Penny learns to put her paw around a cane

At the canine freestyle seminar last weekend here in Melbourne, Richard Curtis showed us how to teach our dogs to put their paws around a cane. You can use this movement in different ways when it is solid, for instance having the dog put her paw around your leg.

He taught us to hold the cane diagonally in front of us with the dog sitting facing us and ask for a paw touch on our hand. If we then move our hand further from the dog so she can't reach our hand, her paw will fall down onto the cane. We should click or mark that action and reward.

When this is established, it's just a matter of raising the cane gradually, rewardingtouches, until the cane is vertical. We can then tidy up the action by rewarding the paw wrapping more around the cane rather than just touching.

I think the following video is hilarious and shows how Penny was smarter than me at the seminar. She worked out what I wanted almost straight away and kept nudging me for her treat, but I was so focused on listening to Richard's instructions that I didn't see how well she was doing it. In the background of the video you can hear the people who were filming it for me chuckling at my silliness.

canine freestyle - Richard Curtis teaches us

'Any dog, of any age, with any handler can get involved in Dog Dancing at a certain level. It's great for bonding and training, but most of all it is hugely enjoyable,' Richard Curtis said in 2006 in an interview published by Southampton Solent University.

I think that's what appeals to me so much about this sport. I'm stiff and no longer young, but I still get great enjoyment from dancing around with Penny. I'll never be much good at it but she's very attentive and seems to love it. Probably she could do very well, but my limitations will restrict us. And basically that doesn't matter, because she's having fun every time we do it, and so am I.

One of the first things Richard said on Saturday, in his seminar here in Melbourne, was that he wanted to see 'helicopter tails'. It's something I've noticed on all the videos of doggy dancing that I've seen on the internet - wagging tails.

The mix of activities with and without the dogs was great. I've never before practised dancing without the dog, and I learned that my own movements should complement the dog's actions. Routines are aimed at drawing the audience's attention down to the dog, but the human can't be just standing around like a statue.


In this photo we were practising using canes
and making sure the free arm was adding to the routine.




Here are some photos of us using the cane in different ways:





It was interesting to listen to music clips and meet in groups to discuss what type of moves would suit that music. Because it was theoretical, we weren't constrained by whether our dogs can actually do the moves. For me that's a new way of thinking about the sport - find suitable music, come up with an overall concept and then train moves that my particular dog can do.

Here's one group's concept for a 'floaty' piece of music:



Another point is to focus on those moves that are really solid and make them the central core of the routine.

Richard emphasised the need to look at the transitions between moves. We all had a turn to link three moves, using a large space, and he drew our attention to the 'hitches' in the dogs' movements as they moved from one position to another. For instance, moving from heeling at our left to weaving between our legs. It was really obvious that I hadn't managed this well, because Penny actually had to do a skipping movement to catch up to me.

canine freestyle seminar with Richard Curtis

Penny's asleep on her special chair as I write this, and for the first time in living memory she is too tired to have any dinner.

She's exhausted after a satisfying two days with Richard Curtis, at a seminar on canine freestyle and heelwork to music. Richard is the first person to train two different dogs to win the Crufts freestyle final, with Disco in 2006 and Pogo in 2010. I'm so glad he accepted an invitation to come to Australia.

To me the weekend was wonderful because Richard is not only a successful trainer but also a gifted teacher. At the seminar there were thirty handlers with dogs and a group of people observing without their dogs present, and I believe everyone had a great time. The sessions were highly organised and instructions clear and everyone had a chance to learn at her own level - a credit to the ability of the teacher.

I was nervous before I went on Saturday morning, because I know I am inhibited at the best of times, but more so in front of others. However, by mid-morning on that day I was feeling relaxed and successful. And that's amazing! Penny doesn't like being with me when I get tense, so my enjoyment of the seminar helped her to focus really well.



We worked in two groups of fifteen dogs and handlers, so there was an opportunity to listen to instructions and practise them straight away with the dog, followed by a time to observe the second group doing similar activities and take notes.

I think this is a great teaching method.

At one stage when my group was practising a movement and I couldn't work out my left from my right Richard was very patient. Eventually even the the people sitting along the side began trying to help me, calling, "Turn left! Left!" By this stage I'd virtually forgotten there even was a word called "left" in the English language. And then Richard put me out of my misery by standing in front of me and saying calmly, "Turn towards me."

The other thing I liked was working without our dogs, practising moves and short routines.



I've taken pages of notes, but without consulting them, the main points that I'll be looking at in my own training are:

Practise in many different places.

Save the high-value treats for the times that matter.

Practise frequently with a cane or other object in my hands.

I need Penny to be good at responding to verbal cues (especially important if she is working behind me).

Penny shouldn't be so focused on my hand, because there are many times when my hand will not be available for a signal.

The last three points became clear when Richard asked us to do a round of the room, incorporating a couple of simple moves - whilst keeping our arms folded! Penny walked beside me looking amazed that I wasn't giving any signals.



I feel so enthusiastic after the seminar that I could make this a long, long post, but I'll save more for another day.