Custom Canine Heelwork to Music Awards are designed to give you goals to aim for as you develop your ability to put sequences and routines together, while building your relationship with your dog.
Routines may contain elements of freestyle, heelwork, or a mixture of the two, and should interpret a piece of music. You do not need a completely new routine for each award. You could use the same one for each, adding more on as the length requirement increases.
Length of routine
- Level 1: 25 to 40 seconds
- Level 2: 50 to 70 seconds
- Level 3: 90 to 110 seconds
- Level 4: 25 to 40 seconds
- Level 5: 50 to 70 seconds
- Level 6: 90 to 110 seconds
The rules
- You may have food or toys on you.
- For awards 1 to 3 you may reward regularly during your routine, but not use food as a lure. For example, you can do some leg weaves and then reward, but not have food in each hand to help your dog do the move.
- For awards 4 to 6 you may only reward your dog at the end of the routine.
- You can talk to your dog as much as you like.
- You may crop your video to the required length, but no editing is allowed within the video.
Marking and feedback
The focus is on flow and working with a happy, motivated dog. Your video is judged on three criteria: flow, motivation, and musical interpretation. Each is marked out of 10 and added together, and you need a score of 15 or more to pass the level.
Difficulty of moves is not marked, so you do not get more points for harder moves, although you are expected to use a variety of moves in your routines. When you submit your video you will get feedback on what you did well and where you might improve. If you pass the level you will receive a rosette.