The Spaniel Annals

I’d like to start using this blog to show how I build up and create a canine musical freestyle routine. Kerrie has two routines she needs to develop this year: one is her InSync routine (also called Heelwork to Music), which is now at an Advanced level. The other will be her Musical Freestyle routine that I also hope we’ll dance at our National in October.

Today we worked on pieces, as her Advanced routine includes some new behaviors that are fairly difficult, both in concept and execution. But we started with some foundation work on her spin (counter-clockwise spinning), which she’ll use a lot in this routine. With more momentum she gets wider and wider, and I finding that going back to her foundation on her platform helps to tighten it back up. Never hesitate to return to the foundation of a behavior:

Then we worked on her hardest behavior, of a left paw-kick in heel position, to match my kick of my left foot. I use a target stick (a white spoon) to teach and train this behavior, and I’m only now occasionally changing to a hand. This behavior is physically and mentally challenging for her, so there’s lots of rewards:

Finally we worked on her behind walk, which will include a behind “rock.” The use of the platform “train” comes from Michele Pouliet and has been very helpful. You’ll see that mid-way through Kerrie has a tough time finding her position and we work through it. This mentally challenging behavior also gets lots of rewards and patience.

Near the end I combine the behind with a transition to her side position, which comes near the end of the routine. . For both her behind and side position, I give lots of rewards for the initial finding of the position, since that is key!

These are two demanding behaviors. After this we played and moved to easier stuff, but I could tell that they were draining for her. That’s a reminder to play more next time.

An upcoming post will talk about how I planned out this routine, which is to the Piano Guy’s “Beethoven’s 5 Secrets.”