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Dog Training

Convinced your dog has star quality? Maybe you haven't attended a StarPet casting call (yet) but you have a pretty good hunch your dog loves to entertain. Just yesterday in fact, Fido found your missing keys, jumped over the coffee table, and onto your lap right in front of your two house guests. "See, a natural," you tell yourself.

Not so fast. Being able to do tricks at home and doing them on a movie set are two entirely different propositions, says Kathryn Segura, executive director with Hollywood Paws. "The most important thing is to have distance. So many animals do things in their own back yards, in their own proximity, but what they really need is that distance."

Hollywood Paws has trained pets for films like There's Something About Mary, Vanilla Sky, and "Bounce", and has done advertising for McDonald's, Budweiser, Gucci, and many others.

Heather from Hollywood Animals offers a reminder to budding pet star owners: show sets also have bright lights, stage equipment and other obstacles. "Working on set is completely different from a set of behaviors at home. The dog has to be socialized, it's got to be able to work with other people."

So the first step toward stardom is to train your dog well. "A dog or cat is like a diamond in the rough," says Bash. He suggests you teach your pet basic on-leash commands like "sit" while on familiar territory. Then move on to off-leash commands, agility training, and different scenarios.

The good news is, you don't need to spend hundreds, (or thousands) of dollars on a professional trainer. Anyone can teach their dog to do tricks with the right amount of time, care, and determination. There are countless books and videos on how to go about it.

If you want more advanced training, there are oodles of places ready to help. This summer Hollywood Paws is holding special workshops in California. StarPet continues a tour across the United States, making pit stops in select cities. Animal Actors also hosts acting workshops for pets. While all these entities feature highly skilled trainers, chances are there are trainers near you, even if they're not as well known, that can set you on the right track.

And there's even better news. An older dog really can learn new tricks. "It's always better to start younger but you can start at any age. The only time it's difficult is when they get really senior because they lose their hearing, they lose their sight," says Bash. He believes the market is now open for all ages. "Business ads in particular are using more senior dogs than ever before."

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