How Does a Dog Get Into Show Business?
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Training
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While there are many owners who believe that their animals are cute enough to be on television or in print ads, it takes a special, well trained kind of animal to be in show business. At a bare minimum, a dog needs to have a calm temperament in a variety of situations both indoors and outdoors, around bright lights and loud noises. The dog must be well socialized and good with children and other dogs. A dog in show business must also be able to follow commands well, in particular, the sit, down, stay, come and heel commands. In addition to these basic commands, owners may wish to teach their dogs other "fun" skills such as playing dead, sitting on its hind legs or giving kisses. Dogs in show business must be able to perform on cue, so if a dog is unable to perform a command consistently, owners should consider bringing in a professional trainer. Owners can check with their vet and other dog owners to get local recommendations on good trainers. Otherwise, many pet talent agencies have their own trainers or are happy to recommend a good dog trainer.
Animal Talent Agency
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Once the dog is able to perform at least the basic commands in different environments and with a variety of distractions, a dog owner can consider finding a reputable animal talent agent. Owners can talk to vets and trainers to get recommendations of local talent agencies. Two popular talent agencies are the Dog Actors Guild and Animal Actors Agency. Before submitting applications for a dog, the owner should get a few decent photos of the dog. These photos do not have to be professional; however they should have a neutral background, and should include at least one full body picture, and one of just the dog's face. Owners may also want to include pictures highlighting particular behaviors that the dog is capable of, such as a picture of the dog waving. Along with the pictures, the owner must fill out a registration form and may have to also pay a small registration fee, depending on the talent agency.
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Networking
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Once the dog has an agent it is up to the owner to make sure that the dog is keeping up with its skills. Training should be done daily, but should always be fun. To make sure that the dog is able to perform tricks in a variety of environments, the owner should consider taking the dog outdoors to dog parks and other places where people and dogs congregate. Not only will this sharpen the animal's skills, but it is also a potential networking opportunity. While it is easy to assume that once the dog has an agent the jobs will start coming in, this is not always true. Owners should make every effort to network, talking to other skilled dog owners to find out if their dogs are also in show business, and if they know of any parts available. There may also be talent scouts at the dog park looking for dogs, making parks and beaches an excellent place to practice skills.
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