Music Plus Dogs

I entered the world of dog sports and competition after my husband and I acquired our first dog, Starr, in 2001. Starr is an unpapered purebred Border Collie, adopted from a small local rescue group, and was then about three years old. We quickly learned the value of finding something for Starr to DO: going for a walk twice a day, or even chasing tennis balls at the new dog park nearby, just wasn’t going to be enough. A friend introduced us to agility, and we thought “sure, this could be fun” – having no expectation of ever competing.

Starr, however, soon convinced us that she deserved a chance to show the world what she could do. At age six – older than most of the other dogs out there on the course – she began her competitive agility career. In four years, competing only locally in the Sacramento area, she won 17 titles, and I have no doubt that with a younger/faster/better handler, she would have achieved a great deal more.

We retired her from agility at the age of 10. We took some Rally lessons for the sake of having something to do, and competed once: she Qualified (earned title points), but Rally simply didn’t grab our interest.

Then another friend told us about canine freestyle. With one lesson, I was hooked. Starr seemed to enjoy the interaction, and it was clearly something that we could make as complex and challenging as we wanted to make it. Judy Gamet, of Dogs Can Dance (based in Vacaville, CA) was our instructor, and she soon encouraged me to move into the realm of teaching freestyle. Judy, who travels and teaches all across the country, is still my coach, because freestyle allows you to learn as much and for as long as you and your dog enjoy working together.

I don’t believe that our dogs should be viewed in the same way as our children. Dogs are not people and I believe they should not be treated exactly as such. But they are living, intelligent creatures with emotional and social and intellectual needs, and they deserve to be treated with respect and dignity; they deserve to be kept safe and healthy by their guardians (that’s us); and they deserve an opportunity to find the kind of joy that comes to a dog that works closely with the human(s) in its life.

It is a form of physical exercise – sometimes very aerobic exercise!
It provides mental stimulation by giving the dog something to think about. Trying to please the handler, learning new commands and new ways of moving … that stretches the canine brain.
It is an excellent opportunity to do what nearly every dog today is bred to do: please a person. We’ve created creatures that are literally hardwired to find pleasure in their relationships with people, and we have an obligation to provide a way for that to happen. Working with you for even a few minutes every day helps fulfill your dog’s need to please you.

It’s my belief that if my dog is not enjoying the activity, I shouldn’t do it. It is probably possible to train a dog in freestyle using punishment or coercion, but it’s impossible to not see the dog’s displeasure or fear or reluctance. If the dog is truly frightened by applause, we need to find a way to teach him that applause need not be feared – or plan to not compete in situations where there will be applause. If a dog is frightened by the sound of drums or violins or any other instrument in a piece of music, we need to find another piece of music to work with. If for any reason the dog is not enjoying freestyle, the dog’s owner/handler/guardian – however you think of yourself – should respect that: the dog is not to be forced.

Becoming a team with your dog is truly one of the most delightful processes I can imagine. Building a sense of partnership, seeing the degree of communication and mutual understanding grow … it’s incredibly rewarding. It may happen quickly or it may happen over a long period of time, but it is well worth the effort.

And it’s a two-way street, requiring effort on both sides. Your dog, if given a little encouragement, will strive mightily to understand what you want. This is more important to some dogs than others but most individual dogs will try. What we as their handlers have to realize is that we need to learn to understand our dogs as well. By watching their body language – the set of the ears, the way the tail is held, whether the dog is watching us or looking away – we learn whether or not we are communicating successfully.

What I always hope to see in my students is a strengthening of the relationship between the dog and the person on the other end of the leash. As in any such endeavor, there is usually a moment, sooner or later, when there is almost literally a spark of communication, an almost-tangible, visible connection between the two members of the team, and there is almost as much joy in witnessing that as in being part of it. Whether you ever compete in freestyle, or not … whether you ever perform outside of class, or not … what is most rewarding is achieving that sense of communication and teamwork.

If you look up “training” in a thesaurus, you see the following synonyms: preparation, teaching, guidance, education.

A freestyle routine must be memorized by the human member of the team, but the dog is constantly looking to that person for direction. You will design the choreography … teach your dog the necessary verbal or physical cues to perform the movements of the choreography … and then guide your dog in learning to execute that choreography smoothly, safely and with joy.

What is possible in a freestyle routine
How to identify what your dog is able and willing to do, and
How to guide your dog to do those things in a choreographed set of movements.