Canine Musical Freestyle
Canine Musical Freestyle is a choreographed routine performed to music by dog and handler. Musical freestyle began sometime in 1980’s. The musical selection can be chosen either to specifically suit the dog or to suit the dog/handler team. The team can consist of a single dog/handler or it can be two or more teams working in unison. Routines can range from very conservative and controlled routines with dressage-type movements focusing mostly on the dog to dramatic, theatrical routines with flamboyant costumes and flashy moves performed by both dog and handler. |
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Freestyle is a wonderful new way to enjoy interacting with your dog, whether you want to compete or just dance alone in your living room. Freestyle moves are now being used by competitors in other dogs sports, such as obedience, agility, frisbee, and flyball as warm up moves to help stretch the dog or for stress-breakers before a competition. Freestyle is also a great way for therapy dogs to entertain at nursing homes, schools, and hospitals , and dog-friendly community events and fund raisers. |
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Freestyle routines can consist of one dog/one handler (Singles), two dogs/two handlers (Pairs), or multiple dogs/handlers (Team). Dogs of all ages, breeds, shapes, and sizes can do freestyle, including mix breeds. One of the nice things about freestyle is that the music and the routine can be selected and created to suit the dog’s pace, personality, and speed of movement.
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| Freestyle is very different from other dog sports in that there is no set course or specific order or exercises that must be performed. It is completely up to the handler to select the music, decide which moves to use and how to cover the ring space. | ||||
There are currently two different freestyle organizations in the United States today that offer canine freestyle titles; The World Canine Freestyle Organization (WCFO) and the Canine Freestyle Federation (CFF) These two organizations have different styles, titling criteria, scoring, and competition rules. You can learn more about these organizations by visiting their websites. |
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| WCFO is currently the only organization that has competitions worldwide and offers video competitions for international competitors and for those in rural areas who do not live close enough to attend an event. WCFO also has a separate division for juniors. | ||||
You can find some freestyle video clips on this site on Jazz and Obi's Pages. WCFO also sells videos of their competitions. |
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