Dogdancing your favourite as a dance partner

Your pelt-nose is also happy about a change in the dog's daily routine! But let's be honest: there is often a lot to do in everyday life and staying in your beloved routine and comfort zone seems comfortable and easy. Nevertheless, adventures in life are good for you - and who doesn't enjoy a sense of achievement with their furry friend and the feeling of being uplifted?

For creative minds who like to work on a dance choreography and fit, eager-to-learn four-legged friends, dancing in pairs to your favourite music can be a great new hobby in everyday life: Joint turning movements, regular eye contact and coordinated step sequences - the sport of dogdancing definitely requires rhythmic interaction between humans and dogs. Give it a try - we'll show you how it's done!

What can you expect from dogdancing?

Giving a paw, followed by a roll and a jump over your outstretched leg and then a slalom through your legs - this is what a choreography for dog dancing could look like. In this young dog sport from the USA, you as the dog handler practise a choreography together with your pet, which can be trained in two different ways:

• "Heelwork to music": This type of dance requires precision when practising 18 possible foot positions! "Heelwork to music" is based on the dog sport obedience, because basic obedience forms the basis. You can combine the disciplined programme with a slalom, jumps or turns. However, there are no compulsory exercises - you can also give free rein to your creativity in "Heelwork to music".

• "Freestyle Dogdance": For those who like it more relaxed, freestyle dogdance is just the thing! There are no limits to your imagination - almost any trick you can rehearse with your furry friend can also be presented to music.

Both your four-legged friend and you as the dog handler should have physical fitness, discipline, concentration and motivation. Dogdancing is primarily about the cooperation between you and your dog: for this, you must trust each other, be patient with each other and seek and maintain eye contact with each other.

In order to dance together in dog dancing, your furry darling must master basic obedience. This is the only way you can agree on the sequence of steps and tricks. These commands are particularly important for this type of dog sport:

• “Sit!”

• “Place!”

• “Stay!”

• “By foot!”

• “Come!”

Do you already know the commands? Then you can already start with the intensive training!

Dogdance: 5 tips to make it work well

You probably already have a few elements that you would like to rehearse with your furry treasure. Do you already have a favourite song that you and your dog particularly like?

With these tips, dancing with your four-legged friend is especially fun:

1. Even with small successes, you should have a treat ready for your furry friend. Positive reinforcement provides motivation and fun!
2. It is best to plan short but intensive training sessions that last no longer than 20 minutes. After this time, your four-legged friend's concentration will start to wane also.
3. Put the choreography together according to your pet's strengths. Is your pet particularly good at jumps, turns or running between your legs? Then you can repeat these exercises more often!
4. First the choreography, then the music! Choose music that fits your normal walking pace.
5. Fun is always in the foreground! Leave excessive ambition at home and enjoy doing something together with your dog!

Dogdancing: tricks to practise

Whether in the dog school, at home in the garden or in the living room - all you need for dogdancing is a little space, treats and ideally a clicker. Besides a treat, the sound of a clicker is also a kind of reward for your dog. For advanced and complex tricks, but also for easy exercises for beginners, the clicker can be a valuable tool for you and your dog.

• "Watch!": With this command it is best to take a treat in your hand. Bring it visibly to your face - as soon as your dog looks into your eyes, you say "Watch!" You should immediately reward your dog with a treat.

• “Twist!”: With the command "Twist!" you communicate to your four-legged friend that he should turn once around his own axis. For this, you guide the treat slowly around your furry friend so that his whole body starts to move. Only when your dog makes a complete turn give the command "Twist! But don't worry if this trick doesn't work right away. With each repetition of this feat, it will be consolidated!

If you have already mastered a few tricks, the individual elements can be put together in an entertaining choreography.

Dogdance: How tournaments work

Even without being a member of the club, every person and every dog breed may participate in tournaments. Dogdancing tournaments are diverse: not only advanced dancers are welcome at tournaments and competitions, beginners are also welcome! Therefore, the participants of the tournaments are divided into different classes. There is the fun class without scoring and the official class where a ranking is done by judges.

In the official class, not only is the technique (i.e. accurate foot position or clean turns) judged during the performance, points are also awarded for the creative aspect of the dogdancing production, such as the choice of music or the charisma of the actors - this also plays a role in the judges' evaluation.