Film, Promotions and TV Work

Contact Me if you have a Film, Promotion or TV request

I am lucky enough to work with dogs for advertisements, film shoots, TV shows, documentaries and for social media promotions. Some of these have involved using my own dogs but I also train other people's animals for this purpose. If they are selected, I take them to the filming location and handle the animal.

Basic obedience is essential for this purpose, and tricks are very useful too. If you think your dog has the skills and is confident please contact me and we can start the training process.

Click here to watch some completed adverts

It's important to ensure the dog is comfortable when working with strangers and can take cues from a distance.

This particular task was a photo shooting which involved using a trampoline!

A photo shoot involves many different shots of varying poses, and this will normally take place in a studio or out on location. There are many unusual noises when on set, so a nervous dog will need to be prepared!

Each dog will be registered with an agency, who selects suitable candidates according to their client's brief. It's not just the breed that needs to be correct; the skill set is important too.

Some jobs are 'still' photo shoots, like this advertisement for Beco, modelled by Brandy. Others use video for film, TV and social media purposes.

It's very useful to know what range of skills the dog might require before the shoot, so that the behaviour can be practiced.

Filming can last for just half a day through to several days, depending on the complexity of the project.

Dogs that enjoy working for food or toys are generally very happy to give their best, even within a strange environment. Some film companies hire a back-up dog in addition to the 'hero' dog, so that the filming time is not wasted, should the main dog not able to perform on the day.

When registering a dog with an agency, it's important to give a clear indication of his/her abilities and personality.

Dogs that are reactive to other pets or children, might not be suitable for a shoot that involves these elements.

It might, however, be perfect for other types of film, advertising or TV work.

Some dog breeds are more common than others. If you have an unusual dog, it might be sort-after!

Dogs are sometimes requested to appear on live shows, pantomime and theatre. In this case, there is likely to be an audience and it's important to ensure the dog is prepared adequately for the atmosphere and noise. Some shows involve a considerable time commitment - running for several days, weeks and even months!

If you are considering embarking on a film career for your own dog, teaching basic obedience and tricks is a very good place to start!

Barlie the Golden Retriever has been used for many different shoots and his film career stretches back over several years!

Rebel the JRT needed to chew up a computer device for security ap, F-Secure. Not a behaviour that I would normally teach!

Polly and Jax filming on location. It's important that dogs are able to work off lead at a distance, including when there are distractions.

I have trained dogs for many different films, TV and for modelling, including BBC, ITV, Channel 5, SKY1, RTL, for advertisers such as the Co-op, Thinkbox, Beco, PetFace, Company of Animals, Julius Baer, JML, Gtech, Hive, Rover, F-Secure, Pinterest, Teva and many more!

My dogs and several clients' dogs are registered with animal talent agencies. If you would like details, please contact me.

My licence number for keeping or training animals for exhibition is: LN/000024341

Click here to watch some completed adverts

TV Shows and Short Films

Brandy was selected to take part in a TV show called

The Next Great Magician

for ITV prime time.

She was part of the comedy duo Young & Strange.

We loved being part of this amazing show!

Brandy performed her final trick live on stage, acting the part of Houndini.

Happy Days, shown at Cannes Film Festival

Max was selected to be the main character alongside Ewen Macintosh to play his old and sick dog 'Rabbit'

I was selected as trainer for a TV Show called

Dogs Might Fly, SKY1

12 rescue dogs were chosen, straight from the rescue centres. We had 10 weeks to prepare them to fly a real aeroplane.

3 dogs were then selected to take on 9 additional weeks of flight school.

I spent 10 weeks training Wilf (Border Collie), Spike (Jack Russell Terrier) and Spot (Beagle cross) an a daily basis to teach them to fly a plane!

It was the start of their journey to a better life!

It was a great experience for a highly unusual programme.

I was delighted that all dogs found their forever home after filming.

Dogs Might Fly was shown in 6 episodes on SKY1 in many different countries