Every time I see heelwork to music performed, I feel the urge to have a go. I never get round to it – until recently that is. So I phoned the nearest heelwork to music trainer I could find and had a very enjoyable chat on the phone with her.
Not only had I contacted a lovely person – Carole Thornley, who runs Aricia Dog Training (www.ariciadogtraining.co.uk/ ) – but she also happens to be the trainer who worked for years with Kate and Gin who have just competed in Britain’s Got Talent. Kate and Gin made it to the final ten competitors, and their performances were breathtaking.
Carole showed me what her own dogs could do, and then showed me how to train the basic moves with Buddy. It was fascinating to see how well Buddy responded to her, and slightly frustrating when I could not immediately achieve such success.
We have been trying out various new training fields recently, and I have to say that the heelwork to music has been one of the most interesting. Buddy has been intrigued by these new odd behaviours I have been asking for, and he gets so excited during training sessions. Meanwhile we have had great fun considering what music to use for a short routine. Something with a strong beat is necessary, but not too fast, and something that lends itself to including an effective prop in the routine. All suggestions welcome, as we are still wracking out brains on this one!
I’m just glad I’ve finally got round to doing something I’ve been interested in for a long time. We have until September to put the routine together, and we plan to perform it at a show organised by Carole Thornley. I’ll put a video of our efforts on the site. At least I will if it goes well enough!
Take care,
Julie