The Dancing Boxer From England

Jackie and her dancing dog, Tippy Toes appeared on Britain’s Got Talent in 2009, before being knocked out in the semi-finals. Tippy Toes was just one year old at the time and was distracted by the stage which vibrated with the loud, unfamiliar music, chosen by producers. Jackie was disappointed that their performance was not as good as it might have been.

However, not to be perturbed by this minor setback, the pair from High Wycombe, started performing at schools, pubs, weddings, children’s parties, and for charities. Jackie says:

“People always come to me in the park when I am training. They admire what we are doing, and they’re inquisitive and eager to take part with their dogs — but they are thwarted because there’s nowhere they can go to learn.”

So Jackie decided to set up her own training academy, which she called a ‘Charm School for Dogs’. She says training your dog to do clever tricks or dance is just an extension of obedience training. You lure, click, and treat a dog, whether you’re teaching him to sit, or teaching him a trick. Several tricks performed together make up a dance routine. It’s all about positive reinforcement for any learned behaviour.

“Everyone is charmed by a dog doing tricks — even people who don’t like dogs! It just makes you smile”, says Jackie. “We have danced at the Royal Opera House for a star-studded Gala reception, and been on Animal Planet TV”. Tippy Toes, a Staffie-Collie cross, has now been joined by Party Paws, a Staffie-Boxer cross, who is quite a groover!

I went to visit Jackie at her home in Buckinghamshire and as I entered the house, I was greeted by a gorgeous little Yorkie cross called Tonka. Jackie explained that she used to work at Battersea Dogs Home as a groomer, and loved the dogs so much that she had to leave because she wanted to adopt them all!

Jackie’s interest in dog training began in 2005 when she saw Mary Ray at Crufts, performing heelwork to music. She thought how beautiful it would be to do it with a rescue dog, and when she adopted Tippy Toes in 2006, she booked her onto a course. But Tippy-Toes got Kennel Cough, a common infection in rescue centres, and couldn’t attend. So Jackie went along to watch, and trained Tippy Toes from memory. Tippy Toes took to dancing like a duck to water. She had almost as much input to the choreography as Jackie!

“Tip is a step ahead of me, and creates her own dance moves” Jackie explained. “If I like something she does, I click to say that’s good, treat her and give the move a name or command. Tip learns to associate the command with the move and repeats it over and over.

“Once I was just hovering from foot to foot, like you do when you’re playing football and waiting for the ball to come to you, and Tippy Toes started doing the same, moving from foot to foot like a little tap dance. I loved it, clicked my clicker - it has become an integral part of our act!”

Jackie then decided to offer dog training and walking. “It’s for people who are too busy to do the training themselves. I meet with the owner when the dog is trained, to give them the commands, along with their trained dog.”

When Jackie adopted Party Paws, people didn’t expect him to perform. “People are surprised to see a Staffie-Boxer dancing,” says Jackie.

Her dogs have learnt to bow, perform pirouettes, do reggae hip swings, bounce, tap dance, dosey doe, do leg weaves, pray, and a load of other moves!

How has Jackie achieved so much with her dogs? “I am an advocate of the clicker which lets a dog know that you like what they are doing. As soon as a dog starts to do what I want, I click and treat, so they know to continue, and then when they reach a significant stage, they get a double click and treat to reinforce the desired behaviour.”

Once they know what to do, a treat is not needed at every stage, but provides positive reinforcement at key points.

How to do a leg weave

(1) Start with your dog by your side.

(2) Weave the treat through your legs. The dog will follow the treat. Click and treat your dog.

(3) Give the move a command — Jackie uses ‘weave’.

(4) Weave back again with another treat.

Having problems?

Jackie explains why some dogs don’t perform so well:

“The problem is that a lot of people hold treats for the dog in a different spot from where they want them to be, which draws the dog out of the required position and inadvertently teaches them to abandon it prematurely. If you want to reinforce your dog’s good behaviour without disrupting the activity in hand, give him the treat where he is standing. Don’t tempt him away”.

Dogs like people, have different strengths and weaknesses. Try to understand your dog and it will help you to bring out the best in him.

What’s next for Jackie and her pooches?

Jackie and her dogs have been regulars at the National Dog Show for years. Tippy Toes won the title ‘SuperDog’ at the show 2015, followed by Party Paws winning the title in 2016.

Before the UK went into lockdown in March 2020, Jackie’s dogs were in training to perform at the National Dog Show 2020, but sadly the show was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Jackie and her dogs are now looking forward to performing again as new opportunities arise.

(c) Susie Kearley 2022, All Rights Reserved.