Musical canine freestyle
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Musical canine freestyle—also known as musical freestyle, freestyle dance, and canine freestyle—is a modern dog sport that is a mixture of obedience, tricks, and dance that allows for creative interaction between dogs and their owners.
A dog and handler perform in a musical freestyle competition.
There are two types, musical freestyle and freestyle heeling (also known as heelwork to music), the main difference being that freestyle heeling focuses on a dog's ability to stay in variations of the heel position while the handler moves to music, whereas musical freestyle demands that the dog perform a variety of tricks and other obedience talents, and places a greater focus on the trainer's dance abilities and creativity.
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[edit] History
WCFO events offer divisions for Heelwork-to-Music and Musical Freestyle.
Musical freestyle started in many places almost simultaneously, and though it can safely be placed as beginning around 1989, demonstrations of the talent of heeling to music were shown in Canada, England, the United States, and the Netherlands within three years of each other. The main unifying element among the groups was an interest in allowing more creative obedience demonstrations and training, a love of music, and in many cases, inspiration from an equine sport called musical freestyle, which was a more creative and dynamic form of dressage.
The first musical freestyle group, Musical Canine Sports International, was founded in British Columbia, Canada, in 1991. Soon, other groups in the United States and England followed. Each region began developing its own style, with many American groups promoting more trick-based routines and costumes, and English groups focusing more on heelwork and the dog and less on costumes and design. Musical freestyle is becoming more frequently demonstrated on animal talent shows and as specialty acts as well.
Currently, there are several organization regulating competitive freestyle, such as the World Canine Freestyle Organization,[1] Canine Freestyle Federation[2]and The Musical Dog Sport Association[3] in North America, and Canine Freestyle GB[4] and Pawfect K9 Freestyle Club (Japan)[5] internationally.
[edit] Competition
Competition rules vary from group to group, and from country to country, but most are based on a variety of technical and artistic merit points. Regardless of the style of routine to be performed, all routines are done free of training aids or leashes (except in some beginner categories). Competition can be done as a single dog-and-handler team, as a pair of dogs and handlers, or as a full team of three or more dogs and their handlers. Generally, for competition, there is one dog to a person.
In either type of competition, the choice of music and the way the routine reflects the music is important. Routines that don't seem to follow the pattern of music, no matter how well executed, do not score well.
Exhibition freestyle is a no-holds-barred routine designed to demonstrate the full extent of creativity and excitement that musical freestyle can offer. Though highly entertaining and representing what most people see on television or at events, it allows for moves, props, cues, and costumes that would not always be allowed on the competition circuit.
[edit] Freestyle heeling
In heelwork to music, the dog and trainer remain close to each other at all times, and sending the dog away or doing distance work is not part of the routine. The dog should appear almost invisibly tethered to his or her partner, although this is a tether that comes from training and loyalty. Pivots, moving diagonally, backwards, forwards, or back to front are important to the routine, all of course to a suitable musical theme. Jumping, weaving, rolling, passing through the trainer's legs and anything else 'not heeling' is not allowed.
[edit] Musical freestyle
In musical freestyle, heelwork can be combined with other moves such as leg weaving, sending the dog away, moving together at a distance, and more dramatic tricks such as jumps, spins, bows, rolling over, dancing in place, and other innovative actions where the dog plays off of the dance moves of their partner are encouraged. A popular finishing trick for some routines is to have a smaller dog jump into the trainer's arms or over his or her back.
[edit] Freestyle in the UK
In the UK, the sport is called heelwork to music and is an officially recognised sport of the Kennel Club.
[edit] Freestyle in the USA
In the USA, many humans and their K-9 friends "dance" to music.
[edit] Freestyle for fun
Teaching a dog to be able to work on both sides of the handler's body, not just the left side as in standard obedience heeling, is the first step to doing freestyle. Simple moves like teaching the dog to "do the robot" as the handler moves forward, and to Drop It Like It's Hot with the handler are the foundation of any freestyle routine. The trainer selects a short musical piece, a minute or two, that reflects the dog's attitude and pace in doing his moves (some dogs do better with a waltz, others suit rock and roll boogie although small dogs are better at hip-hop beats), and decides what moves would go best with the music. To start with, the trainer breaks the routine into pieces with only two or three moves linked together, and the trainer and dog work harder, these pieces are linked together.
The goal is to have fun; a handler or dog becoming stressed indicates that it's time to take a break. The most important thing is that dog and human get to spend time together.Some have argued that the friendship between human and dog is more than just a "friendship".
[edit] External links
- Organizations
- Regional Freestyle Clubs
- Other information
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