Dog dancing becomes latest canine craze
KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
Most dog owners are blissful if their pets learn to roll over, sit and refrain from biting the neighbor.
Who would have thought their Buster or Betsy would take up dancing?
Apparently it's a growing trend in the canine culture. The idea, referred to as freestyle, developed in Canada in the 1980s and transplanted to the States in the '90s, the New York Times reports.
Dog dancing isn't sanctioned by the American Kennel Club and didn't show up at the Westminster Dog Show earlier this month. But about 7,500 Americans, many of whom are middle-aged women, are taking dance classes with their dogs. They are seeking out experts and watching videos to master the twirls and spins with their pets. A few enter competitions.
The secret, of course, is to synchronize the music to the dog's gait. Handlers watch the animals walk and select the tunes. The dancers do not touch. The owners give the dogs cues and move around with them.
The dancing dog owners usually have lots of free time to devote to the training and, as the Times notes, a hearty supply of kibbles. And they are probably having more fun than the dogs.
Advocates say dancing can be helpful to dogs who tend to misbehave and helps to develop a spiritual bond between the animal and owner.