The stage is set, and the lights are bright and ready. A jazzy, familiar song – Friend Like Me from the Disney musical Aladdin – starts to play. And then comes a star: tiny and fluffy, with all the confidence of a West End lead. She twirls, hops and even bounces onto her own magic carpet. This is Trip Hazard – followed closely by her handler (the official term for a doggy dance partner), Lucy Heath, the soon-to-be Crufts 2025 International Freestyle Heelwork to Music Champions.

This is the world of dancing dogs, and Crufts is the calendar’s highlight. Since Heelwork to Music’s arrival in 1990, when the obedience handler Mary Ray first demonstrated the sport, it has become one of the most technically demanding – and downright entertaining – spots on the Crufts programme. First recognised by the Kennel Club in 2005, it is now split into two categories: the tightly choreographed ‘heelwork’, where the dog must stay close to their handlers’ side for at least two-thirds of the routine, and ‘freestyle’, which asks them to spend the majority of time apart. The best routines demonstrate careful control, connection, character, and an interspecies chemistry that almost bewilders. But, getting a canine to this level is no mean feat and requires hours of hard work and practice.

Someone with first-hand experience of this is Gina Pink, the Crufts Heelwork to Music Competition manager, a judge and past participant in the competition. I meet her during the frenzy of the weekend: ‘I’ve been doing this for 20 years,’ Pinks says. ‘Heelwork to Music brings together my love of music and my love of dog training. It marries the two things so perfectly.’

As a judge, Pink says she’s looking for ‘good musical interpretation, the handler moving to the beat, storytelling and good expression’. And crucially, she assesses the partnership – not just a dog’s solo ability. ‘It is exactly the same as ballroom,’ Pink explains, ‘you have to be connected with your partner, that’s what you should be focusing on.’ Both halves of the partnership should be confident movers, but not all the humans who train in Heelwork to Music are dancers by trade. ‘I’ve sent people away for dance lessons because their movement is not good,’ says Pink, who also works as a trainer. ‘After you’ve done this sport, you’ll never listen to music in the same way again.’

‘The dogs are better dancers than the humans’

Chris, Crufts spectator

That’s because Heelwork to Music requires a handler to cue the dog ahead of time. ‘You have to give the command a slight second before the beat,’ Pink explains. And there are other things to consider when rehearsing for a competition too. ‘You have to do a routine to suit the venue. A small routine in a big space will never work – the audience has to be brought into it.’ 

The audience in the NEC in Birmingham for Crufts 2025 can certainly feel the drama. The competition attracts contenders from all around the globe, who have spent months – if not years – preparing for their brief time in the limelight. As the dogs take turns to brave the stage, the crowds sit with bated breath. Next to me is a couple, Chris and Paula, who have come to Crufts religiously for ‘five or so’ years. Today is what the fans call ‘super Saturday’, they tell me – ‘it’s when all the best events are,’ Chris says, and Freestyle Heelwork to Music is his favourite; ‘the dogs are better dancers than humans.’

‘It takes such skill and practice,’ adds Paula – ‘the pair have two Jack Russells of their own. ‘No, our dogs couldn’t do anything like this,’ she laughs when I ask if they’ve ever competed in Crufts themselves. ‘But trust me,’ she says, smiling, ‘I’d love them to – I’ve tried.’

‘The best routines demonstrate control, connection and interspecies chemistry’

Maybe Paula could follow Pink’s advice, because she is confident that all dogs can learn to dance. ‘Any breed and age of dog can do this,’ she tells me. However, she admits that it can take years of effort to get them to competition level. ‘We like to start them right from the word go, from when they are tiny puppies,’ she says. Early training usually consists of ‘little spins and bows, just to get the dog into it.’ As the dog ages and gets more comfortable, the handler will move on to expanding its repertoire. Usually, it takes at least three years of regular practice before a dog will be ready for Crufts. ‘They need that little bit of maturity before they can cope with an environment like this.’

Pink will only develop the dogs she feels enjoy the rehearsal process. ‘Some of my dogs are just not interested, so I don’t force them to do it,’ she says. There are also considerations in terms of breed: ‘We wouldn’t have a corgi jumping on its back legs, for example, but a collie could.’ The dog will also perform best if they’re doing ‘moves they like. I would always choose music that suits the dogs’ character and style.’ 

How does Pink suggest getting a dog to focus? ‘It is all rewards-based,’ she says plainly. ‘If the dog likes food, we give them treats. If the dog likes to play, we’ll play with them. The ideal dog likes treats and toys.’ As for their human counterparts, Pink recommends practising ‘every day. The handler is learning about music and how to move, so I think about my routines every single day. The dog might train every other day – they’re not little robots.’ 

But do the dogs enjoy it? ‘Yes,’ says Pink wholeheartedly, ‘they are so happy to be learning.’ The numbers the dogs rehearse to become firm favourites, she explains. ‘They get to know the music. If it is ever used for an advert, the dog will come running, thinking it is time for training – they love it so much.’

Still, competition day can be daunting. ‘You can practise, practise, practise and still have something go wrong on the day,’ says Pink. But, she warns of the potentially damaging effect of handlers showing their disappointment too obviously. ‘I have to be very careful with my facial expressions because my dog would think I was annoyed with him; he’s a very sensitive little lad.’

It is clear that Pink and all the fans at Crufts are passionate about Heelwork to Music. I meet nine-year-old Lucy, queuing with her mum, who has big dreams of becoming a handler herself; ‘I love making my dog dance with me,’ she says. There is some debate about whether Heelwork to Music could ever have a place at a competition like the Olympics. ‘It depends on whether you think it is an art or a sport,’ says Pink. ‘For me, it is very much an art.’

Trip Hazard (a pomeranian/maltese cross) and Lucy Heath win both the Freestyle Heelwork to Music and International Freestyle Heelwork to Music competitions, while Heath also wins the Heelwork to Music prize with her border collie Foxy. ‘Everyone is aiming for first place,’ confirms Pink, who each year tells herself it will be her last time working at Crufts. ‘But I just keep coming back,’ she smiles. ‘There are very, very few competitions like this. It’s a bit like a drug, a very happy drug.’

Anya Ryan is a culture writer and journalist.