Canine Co-Stars Training

09/03/2026

09/01/2026

“People see two Dobermans. I see years of trust, training & a story.”
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DcuHAjiy_uv/?igsi=MWZha3YwajBqa3lyYQ==

08/28/2026

Meet Cricket. She spent a long time waiting for someone to choose her. She just didn’t know how close she was to finally being home.

What if the dog who kept getting passed over
was never the problem?
Maybe she was just waiting
for the right person to see her.
Meet Cricket. 🤍
In August 2023, the McDougall Creek wildfire tore through West Kelowna.
More than 10,000 people were evacuated.
Cricket was one of the dogs caught in the upheaval.
Her family found somewhere temporary to stay, but there were other dogs there — and Cricket wasn’t getting along.
So I offered to take her
until they found somewhere safe.
I thought I’d have her for a little while.
I had her for a year.
Then her family finally found a home…
but it didn’t allow dogs.
So Cricket stayed.
I posted her.
I kept her busy.
I entered her for film work.
She kept getting shortlisted.
And then…
she kept not getting cast.
Over and over.
Until Toyota.
And this is where Cricket’s story takes a turn I never could have planned.
The job didn’t work out for Cricket.
But the right person was there.
Annie Elliott was the Creative Director on that shoot.
And when the job wrapped,
she took Cricket home.
Today, Cricket goes to work with Annie every day.
She sleeps in her bed at night.
And on their days off,
they visit children with cancer in the oncology ward.
So maybe Cricket wasn’t being overlooked after all.
Maybe life was just taking her
to the person who was meant to find her.
She was never meant to stay in limbo.
She was meant to go home. 🤍
And sometimes,
the happy ending happens so quietly…
you almost miss it.

dog training for film & fun

Music - Original Audio by gldnqueen






DogAdoption
RescueDogTransformation
DogStory
DogStories
DogsOfInstagram
DogsofIG
DogLovers
DogMom
DogsWithJobs
WorkingDog
FilmDog
AnimalActor
DogActor
DogsInFilm
HappyEnding
SecondChance
ForeverHome
FoundFamily
EveryDogDeservesAHome
RescueStory
DogRescue
DogLove
PetStories
AnimalStories

08/27/2026

If you’re a pet owner, you already know…
The extra walks.
The baby talk.
The worrying over every little thing.
The treats you “weren’t going to give.”
And somehow, they completely run the house.
Because being a pet owner isn’t just owning a pet — they’re family.
Tag someone who is 100% guilty of these. 👇🐾

dog training for film & fun

Music - Iris by The Goo Goo Dolls

PetsAreFamily PetLove FurBaby FurBabies AnimalLovers DogMom DogDad CatMom CatDad PetLife LifeWithPets PetHumor FunnyPets PetMemes PetPeople

08/27/2026

How does your dog show affection?
She’s holding it in her mouth AND wrapping her paws around it like it owes her rent.
We built this by rewarding her for holding an object first, then shaping a ‘wrap’ behavior with her paws while she kept the hold.
Little steps, lots of patience, and a whole lot of treats.
Dogs get to be creative too — you just have to reinforce the good stuff. 😂
Who else’s dog has main-character energy? Drop a 🐶 below!

dog training for film & fun
Music - Vienna by Billy Joel
FancyPants DogTricks TrainedDogs FilmDog ReelsInstagram

08/27/2026

Hot day, Cool Pool,one very happy monkey.

Buster figured out years ago that the pool is good, but the pool plus the hose is better.

So this is the routine now: he climbs in, waits for the water, and then spends about twenty minutes splashing, and generally soaking everyone within a three-foot radius. Me included.

People ask what enrichment looks like for a monkey. It looks like this — letting him choose the game, letting him control the pace, and just getting out of the way while he plays. No cues, no training, no camera-ready behaviours. Just water and a good afternoon.

He’ll be in there until the sun goes down. I’ve stopped trying to negotiate. Twenty-plus years around animals and I still think this is the best part of the job — watching one of them figure out exactly what makes them happy and then commit to it completely.

My new e-book ‘Trained Like a Movie Dog’ is out now! Click the link in bio to purchase now!

Dog training for film & fun

Music - End of August by Noah Kahan

monkeylife animalsofinstagram poolday hotdayfun summervibes splashzone beattheheat waterplay

08/26/2026

Train your dog like a bunny?!
Beeper training… but make it bunny. 🐰

This little one had one job on set: hop right between Sasquatch’s feet and hit her mark. Same method I built for my cat retrieval series — the beeper becomes the destination, and the animal learns to move toward the sound with total confidence.
Here’s how it stacks:
1️⃣ Pair the sound with the payoff. The beep means food. Every time. No exceptions. Before it can mean “come here,” it has to mean something good.
2️⃣ Build a home base. With the cats it was the crate. Everything starts and ends somewhere safe, so leaving the mark isn’t stressful and returning isn’t a fight.
3️⃣ Add distance in inches, not feet. Beep two steps away. Then four. Then across the room. The rep is only worth doing if she can win it.
4️⃣ Grow the target. In the cat series I nested the original toy inside something bigger, leaving just enough visible for her to recognize. Same logic here — the mark grew until it was a spot on the floor between two very large feet.
5️⃣ Then, and only then, add the set. Lights. Crew. A Sasquatch. The behavior has to be boring before the environment gets interesting.
Species changes. The mechanics don’t. 🎬

I go my in depth on my training methods in my new e-book ‘Trained Like a Movie Dog’ so you can train your dog like a bunny too! Click the link in my bio to purchase!

Dog training for film & fun

Music - Dracula by Tame Impala

bunnytraining onset commercialshoot animalbehavior reinforcementtraining hollywoodanimals trainingtips caninecostars