We are now casting for Animal Planet's DOGS 101 Season 4.

DOGS 101 is back for another season and we are very excited to have received our preliminary breed list last week. Looks like we have a great line up of breeds to film for this season. I sent out a casting call last week through Facebook and today I posted it to our Yahoo group.  So now the fun begins! I am starting to get emails and phone calls inquiring about what it takes for a dog to be selected to be on the show. So I figured now was a good time to address many of these questions here on our blog. 

The most frequently asked question I receive after sending out a casting call for DOGS 101 is "What would my dog have to do?" Well nothing too hard for an obedience trained dog. If you have watched the show you have seen the part where they use bullet points to illustrate training, grooming, lifestyle and exercise requirements. This is where you will see the dogs that we have selected to do the show. The dog must be able to stay for at least 30 seconds.

We prefer that they stand but sitting or lying down will work as well. The main thing is they cannot take a step or move out of position for about thirty to forty seconds. 

After we get the main shot everything else that happens for the next few minutes is gravy. The director usually will ask...so do they do any tricks?

Tricks are not mandatory just an added bonus. 

Here is Miss Maserati a talented Black and Tan Coonhound taking a bow.

 

So we usually let the owner show off the dogs tricks and special skills for 5 or 10 minutes.

Then we bring in toys for the dogs to play with...

Sometimes owners bring in their own props. The owner of this dog wanted to show us the dog was trained to pull a cart.

Dogs must be in show coat to be considered. We cannot use them if they are clipped down.
It is important to me to present the best looking example of the breed that I can. Many of the dogs that have come into do the show were the number one dog in their breed. 

It was an honor for me to meet and have Rufus the all time world champion Bull Terrier come into the studio last season to represent his breed. What an amazing dog. I was thrilled when his owners said they were available to bring him. He is really something special. I had wanted to meet him for years because I must confess that I have always wanted to have a bull terrrier in my home. And after meeting Rufus I know that it is a dog that someday will be hanging out on my couch.  I might be 60yrs old before one comes into my life but that's fine. 

Our ideal candidate is a champion show dog 2- 4yrs old with obedience title. Not all of the dogs that I have booked have had titles but those are some of the things I look for when I receive submissions. 

If there is a size difference between males and females we like to have one of each for comparison.

If the breed has different coats we try to bring in one of each variety.

The Papillons have two different types of ears so we brought in both.

Obedince training comes in hand when we set up shots of dogs together like we did here...

We enjoy showing a variety of coat coloration. 

The cords on this adult dog took years to create. So when possible we try to show what the breed looks like as a puppy.

We LOVE when we get to film puppies!!!

Aren't they cute?

Who knew there were so many rare cat breeds?

Our team has been hard at work for the last month tracking down rare cats. Let me tell ya.. this has not been an easy task. Some are so rare their are only 2 in the United States. Before getting the request to locate these breeds, we had NO idea how many new cat breeds have been created in the last 10 yrs. Have you ever heard of a Cheetoh? How about an Australian Mist? A Bambino?

Maybe I will get lucky and find a breed that does not cause me to have an asthma attack. Ohh ya BTW I am HIGHLY allergic to cats. Maybe that is why I have not kept up with all the breeds. I knew most of them when I was a kid. But since I could not become obsessed with them due to my allergies I stopped paying much attention to them after the age of 12.

I had the opportunity a couple of months ago to attend my very first cat show. It have to say I quite enjoyed it for the 1/2 hr I was able to be there. If you ever get the chance to attend one go. The people showing the cats are very, very nice as well as helpful. I of course am there primarily to scout cats to appear on Animal Planet's CATS 101. We are currently filming the third season. While attending it became clear to me that there certainly are enough breeds to keep us busy for many, many years. So if you LOVE the show let us know. Oh and of course let Animal Planet know too. If you have a minute please write a comment below and tell us what cat breeds you would like to see profiled. 

                                                                                                                      Dawn Wolfe

Unusual Pets 101

Yesterday we filmed Unusual Pets 101. Instead of NYC we did the shoot in Philly. Which was great because it was only a 15 minute drive for my team and I. It was also HOT, HOT, HOT outside. As each animal arrived we got them unloaded and into the building. First up was the Capybara Hector. He was pretty calm I must say. We did put up some fencing to keep him contained on the set. But he did not run amok like I thought he might. He cooperated and let us get what we needed. 

  As a child I dreamed of having a skunk and a raccoon that would be best buddies with me and each other. After meeting Penny I KNOW that I was correct in thinking they would be a good pet for our family..We were all quite smitten with her ...

The momma donkey and her 8 day old foal were just precious to watch. They both were very relaxed on set. Very content just to be with each other and do donkey things like eat.

Lacy the goat is a real natural in front of the camera. She has the most star potential of any farm animal I have ever met. She also was very mellow when we brought in Lilly a female goat with horns. Nice to be able to show both. They did pretty well together. 

Last up were the pot belly pigs. We are hoping to add one of these guys to our family this fall. After meeting this little one we are very excited for cooler weather to set in. Since our little piggy is being flown in from the west coast.  

All in all we had a great time.  We very much appreciate all of the pet owners who brought their pets to the studio be filmed. Can't wait too see them on Animal Planet!

                                                                                              Dawn Wolfe