By Susan Spisak
Cover photo: Diana and Skipper like to dance wherever they go. This photo was taken in Santa Fe.
Canine Musical Freestyle, also known as freestyle, dog dancing, and heelwork to music is a modern sport that is a mix of obedience training, tricks, dance, theatrics, costumes, and props that show creative interaction between a team of a person and their dog to music. There are several organizations in the country--and worldwide--and the terminology used may differ among them. Its current origins date back to the 1980’s, but it’s believed dancing dogs were found in art from Aztec tombs, then showcased by street, circus, and vaudeville musical dog acts.
Diana Logan, CPDT-KA® (Certified Professional Dog Trainer-Knowledge Assessed), dog enthusiast and trainer in North Yarmouth, said Canine Musical Freestyle is her passion. She explained why, “Canine Musical Freestyle combines some of my favorite things into one package: music, movement, tricks training, training challenges, tricks, creativity, and partnership. You have to have that partnership, otherwise there’s no point.”
She said freestyle is similar to a partner’s dance. “If you’ve ever taken ballroom dance classes, you know if you are the leader, you can’t force your partner to do things. You have to be clear; you have to know what your goal is and how to go with the flow if things get off track. You have to be supportive and encourage your partner to be himself.” In other words, be a good mentor and let you and your dog’s personality shine in the dance!
For Diana, it wasn’t just a leap into this sport, nor into the world of dogs. She has a highly diverse background--post college included two years in France, and then she worked with the United States Antarctic Program at the Geographic South Pole. After moving back to Maine in 2001, she and her husband Drew decided to adopt a Standard Poodle and named her Dory. Diana credits this dog for leading her down this new career path.
Grudgingly, she took training classes with her pet (a breeder requirement), but she felt as a skilled equestrian it was an unnecessary step. She said she was thrilled to realize she, in fact, had a lot to learn and jumped in and mastered all coursework to become a certified trainer in a variety of training courses.
By the early 2000s, Diana was introduced to Canine Musical Freestyle through YouTube when those videos began appearing, introducing millions of people to the sport. “There were, of course, freestyle clubs in existence and teams competing well prior to that, but YouTube turned the sport into something much more visible to everybody, and it was jaw droppingly awe-inspiring! It was abundantly clear that fun was a huge part of the process.”
She saw many videos while her next Poodle, Astro, was still very young, and she was inspired to try it with him. However, she shared the sport with Dory as well, who was much older. “I wish I’d started her earlier because it was fabulous for her physically as well as mentally…Any dog, of any age, can benefit from learning freestyle.”
The video that stuck with her was a “Grease” routine in 2010 between a dog and its owner. She said she literally gasped when she saw the dog continually back up from its master and then dance around her. “Holy Moly! I watched as many videos as I could, over and over, and tried my best to parse the behaviors apart and experiment with Astro. It’s a very good training exercise to break down behaviors then try to build them back up. I laugh now at some of my strategies!”
She and Astro went on to earn several titles in Canine Musical Freestyle. She lost him before they were able to complete their advanced title. Now it’s Standard Poodle Skipper who is earning his titles in RallyFrEe and RallyFreestyle, which is considered the notes for the musical piece which will become a freestyle routine.
“You could actually take a RallyFrEe course and, working it in flow, turn it into a freestyle routine. Each note is a behavior trained separately, but when joined with other notes, is transformed into something cohesive and flowing.” She emphasized that RallyFrEe is the perfect place to start if you’re interested in Canine Musical Freestyle.
She’s discovered efficient methods of Canine Musical Freestyle. While everyone has his method of building a routine, she shared her approach. First, she decides on the routine. “I tend to choose a beginning pose or short sequence and an end pose or sequence, with some highlighted moves in between where the music invites them. Then I will fill in the gaps and try to make sure I am using the entire space (30’ x 60’ when performed) and meeting the required criteria for the level at which I am competing.” For music, she plays into her dog’s gait and chooses a tune she likes because between practice and competitions, she’ll hear it hundreds of times.
She recommends playing music while you are working with your dog. “It’s fun, it encourages the team to move and be playful, and our movement encourages our dogs to engage with us. Add some targeting and a few leg weaves and you can get circles and spins and heeling! I practice in our home, just walking from one room to another.”
Diana has always been serious when it comes to dogs and training. She opened her studio, Pup Start and still teaches all types of classes including Puppy Essentials, RallyFreestyle, and Canine Musical Freestyle (dianalogan.com/). In 2012, she founded Dancing Paws of Maine, the state’s only Canine Musical Freestyle club. Their mission is simple, to promote and support the spirit and sport of canine musical freestyle. The club’s site, dancingpawsmaine.org, is full of information and resources.
She’d love to introduce readers to this sport that gives her pure joy. “Freestyle doesn’t work without joy. It doesn’t work if we use force or intimidation to train the behaviors because the dogs will not want to perform. Observers can feel the joy and fun and connection shared by a team. It's contagious!” Stop in to see a practice at Dancing Paws--please contact her first through dancingpawsmaine@gmail.com. “We have some very talented members who have been competing for many years, but we also have newbies who are interested in learning.”
Watch these to further understand the movements and to be inspired:
Carolyn Scott and Rookie, “Grease,” 2006 - youtube.com/watch?v=HqbVbPvlDoM
Attilla and Sky, “Gladiator,” 2007 - youtube.com/watch?v=L0RjKJfuPbE
Astro and Diana sway routine