Dog Training Freestyle

There are several versions of how dancing with dogs was invented. Freestyle as a sport arose in the late 1980s . Then there were the first attempts to conduct obedience competitions to music. Initially, freestyle resembled horse dressage , and its first name was Heelwork to Music (“movement close to the music”). Then a lot of freedom began to be allowed in the dog’s movements, various tricks appeared: “snakes”, jumping, circling on his hind legs and others. The name became irrelevant, and the sport was divided into two disciplines. New names began to appear in different countries: musical freestyle, cynological freestyle, dancing with dogs, cynological dancing, musical "dressage". And “Movement near to music,” as a more stringent standard with its own rules, has become a separate discipline.

Freestyle appeared in several countries almost simultaneously. Dancing originated in Canada , England , USA and the Netherlands . In 1990, in the UK , an English athlete and an obedience specialist, Mary Ray, held her first demonstration with a dog at a seminar dedicated to working with a dog to music. ^[1] In 1991, a dance was performed at the Pacific Canine Showcase in Vancouver , performed by Tina Martin dressed as a rider with a golden retriever . Since 1992, demonstrations began to be regularly held at the famous Crufts exhibition. Mary Ray later became the first president of the Paws N Music Association ^[2] , and Tina Martin became the first president ^{[3] of the} Musical Canine Sports International (MCSI), the first official organization to practice this sport. MCSI was founded in Canada in 1991.
Soon, similar organizations appeared in the United States and England. In each region, its own style of movements and costumes was born. In the US, preference was given to the complexity of tricks and the beauty of the outfits, while in England, on the contrary, they appreciated contact with the dog more. Dance performances with dogs often became part of various performances and talent shows . ^[four]

In 2005, the Kennel Club of Great Britain approved the first official rules of this type of competition, after which freestyle with a dog became an official sport. Competition rules may vary depending on the country where they are held. There are several organizations that hold freestyle music competitions. Dog training freestyle is an official sport recognized by the International Film Festival. Under the auspices of this federation, the World Championship and the European Dog Dance Championship are held ^[5] .

The most famous of the world's cynological freestyle organizations:

In Russia, competitions are governed by the rules of the Russian Cynological Federation , developed on the basis of the WCFO (World Canine Freestyle Organization) rules and the rules ^{[13] of the} RLC (Russian Canine League), developed on the basis of the current international cynological sport rules of the International Federation of Cynological Sports IFCS (International Federation of Cynological Sports). ^[14]

All dogs are allowed to compete, regardless of breed or size. The dance takes place on a fenced rectangular area with a side size of 15 to 30 meters. The program should be built in such a way as to maximize the use of the ring space.

Any movements that are safe for dancing are allowed, with a preference for dance and as close as possible to the beat of the music. In official classes, the dog must be in the ring without a leash. The signals given by the guide to the dog should be included in the choreography and not distract from the performance. Voice commands should not sound loud.

Disciplines and classes

Dancing with dogs includes two disciplines: Movement nearby to music and Freestyle (free movement to music) ^[15] .

Movement close to music

In this discipline, a tight movement of the dog at the athlete's foot in any direction is required.

Only a small distance is allowed, which is necessary for individual elements. The dog and man move in the following main positions ^[15] :

It is required that at least 75% of the entire performance should be the movement of the dog at the athlete’s foot at different rates and paces . The remaining movements are freestyle elements in any position. Such movements should be no more than 25% of the entire performance of the dancing couple. During the whole performance, the dog should be at a distance of no more than 2 meters from the guide.

Freestyle

This discipline allows any movement that demonstrates the strength, agility and flexibility of the dog, made in any position, including at a distance from the person. A dog can perform dressage and freestyle elements in any ratio and sequence.

Classes

Performances are held in formal and informal classes. The use of encouragement (goodies, toys, etc.) and auxiliary means ( clickers , leash, etc.) is allowed only in informal classes. According to the rules of the RKF, official classes in each discipline are divided into:

• Debut - for dogs older than 12 months;
• Progress - for dogs older than 18 months;
• Master - for dogs older than 18 months.

