The Spaniel Annals

Good things are happening with Kerrie and Brian as they continue to show the fruits of their training. I’m more and more engrossed with the world of freestyle, which combines training, connection and musical creativity.

In early November, Kerrie earned her very first leg in a video freestyle competition in the “Entry” (a required pre-novice level) InSync class. “InSync” is called “heelwork-to-music” in other organizations, and in RallyFree simply means the dog needs to stay in consistent proximity to the handler, with no distance work and no weaving, other than to provide transitions. I kept this first routine fairly simple and short, especially since I really wanted to create a waltz-style dance to a lovely waltz in the movie Emma, called the Last Dance.

Kerrie also passed her first Fenzi Academy TEAM test. These are very fun-to-train foundational tests, at least in the first 3 levels. Levels 4-6 are more like open and utility exercises, but with some fun variation. We’ll start working on her Level 2 right away.

Meanwhile Brian earned his first Advanced freestyle leg in InSync in the same video competition, dancing to “Recomposed” by Max Richter, which was used as a dance in Bridgerton. This is very exciting, as he just needs two Advanced legs, and then he can compete in the championship class. With this leg, he earned a thrilling score of 95, a high score we’ve never earned before.

At this writing, the dogs have progressed further with their freestyle, which I’ll report on in a next posting!