contact details for canine freestyle heelwork to music dog displays and workshops

What is freestyle or HTM ?

In the UK the sport is generally called Heelwork to music but it is also referred to as canine freestyle or dog dancing. There are two divisions of the sport which require different elements, HTM is where the dog has to be in the heelwork position for at least three quarters of the routine. In the UK there are eight nominated heelwork positions which the dog be and the team can more at any direction or pace. With freestyle there is no heelwork required so the judges will be looking for a flow from one move to another and not just a lots of tricks done one after the other. In the UK the judges will give you upto ten points in three sections which are content, accuracy and execution and musical interpretation.

My training philosophy

I once heard a saying that to me says it all about the relationship between dog and handler in a freestyle routine

" you are the frame and your dog is the picture"

In essence to me this sport is all about showing off the dog and the relationship with its handler. After all this is a DOG TRAINING sport and thus the dog should be taking centre stage.

In my training i always want the dog to have fun and i like to have that element of surprise in my training to keep the dog fresh and focused. Its REALLY important in my view that you never forget that this sport is based on obedience and control and these elements should never be forgotten in your dogs training.

Training should always be short and to the point so that the dog does not become bored. Motivation is one of the key elements in keeping your dog interested especially when they have been performing a move for a while.

Here are a few questions that you can ask yourself, to give you inspiration as to what to teach next.

* Can my dog perform this basic moves with minimal signal ?

* How can I vary my body position to make this move look different ?

* How far can I get my dog to walk back before doing a move ?

* Can I do this basic at a different pace ?

* What move can I link to this to make the moves flow together well ?

* Have I trained this move in different venues ?

Click here to read some other tips about various parts of training a routine

Frequently asked questions

Below are a few questions that are emailed to me and a brief answer to them, if you have any others you would like to see please email them to me richard@k9freestyle.co.uk

Q - What happens if my dog just does not seem to grasp a move that I am teaching it?

This maybe down to a number of reasons, firstly you may not be praising the dog enough or giving it enough motivation to do it. Secondly the method that you are using might not suit your dog so try another method. Thirdly it might just not suit your dog because of your dogs size or speed, but because there are so many moves in freestyle just leave it and try another one

Q - What happens if my dog gets confused between two moves?

Firstly you need to examine why the confusion is happening are the vocal or physical signals too similar. It maybe that the words start with the same letter so the dog thinks it is going to do a twist when you want a twirl! If they are then it is easy enough to change one of them to a different word so that it presents a clearer picture to the dog.

Q - I am having difficulty getting the front end of the dog into the bow any tips?

Try sitting on the floor and get the dog to follow the treat under you leg this should mean the front end of the dog goes into the down but then you can place you left hand underneath the dogs back end and the dog will be in a bow. Alternatively try playing with the dog and let him tug on the toy as he pulls against it he may go back into a down so that you can put the command to it then

Q - How long do you work on a routine?

Well normally i work a year in advance on the routines although sometimes i don't think it looks like i do!!! certainly preparation is important as this will give you confidence especially if you have not competed before.

Click here to read some other articles about freestyle /heelwork to music