Musical freestyle has become all the range with dog trainers around the world in the past decade or so, and it’s not hard to see why.
Is there anything more adorable than watching a dog dance around on stage with their owner?
Apparently, the modern era of musical freestyle got started in the late 1980s, where “musical trick dog acts were favorite attractions for street, circus, and vaudeville performers.” When YouTube came around and people are able to share their dogs’ talents with the world, a younger generation of trainers became inspired to get involved in the fun.
One of our favorite things to watch on YouTube has to be the Freestyle Dog Dance World Championships, shared by Videos from Freestyle&HTM World Championship 2016 Moscow. They’re always so entertaining- thought we find ourselves wishing that every dog could be a winner!
By far one of the most entertaining routines we’ve come across has to be one performed by Yvonne Belin and her collie, Alice.
The talented duo took home the title of World Champion after coming 1st place in the freestyle category back in 2016, and it’s not hard to see why!
Don’t Stop Me Now by Queen is a great choice for a freestyle routine, since it makes you just want to get up and dance! So when we heard those opening few notes, we knew that it was going to be a good one.
Ever the professional, boarder collie Alice begins with a smart bow.
As the music kicks in, the routine becomes more and more energetic. We can hardly keep up with Alice’s incredible energy as she spins, leaps and prances around the stage. It’s truly infectious!
Our favorite moment has to be when Alice jumps backwards on her hind legs. She looks so adorable, and her balancing skills are out-of-this world!
Another highlight is when Alice runs in a circle with her back legs, while keeping her front legs firmly planted on the ground. What a talent!
It’s no surprise that Alice and Yvonne took the crown. There’s simply an unexplainable likeability to Alice that instantly has the judges wrapped around her little finger.
Since being posted, the video now has over 3.4 million views from people all over the world, and many people took to the comments to share their amazement at how clever Alice is to be able to learn and remember all of those dance moves.
So how do you train your dog to perform a top-class dance routine?
According to Natalia Rubleva, a Moscow-based trainer and top European competitor, it’s all about setting down a solid foundation in obedience and tricks. Pick some music that your dog enjoys, then teach them the individual moves.
As soon as your dog masters the moves, you can teach them to him in a sequence which follows the timings of the beat. Simple, right? Absolutely not!
“Training dogs to compete in dancing is a rather complicated, long, and very interesting process,” Natalia explains.
Since we can’t even teach our dog to sit, we’ll take her word for it.
Watch Yvonne and Alice’s showstopping routine down below!
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