doing a bit of obstacle work, or simple things such as jumping through a hoop or jumping over a height-appropriate jump with a normal average adult dog? I wouldn't stress.

I'm of the opinion that dogs tend to be pretty smart and know their limits... of course if you have a super hyper active balls-to-the-wall type of dog, this may not be the case, but in *general*. I think activities such as agility can be a preparation for long and healthy life and create strong muscles & tendons. Dogs who lack the muscle mass or are never allowed to jump, climb, balance, etc, are likely more prone to injuries IMO.

I have encouraged Jackson since he was a puppy to climb and explore. Tree trunk? Go jump on it. Park bench? Same thing. Go balance on that balance ball... he voluntarily will climb and balance on small tree trunks.

Personally I just don't think the risk of agility is much worse than real life anyway.