Hazel puts her best paw forward to win dog dancing title

A Gibraltar resident and her Australian Shepherd, Hazel, won their category at a dog dancing competition in Donzdorf, Germany, on Sunday.

Bettina Szabo, a local dog dancing instructor and dog photographer who runs Dancing Paws Gibraltar, competed with two-year-old Hazel after training her since she was four months old.

Hazel, who Ms Szabo described as “essentially my shadow and is happiest when she is right by my side. She is a very cuddly, yet funny dog”, is trained almost every day, although the pair rarely practice their complete routine in one go.

“Instead, we practice blocks of several tricks linked together almost every day,” she told the Chronicle.

“She gets her daily food during these training sessions.”

“If we are practicing harder tasks or working in highly stimulating environments, I offer higher-value treats like cheese, roast meat, or sausages.”

“Hazel is very food-motivated, which makes training her quite easy.”

Their competition routine tells a light-hearted story centered on an attempt to give Hazel a bath.

“Our routine is very dear to me, and I think almost any dog owner can relate to it,” she said.

“It goes like this: I have just taken a bath when I notice a terrible smell. It turns out my dog is the stinky one.”

“I desperately want to give her a bath, but she wants absolutely nothing to do with it.”

“By the end of the routine, the dog isn't wet at all, but I end up falling into the bathtub, and she remains dirty.”