Canine Freestyle

Freestyle is a new canine sport with roots in obedience, but requiring many more movements from the dog and handler. Training your dog to ‘Canine/Doggie Freestyle’, is all about shaping its behaviour, linking a set of behaviours and adding music.

Shaping is training in small steps. For example, we might want our dog to go through a hoop, but we can’t expect the dog to go through the hoop on the first go. We need to teach them how to do it. So we start off slow, by rewarding them for small behaviours, which may be looking at the hoop, putting the head through the hoop, moving towards the hoop, putting one paw in, etc and then moving up towards the final behaviour (jumping through the hoop).

Canine freestyle can add interest and enhance your relationship. Gaining your dogs attention is much easier in this sport, as the dog has to watch you, to receive signals of where to go next and what to do. It incorporates obedience, agility, handling and bonding between dog and owner at all levels, making it one of the most comprehensive dog-sports.

Have fun with your dog, not the other way around! After all, it's not possible to train a dog to look like it's having fun if it's not! The goal of this class is to have LOTS of fun!

Canine Freestyle takes the concept further and adds moves and routines that do not maintain the traditional heel position. What is right for you and your dog depends upon your personalities, goals and working as a partnership together.