Dog dancing – what is that supposed to be? We have researched and are presenting you with a very varied and quite useful dog sport that can certainly enrich the everyday life of you and your four-legged friend.
Dog Dancing: What exactly is behind it?
Dog Dancing originally comes from the USA and is a sport in which dogs and humans “dance” together. There are two types of dog dancing:
In the so-called “Freestyle Dog Dancing” almost all tricks and tricks that the dog-human team can present to the rhythmic music are allowed. In “Heelwork to Music”, on the other hand, the focus is on correct footwork and a disciplined program. Up to 18 different foot positions in combination with jumps and turns can be shown here.
In both variants, a choreography with suitable background music is presented. And very important: A lot of concentration, teamwork, and discipline is required from both dog and human. The greater popularity applies to “freestyle dog dancing”.
What is dog dancing?
Dog dancing is a dog sport in which learned commands and tricks are presented to music in the form of a specially devised freestyle.
Where can we dance?
The training can take place in the home garden or in the living room. Many dog schools offer additional courses, which are a good tip, especially for the beginning. But there are even official tournaments: from the amateur class to the professional, all doors are open to dog owners.
What does dog dancing do to dogs?
Like many other dog sports, dog dancing is a wonderful way to keep your dog busy both physically and mentally. The physical exercise and the high level of concentration that are necessary during training and especially during a performance demand a lot from the dog. Jumps, turns, rolls, and executing and holding commands combine to create a creative yet challenging way to keep a dog busy and to challenge and promote team spirit between two- and four-legged friends. In addition to the utilization, intensive cooperation should above all bring fun for both sides of the team. Despite all efforts and ambition, this should never be lost sight of. Anyone who overwhelms their dog will get the opposite of a strengthening of the bond and may severely violate the trust of their own dog.
The advantages of dog dancing at a glance
- mental fitness and obedience are intensively trained,
- a good basis of trust develops between four- and two-legged friends and the emotional bond is strengthened,
- no special equipment is required.
Which dogs are suitable for dog dancing?
Which dog breeds are particularly suitable?
Basically, all dog breeds of all ages are suitable for dog dancing. Big or small, long-haired or short-haired, old or young, none of these factors play a role in dog dancing. This fact distinguishes dog dancing from many other dog sports, in which only special breeds or dogs with special requirements can be used.
The following things are important:
- Dog obedience: Basic commands should be correct, as well as the recall command
- The dog should have good social behavior, both with other dogs and with people
- The dog should have fun “thinking along”. Attention and curiosity are among his characteristics.
Which dogs are suitable for dog dancing?
In principle, any dog that is motivated, active, teachable, and attentive is also suitable for dog dancing. The respective dog does not have to meet any special physical requirements for this dog sport.
When can you start dog dancing?
Since dog dancing is all about mastering commands, the basic commands should be firmly in place before training begins. They form the basis of the work and are therefore essential in order to be able to determine success in training. You can start practicing these basic commands as early as puppy age. Before higher lessons are learned, which place greater demands on the dog’s musculoskeletal system, your dog should be physically mature so as not to disturb its growth excessively. As soon as this is the case and all basic commands have been internalized, more difficult lessons, such as certain foot sequences or jumps, can be integrated into the training.
In addition, every dog that is subjected to demanding training should also be healthy and comfortable in order to be able to work as well as possible. If we ourselves are ill or injured, we don’t feel like doing sports and should rather rest.
What basic commands does the dog need to know?
Before starting the intensive training, the dog should already have learned the basic commands such as “sit”, “down”, “stay!”, “heel” and “come” and be able to carry them out even in stressful or distraction-intensive moments.
Am I suitable for dog dancing?
Time, patience, consistency, and a positive basic attitude towards the dog – are the essential qualities that you should bring with you. Dog dancing will not work without good stamina and the willingness to train again and again, even in the face of setbacks.
When do you start dog dancing?
Any team can start with the basic commands such as “sit”, “down”, “heel” and recall. On this basis you build up as a keeper-dog team and learn more and more difficult tricks.
How do I start Dog Dancing?
