PRACTICE, PRACTICE AND MORE PRACTICE

Sure your dog can sit, shake and maybe even stay on a good day. But they better be prepared for much harder tests than that. Pets on a television or movie set will be expected to perform a certain amount of basic tasks and be able to concentrate in a busy, hectic environment. And they might be expected to listen to different trainers. One prominent agency, Hollywood Paws®, recommends that you first aim to have your dog pass the American Kennel Club’s Canine Good Citizenship test. This test emphasizes obedience, agility and performance. This is a good place to start to make sure your dog will be able to learn basic commands.

SOCIALIZATION

Other agencies like the Animal Actors Agency stress the importance of exposing your pet to interesting and challenging environments and having them spend time around other pets and people. Try seeing how your pet acts when other people are in charge of him. You’ll be handing your dog over to trainers in many situations, so they need to be comfortable with anything you throw at them.

THE MUST HAVE LOOK

There are certain breeds that are more desirable in the biz than others: retrievers, labradors, collies, and bulldogs are some of the most popular. But no need to fret; plenty of people want your lovable little mutt as well. Just like human actors have to be chosen for a part, your pet will need to compete with all the other pups for the part. Everyone thinks their pets are the cutest, but you have to be able to catch the director’s eye!

WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU FIND AN AGENCY

This is their business. You will represent their agency. So if you’re going to trust them enough to represent your pet, you better listen to what they have to say. Be prepared to undergo much more vigorous training. Your pets will need many more tricks, like being able to speak on command and following specific people. Then there are the headshots of course. Make sure your pet is well groomed for his photo shoot!

WHERE TO START YOUR SEARCH

1. Hollywood Paws

Takes cats and dogs and provides all the training you need. Experience includes: Hotel for Dogs, Legally Blonde 2, Miller Lite, Burger King, Verizon, Desperate Housewives, and many more.

2. Hollywood Animals’ Animal Actors Agency

Takes cats, dogs, and even more exotic animals like flamingos, horses, and lizards. Experience includes: The Whole 10 Yards, HBO’s Carnivale, Baby Gap, Petco, Purina, American Idol, and many more.

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Jake is a black Labrador Retriever search and rescue dog. He has been trained to specifically look for people in the after turmoil of disasters; it is worth reading some of the array of dog information available regarding these brave dogs.
They risk their own lives in order to help people in need, one of the main dog breeds employed for the task happen to be Labrador Retrievers. Jake was involved in the massive search exercise of the World Trade Center building, the brave Labrador Retriever searched tirelessly through the smoke filled building hunting for survivors. Jake was also one of the dogs present in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Another Labrador Retriever noted for his bravery connected with the World Trade Center building is guide dog Dorado. The plucky yellow Labrador Retriever led his owner down 70 storeys moments before the first tower collapsed.

Most of the information on Labrador Retrievers explains how calm and placid they are in comparison to many other dog breeds. They are the perfect candidates when it comes to dog search and rescue work. They love to please their owners and have very sensitive noses. Finding illegal items for Law Enforcement makes them all the more happy.

Another canine hero to be fondly remembered is the fabulous yellow Labrador Retriever who went by the name of Endal. He was an assistance dog to his beloved owner, Allen Parton, who is an ex Royal Navy Chief Petty Officer. Allen was seriously injured during the Gulf War and relied on a wheelchair.

A reversing car threw Allen from his wheelchair one day and it was the courageous Labrador Retriever Endal that nudged Allen’s mobile phone next to his face and even placed him into the recovery position before running off to find help. This loving dog was remarkable and could complete over a 100 different tasks including withdrawing money from a cash machine. Endal was the most decorated dog throughout the world.

The Labrador Retriever has also been a reliable mascot to many sporting teams over the years. The Memphis Mad Dogs were a Canadian football team and their famous mascot was a black Labrador Retriever called Alien. He became known for charging onto the field and fetching the kicking tee after each and every kick off.

This article was written by John Jackson and has been contributed by http://www.greatdogsite.com For more information on the Labrador Retriever, please visit our page http://www.greatdogsite.com/breeds/details/Labrador_Retriever/

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Buddy was the real name of the golden retriever in the movie Air Bud. The happy news is that Buddy was rescued from a pound before becoming a movie star, but after the movie he had to have one leg amputated and then later died of cancer.

Stretch is the real name of the bloodhound that played Duke on The Beverly Hillbillies television show.

Who could ever forget Cujo, the killer St. Bernard in the movie made after the Stephen King thriller? The dog that played Cujo was actually named Daddy and was trained by Karl Lewis Miller, who trained the dogs in Babe, Beethoven and K-9. Speaking of the movie K-9, the German shepherd credited as the character Jerry Lee was actually named Rando. Three identical German shepherds were obtained from Germany, for two of the dogs couldn’t understand English, just German, so they were used as stunt doubles for Rando.

Ajax was the real name of the golden retriever Speedy on the television show The Drew Carey Show. Interestingly enough, Ajax was the understudy for the dog character of Comet in the television show Full House.

On the television sit-com Frasier, the dogs kept the role in the family because Moose was the original Eddie and Moose’s son, Enzo was a stand-in for Moose and later took over for Moose when he became too old for the role.

Even animal actors can get fired, as is the case with the dog character Agent K-13 on the Get Smart television series. The producers wanted an unknown, untrained dog. They started out with Fang, but he was fired for not doing what he was supposed to do, so his replacement was Red.

It took two Chihuahuas to cover the role of Bruiser on Legally Blonde. One of them was Moondoggie, who just happened to be the roommate of the Taco Bell Dog (Gidget) and the other dog actor was Maverick.

Just like human actors, some dogs get around, as is the case with Cody, the Alaskan Malamute who played the role of Nanook in the movie The Lost Boys. Cody also starred in Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman and On Deadly Ground.

The University of Georgia loaned their mascot, Uga V to play the bulldog in the movie Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.

Has anybody ever watched the movie Old Yeller without crying? Spike was the Labrador mutt mix who played Old Yeller, who was rescued from an animal shelter in Van Nuys, CA.

Just like there are models and supermodels, there are dogs and superstar dogs. Higgins played the character Mr. Higgins on the television show Petticoat Junction, and then later became the legendary Benji.

Sylvester Stallone’s sidekick in Rocky was Butkus, who kept his real name as the character’s name and was a Bull Mastiff. Many dogs played characters of the same name, for example Happy, the mutt in the television drama 7th Heaven was really named Happy and was rescued from an animal shelter when she was just 7 months old. Rin Tin Tin is one of the most famous dog characters who starred in numerous shows and whose character was named after the real dog’s name. There was also a Rin Tin Tin, Jr.

Even though none of the Seinfeld characters actually had dogs themselves, several were featured during this television series. The part of the Australian Shepherd was named Ginger, who also played on Murphy Brown and the role of the Chihuahua was played by Speedy.

Hopefully you’ve enjoyed this little peek into the world of canine celebrities.

Article sent in by Ken Adamas – visit his site to save on pet products like pet gates and dog beds.

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