To move to a more complex class, you need to get a certain number of points and an assessment from the judges at several appearances at official competitions in the RKF system.

Informal classes:

• Open - for dogs no younger than 12 months old.
• Children - for children under 16 years of age and for dogs no younger than 12 months old.
• Veterans - for dogs over 8 years old

Everyone can take part in these classes, regardless of the qualifications for official competitions. Performances in these classes are also evaluated by qualified judges, but their conduct does not require registration in the RKF. Such performances can be part of a show at a dog show or other cultural event.

Music

In the competition, a great role is played by the choice of music and the correspondence of movements to musical tact. Musical accompaniment may consist of one or more pieces of music . The style of dance and musical composition can be any, but not contain the theme of violence , racism , religion and sex . Music must be beaten (interpreted). Calm and smooth dance for calm music or emotional dance for a fast rhythmic melody. If a story is told in a piece of music, that story should be reflected in the dance. Dance should be in harmony with the music. All movements should correspond to the music and reflect its character. The performance is created and performed in such a way that the movements of the dog, the guide and the music seem to be one. Music should correspond to the speed of the dog, its movements and temperament.

Costumes

A dog costume is allowed but not required. It should not hamper or obscure the dog’s natural movements and be harmonious with the athlete’s costume. The program should be presented in such a way that attention is drawn to the work of the dog or the joint work of the guide and the dog. The conductor should not focus on himself. The presence of props corresponding to the theme of the musical composition is allowed ^[16] .

Competition Evaluation Procedure

The refereeing of the competition is carried out by 3 or 5 judges ^[15] . In the version of the RLC rules, the number of judges can be equal to 7 (for the All-Russian competitions and the open championship of Moscow ) or 5 (for other competitions) ^[13] . The head judge is required to have a judicial qualification in dancing with dogs. The presented program is evaluated according to 3 criteria:

• Performance - General Impression
• Level of difficulty and technique
• Music and Interpretation

Each of these criteria is rated a maximum of 10 points. The score for each criterion is defined as the arithmetic mean of the ratings of all judges. The points set by the judges are summed up and divided by 3 if the judges are 3. If the judges are 5, then the maximum and minimum scores for each item are rejected, and the remaining ones are summed up and divided by 3.

Significant Competitions

In addition to performances in the framework of Crufts , the world and European championships are widely known. The World Dog Dancing Championships are being held as part of the World Dog Show , sponsored by the International Cynological Federation . ^[17] The first world championship was held in 2010 in Denmark . ^[18] In 2011, Denmark became the hostess of the first Open European Championship. ^[nineteen]

Correspondence competitions

In the USA, there are extramural national and international video competitions. Participants from countries with strict quarantine requirements for the import or export of dogs and participants from countries where there is no freestyle competition yet or it is very difficult to get to the venue of the competition are given the opportunity to record their performance on video and send it by regular mail to the organizing committee.

The first freestyle competitions in Russia

The first competition in Russia took place in Moscow - "Moscow Freestyle Championship" in February 2002 at the International Dog Show CACIB FCI "Eurasia - 2002". There were only 5 participants: Ekaterina Olehnovich with a mixed breed Reed and Marina Serova with a Border Collie Shani from the club “TOGETHER”, Irina Troshina with a Rottweiler Slide from the Sokolniki Dog Training Center , Julia Homa with a Samoyed Max from the Palace of Children's Creativity and Polina Ilyina with Malinois Flintom from KSS "Pervomaisky".

In preparation for the competition, a special seminar was held for judges. The rules were discussed in detail on it, and trial refereeing was carried out using video recordings of demonstrations by Latvian athletes. Judged by the competition Elena Denisova, Galina Chogovadze and Lyubov Belavenets. All of them are experienced experts of the RKF in terms of working qualities, but in the field of freestyle it was their judicial debut.

The winners of the competition were Polina Ilyina with Malinois Flint - they managed to execute their program most clearly. It should be noted participants' costumes: Russian folk, cowboy, Latin American, Spanish - they were specially prepared for the competition and appreciated by the audience.

External links

http://maryray.co.uk/about/