First, a certain amount of tricks should be learned. There are no limits to creativity there. Here are a few examples of the tricks:
- The footwork: walking forwards, backward, and sideways
- Twists: around the human leg or around the dog’s own axis
- Jumps: overstretched arms and/or legs
- Forward and reverse leg slalom
- Roll, make males, give paw, crawl
The training sessions should not last longer than 20 minutes, since after this time the concentration of the animal decreases. It is better to briefly repeat the tricks at regular intervals. The tricks should be trained equally on both sides.
The reward is very important – for every small success. This can be done with treats, but these should only serve as initial bait and motivation. More important is a positive confirmation, for example by stroking. Teach your dog that dog dancing is fun!
If your four-legged friend has mastered all the tricks, you can line them up one after the other and rehearse a small choreography. If everything works, try it to the music. The beat should always correspond to a normal walking pace. The advantage of your own choreography is that it can be individually tailored to the strengths of the human-dog team.
Basic exercises for dog dancing
For beginners
There are a few simple exercises that beginners in dog dancing can do with their dog. Mastering all these exercises and commands also helps with communication and living together in everyday life, for example when encountering dogs on daily walks.
The first exercise here is eye contact. While the dog maintains eye contact with its handler, the dog has its full attention and it makes it easier to give commands afterward. Eye contact can be practiced with the “Watch” command, for example. As soon as your dog looks at you, you should give the command and reward him with a treat. In the beginning, it can help to hold a treat near your head so the dog is facing you.
If eye contact is established, the command “twist” can be introduced, for example. The dog should turn around its own axis when the appropriate voice or sign command is given. To learn this trick, your dog should first be placed in front of you. Holding a treat, slowly move your hand around your dog in a small circle. In the ideal case, he now performs the following rotating movement with his body in order to reach the treat in your hand. Once this command has been perfected, your dog should turn around with a simple circle of your index finger and then sit in front of you again.
A final, simpler exercise for dog dancing is the slalom run through human legs. In the beginning you can always put one leg far forward so that your dog has enough space to walk under your leg. Now put a treat in front of his head in the desired direction so that your dog follows it through your legs. Anyone who has practiced this exercise a few times will quickly find that the dog’s basic speed increases with increasing confidence.
For advanced
Step sequences are a bit more difficult to learn and therefore suitable for advanced dog dancers. Dog dancing dogs should be able to walk backward and sideways on command. The trot with the front legs thrown forward in a swinging manner is also often seen at dog dance tournaments. Leaps over the handler’s legs or arms, crawling, or rolling are also part of the repertoire of advanced dog dance participants and sometimes require a lot of time and patience to be learned.
When learning all commands, it is always important to have calm and clear communication with the dog. Rewarding with treats is a worthwhile incentive for most dogs, but the intensity of such exercises should not be underestimated and there should always be a longer break after 20 to 30 minutes so as not to overwhelm the dog.
Which tools are useful?
Especially the so-called “clicker” can be very useful in training with the dog. The master or mistress has the clicker in their hand and uses it to emit signals in that the clicker makes clicking noises.
Of course, treats can also be used, but these are not necessarily only intended as a reward. They should be much more of a motivator.
What are the basic exercises in dog dancing?
In addition to the common basic commands, turns, slalom through the legs, small jumps, and little jumps, for example, are among the easier-to-learn basic exercises of dog dancing.
Conclusion: Is my dog suitable for dog dancing?
If you are now interested in trying out dog dancing with your dog, you are probably wondering whether your dog is suitable for it. Since there are no breeds better or worse suited for this sport, the answer to this question depends entirely on the nature of your dog. It is important to have a motivated, active dog that enjoys learning new things and working with people. A certain level of alertness and the ability to concentrate is also important so that you can train together for a few minutes at a time without your dog diverting its attention away from you to something else. So if your dog meets these requirements and you have a good relationship and trust in each other, then simply try out Dog dance in a relaxed setting and without expectations and strengthen your bond even further.
Incidentally, dog dancing is also suitable as a dog sport for four-legged friends with joint damage. In this case, however, all jump variants should be kept out of the training so as not to further stress the damaged joints.
