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 “ You dance with your dog?” The eyebrows are usually raised in a quizzical look of a mixture of disbelief and did I hear her correctly?” Yes, I dance with my dog, and so do a lot of people. Heelwork to Music and Canine Freestyle is the latest and fastest growing competitive sport to enter the Dog world, especially since 2002 when it was recognised by the Kennel Club So what is Heelwork to Music and Canine Freestyle? As the names suggest the sport is divided into two categories, Heelwork to Music has something of an “obedience” type style to it as the dog has to work closely to the body of the handler, but not purely on the left as in obedience competitions, whereas in Freestyle a far more anything goes” as long as it is not injurious to the dog or handler approach is taken. Handlers are allowed
to choose their own piece of music and choreograph both their
own and their dog’s movements, to perform a routine which
interprets the music. These routines may be up to 4 minutes long
and when done well the breathtaking harmony between dog and handler
is wonderful to see, it also makes this sport very spectator friendly
as you do not have to know anything about the sport to be able
to just sit back and be entertained! Back to the quizzically
raised eyebrows and the unspoken question “Why does she
do this? It is a very new sport and we are still learning how to teach our dogs to move as we wish them to, and constantly being amazed at the amount of vocabulary our dogs can learn as most, and in some cases all, commands are given verbally as we dance away! We run many training sessions to help others with this sport and are in the process of writing our second book on the art of training for Canine Freestyle. In competition it is a sport with immense freedom as long as you follow the basic rules of performance as set out by the Kennel Club. You can choose your own music (I think that is the hardest part!) you can choreograph it as you wish; you can do this sport with any breed of dog. We have seen all dogs from Jack Russell's to Newfoundland’s dancing, slow moving dogs usually suit slow music, fast dogs often prefer to rock n roll! Then
there is the costume and the props. I have worn the “uniform”
of Obedience, - smart but casual - of Working Trials, waterproofs
and wellies, but in this sport the costume is considered to be
almost the third partner in the routine, and props can be used
to extend the range of moves Costumes and props can set an expectation
in the mind of the audience – instil a little magic into
the routine, after all this is a spectator sport, can anyone imagine
“Singing In The Rain” without an umbrella? Another "why" is that it is a great way of keeping fit for both you and your dog; the handler has to move with the music too! Age is no barrier, we have folk who are in their 70's who are competing strongly with their younger competitors, and many of them can show us a thing or two about a waltz or quickstep! Disability is not a problem as dogs can be worked from a wheelchair very successfully, and crutches or walking sticks just become something else for the dog to work around. The sport is becoming popular throughout the world and we have run training sessions in Holland, Israel, USA and this year are visiting Denmark and possibly Japan. In this country we have demonstrated the sport from Cornwall to The Orkneys and everywhere we go people want to meet our dogs and are amazed at the performances they give. And this leads to a more serious note. It is a very good way to promote dogs to the general public. There is so much bad press about dogs that this is a chance to show the public that all breeds of dogs can be wonderful citizens if they are given the opportunity to show it. Perhaps the last answer to anyone asking “Why?” is that it is just darned good fun!! If you would like
further information about the sport of Heelwork to Music and Canine
Freestyle please visit |
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