Advice needed to start "dancing" ...

[MyRuna]

Here's a pretty impressive performance. And, MyRuna, you'll be happy to see that the handler has lots of bounce in her steps.

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/video/tvshowbiz/video-1273514/Hard-rockers-AC-DC-soundtrack-Crufts-Border-Collie-act.html

Thanks for the link. Loved it, hard to believe they only took third. Watched the video for first and second place also. Second and third place were way more "dancey" than first place, but I liked them better. They just looked like they were having so much fun. I'm sure there is a ton of technical stuff that justified the ranking, but I don't know enough about the sport to see it, maybe someday.

[D'Elle]

At that level, there is, indeed, a ton of technical requirements and sometimes it is hard to understand exactly why one routine wins over another because they are all impressive and inspiring. I watch them to get good ideas for new moves to teach.

 

At your level, I think that having fun with your dog is just about the only requirement that you should think about. :-)

 

I am personally at the point now that I want more precision and I am training for that. But for years all I wanted to do was have fun and dance with my dog, and that is what we did, and the audiences loved it.

 

The most important thing to me still is to have fun. You gotta be enjoying it and so does your dog or you won't look good. One thing you learn when you perform for live audiences a lot is that as long as you and your dog are clearly having fun and you just keep dancing with a smile on your face they won't care (or even necessarily notice) if you don't get it just right or your dog missed a cue.

 

My very first live performance, years ago, I was extremely focused on getting the routine just right, and I drilled and drilled and practiced hours and hours with my dog. Then we went before the audience and my dog missed cues and sat down and scratched his ears, and in general did not exactly turn in a good performance. When it was over, the only thought in my head was "Wow, that was really fun!!" And ever after that, although of course I try to make sure that we have a good routine and do it well, I know that having fun is the only thing that really matters in the end.