If you are quite creative, love music and enjoy dancing, you might like to try the relatively new sport of heel work to music. This is now extremely popular all over the world and has evolved into many different divisions including musical dressage, heel work and freestyle.

Handlers may wear costumes and use some props, while dogs can wear fancy collars. Most dogs really enjoy dancing to music and it’s fun trying to find a composition that suits your dog’s personality and the way he moves.

Can any dog do this?

Yes: A dog of any breed or size, pedigree or crossbreed, can have fun with heel work to music. If you don’t want to compete, you can entertain your family and friends. Some people get pleasure from taking doge to perform for senior citizens or at a children’s home.

Enthusiasm and confidence are much more important elements of the performance than the degree of difficulty in your routine. You can make the work as energetic or as elegant as you wish, and develop moves that specifically suit your dog’s abilities.

What training is involved?

Your dog must have some basic obedience training. He must be able to:

• Walk off the lead in the heel work position without becoming distracted by lights, music and other dogs.
• Sit
• Stay
• Down
• Wait
• Recall

All the right moves

Freestyle routines (whether the dog doesn’t have to be in the heel work position throughout) are very popular, as they allow for more creativity. Fun moves you will see include:

• Walking on back legs
• Creeping
• Jumping through hoops or outstretched arms
• Weaving through handler’s legs
• Rollovers
• High fives (where the dog reaches up with his paw to touch the handler’s hand)
• Playing dead
• Reversing around handler

Getting started

If your local dog training club does not offer classes in heel work to music, they may be able to recommend a trainer who specializes in this sport. If not contact one of the many associated organizations – the internet is an excellent source of information on national and international heel work to music organizations. Attend an event or training workshop to find out what’s involved. There are also books and videos available to help you get started.

What will I need?

• Portable CD player
• Comfortable non-slip shoes
• Most handlers train in trousers, as this is easier for the dog if he is learning some of the more complex moves such as leg weaving
• A sense of humor

Competitions

Competitive classes are available for all abilities, from beginners to advanced. They are judged on degree of technical difficulty, the dog’s willingness to work, the partnership between dog and handler, and how well the music is interpreted. some experienced handlers are able to compete with up to six dogs in a single routine, which can last for several minutes.

Agility is a fantastic sport for dogs and owners of all ages to enjoy. It is one of the fastest growing sports in the UK, Western Europe and the USA. Using voice and hand signals, handlers are timed as they instruct their dogs to negotiate a series of obstacles such as tunnels, jumps and ramps.

If you’ve done some basic obedience work with your dog, you can take this to another level by having a go at agility training.

Can any dog do it?

Any dog – cross-breed, mongrel or pedigree – can take part provided he is over 12 months old, and is reasonably fir and healthy. Before starting any agility training, have a chat with your vet to ensure your dog is physically capable as the sport involves running at speed, jumping hurdles, balancing and negotiating various obstacles.

There are elementary, starter and novice classes available for dogs of all sizes including minis (dogs under 38 cm (15 in) high at the withers). There are also classes for young handlers, seniors and disabled participants.

Joining a class

Agility is so popular that you shouldn’t have to travel far to find a group of enthusiasts who will help you and your dog learn more about this exciting sport. Watch a couple of sessions first to see what is involved and help you decide whether you would like to try. Joining a class will ensure you have access to proper equipment and tuition, and it’s a great way for you and your dog to socialize with other dogs and their owners.

Obstacles

You can expect to see:

• Hurdles to jump over.
• Hoops and tyres to jump through.
• Long jump.
• Pipe tunnels and collapsible tunnels.
• A-ramp.
• Seesaw.
• Weaving poles.

Some of the obstacles have colored areas painted on them that your dog must touch with his paws as he moves along them.

Perfect timing

In a competition, dogs will tackle a course of up to 20 obstacles. Each round is timed, with the fastest clear round winning. Penalties are incurred for errors such as missing out an obstacle, knocking one down or failing to touch the ‘contact’ points. However, it’s not always the fastest dog that wins: quite often a slow, steady clear round will beat a speedy, less accurate effort.

Research

Studies show that it is the speed at which a dog travels and the force with which he hits an obstacle, rather than the height of a jump, that causes most injuries in agility. Although it is fun watching your dog go as fast as he possibly can, make sure he’s not going so fast that he is likely to hurt himself.

What do you need?

• Sensible, non-slip trainers.
• Waist bag full of treats to use as rewards.
• Non-baggy clothing so that your dog can see your hand signals clearly.
• Visor or baseball cap to help you keep the sun out of your eyes and enable you to see all parts of the agility course.
• Some trainers like to use a harness to help their dog balance when training him to negotiate contact obstacles.