by Laurie Leach

Ellen Perlson became interested in the sport of canine freestyle as soon as she saw the sport demonstrated five years ago. “Although I had lots of experience as an obedience trainer, I was moved to tears by the performance. I knew that I wanted to do that with my dog.” Before long, she and her canine partner Tag, a Pembroke Welsh Corgi, began training and eventually became the first team to earn a Freestyle title in California.

Freestyle is a relative newcomer in the growing list of organized activities for dog lovers and their canine pals. “Freestyle is just doing tricks to music and putting it all together to tell a story,” Perlson says.

Ellen’s first teacher, Judy Gamet, says that her background in dance education and her extensive experience as a Rottweiler breeder came together perfectly in the freestyle world. “Mixed breeds, purebreds, dogs of any size, and dogs of any age can participate,” Gamet says. “Even dogs that have had to retire from another sport because of an injury have an entire new world of training to explore.”

Training with a creative flair

First and foremost, these outings are for exercise. The positive-training mantra “a tired dog is a good dog” is practically an old saw now, but that saw still cuts. Proper exercise can keep stay-at-home dogs out of trouble long after the walk is over. Although obedience training is the foundation of freestyle, the final product is quite different. Obedience is based on consistent completion of specific commands; the goal of freestyle is to put together a creative, innovative, original routine.

The handler must move around the ring, though flashy footwork is not required since the point is to show off one’s dog. A freestyle handler and dog are like a dance team in that the relationship and joy between them should be visible.

Let’s take a look at one routine that has become a legend in the freestyle community:

Imagine what appears to be a typical dog obedience trial with a large roped off area. The crowd is gathered around the edges in low bleachers. The music begins, that familiar old tune “Hollywood,” and it quickly becomes clear we were about to see a performance remarkably different from traditional obedience. Within moments, a man dressed like Charlie Chaplin with a Border Collie at his side shuffles into the ring.

Over the next couple of minutes “Charlie” and his dog put on a performance that makes the audience laugh, applaud joyously, and shake their heads in admiration. This pup rolls, spins, jumps through his owner’s arms, weaves through his legs, backs up across the ring, and jumps in unison with his handler. This talented canine pretends to knock “Charlie” down, then claps his front paws to get the audience involved.

When Attila Shukalek and his dog Fly complete this routine the audience explodes into applause, leaving little doubt this team has met the goal of freestyle, to showcase a dog’s athletic ability, attentiveness, and delight in working with a fun human partner.

Getting started

The sport of freestyle holds the interest of many experienced dog trainers, but anyone who enjoys training dogs will find it fairly simple to get started. It is best to begin with some obedience training to teach the dog to pay attention to the handler. As soon as that foundation is laid, future freestylers quickly break out of formal obedience patterns.

The next step is for the handler to teach the dog a variety of moves such as spinning and backing up. With as few as six or eight moves, the handler can move on to the next step.

At step three, the handler selects the music for the routine. The goal here is to choose music that matches the dog’s natural movements. While a handler’s favorite tune might work for a Chihuahua, it might not be the best for her Basset. Music selections range from classical to country and western. Freestyle trainers say dogs learn to recognize specific music for each routine.

In step four the handler thinks through how the dog’s moves will flow with the music. When the planning is complete, the trainer and dog begin working on the choreography together. As with all good training, the emphasis is short sessions and having fun together.

Lastly if one decides to compete, there is the choice of a costume for the handler. Perlson says, “Costumes for people should only complement the routine.”

However, dogs do not get to wear costumes. “Trainers are not allowed to dress or belittle the dog in any way,” Perlson emphasized. “A decorative collar or anklets are all that a dog may wear.” Respect for the dog is tantamount.

Freestyle in the North Bay

Dog trainers in this area who are interested in trying freestyle have ready resources available to them. Redwood Empire Dog Dancers hosts a competition each February.This group is always interested in new members. In addition, there are freestyle classes offered in each of the North Bay
counties.

“The wonder of Freestyle,” Gamet says, “is that you can adapt any program to what an individual dog can do. Toy or giant, young or old, dogs of all shapes and sizes can excel at these routines.” So get out your leash and your dancing shoes. It’s time to go out two-stepping with your dog.