What is canine freestyle?

This is one of the most fun activities with a dog, and freestyle cynological competition is a truly exciting spectacle. Almost any dog ​​can participate in them, but, of course, certain skills will be required.

Where to start preparing?

Canine freestyle is a special kind of training. It combines dance and sports elements that are performed by a man and a dog to the music. Simply put, freestyle is dancing with dogs.

There is no single version of its origin. It is believed to have originated around the 1980s in the US, Canada, and the UK. Then some obedience competitions were held to the music, and it was noticed that dogs are much more willing to perform commands with musical accompaniment. From such experiments, a new sport arose.

The first demonstration performance in freestyle with a dog took place in 1990: an English breeder and trainer Mary Ray performed a dance with a pet to the music. A year later, at an exhibition in Vancouver, Canadian trainer Tina Martin, along with her golden retriever, also presented a costumed musical program. Both women are the founders of organizations that have become involved in the development of freestyle with dogs in the UK and Canada, respectively.

Interestingly, this sport came to the USA from Canada. Moreover, the Americans emphasized the spectacular performances, their colorfulness and the complexity of tricks, while the British focused on obedience and discipline.

Competition Rules

Freestyle with dogs comes in two varieties:

• Heelwork to music (HTM) or movement to music is a discipline originally from Great Britain. The person performs the dance directly, the dog must accompany him. The main emphasis is on the movement of the pet at a different pace, its obedience and discipline. He cannot be more than two meters away from a person;

• Freestyle – a freer performance, which involves various tricks and movements performed by a dog and a person.

In Russia, freestyle competitions are held in different classes, depending on the age of the dog and its experience. For example, for novice athletes, the Debut class is provided.

Requirements for participants:

• The breed of the dog doesn’t matter. Healthy pets are allowed to participate, with no size restrictions;

• But there are age restrictions: puppies under 12 months old cannot compete;

• Also, pregnant women and dogs in estrus are not allowed to participate in competitions;

• An athlete paired with a dog must be over 12 years old;

• The dog must be socialized, concentrated on the performance of the number, must not be distracted by other animals.

How are the competitions going?

As a rule, competitions consist of two stages: a compulsory program and a demonstration performance. In the first part, the team must demonstrate the required freestyle elements, such as “snake”, circles, walking near the person’s leg, bowing and moving back. In the free program, the team can prepare any number according to their level, including both compulsory and arbitrary elements.

Training

Despite the fact that from the outside the execution of numbers looks very simple, freestyle is a rather difficult sport that requires complete concentration and obedience from the dog. Therefore, before you start setting the number, be sure to take the “General Training Course” or the “Managed City Dog” course. This will help to establish contact with the pet and teach him basic commands.

You can train a dog both independently and together with a cynologist. Of course, if you have no experience in animal training, it’s best to leave it to a professional. He will be able to prepare your team for performance at competitions.