Right hound man
Throughout last week’s Dog Awareness Week, we reminded customers of the role they must play as responsible dog owners to keep our colleagues safe.
We also conducted an exclusive two-part interview with dog behaviourist, Leon Towers, taking readers into the work Leon does and inside the minds of dogs for a unique perspective.
Today, we bring you part two. Leon became involved in our Dog Awareness Week initiative through a television project he was working on, which involved dealing with celebrities and their dogs. When we asked Leon if he was allowed to divulge any details about any of the most famous dogs he’s trained, he said:
‘I work with lots of celebrities from A-Z! I once received a request to work with two small pooches in America. The next step was to do a video call to introduce myself and get to know their owner before flying over. I immediately recognised her, and my brain was saying “Oh my God! That’s one of Cher’s best friends!” This lady was very much one of the original Hollywood A-list movie stars.’
When he’s not busy training pampered pooches on how to behave politely, Leon can also be found teaching wolves proper table manners!
‘Training wolves is yet another amazing opportunity I’ve been blessed with,’ he said. ‘Many wolves from different parts of the world are used for television and the silver screen. One of the scariest training experiences I’ve had was teaching a wolf to eat directly from my mouth. I got so excited I made some ridiculous squealing noise, which immediately made the wolf react in a way that could have seen me in a bit of trouble! It was a real learning curve and a lesson to remind me that anyone, however experienced and qualified they are, can still be caught out.’
As lockdown measures start to ease across the country, Leon has warned dog owners to look out for a potentially dramatic change in their dogs’ mental health.
‘I’m not sure many people realise what’s going to happen when lockdown ends,’ he said. ‘I’m trying to warn them now because I’m so worried. Once this lockdown is over and people go back to work, their dogs are really going to struggle.
‘It’s all very lovely that owners are currently home all day, and I’m sure a lot of dogs are being very well behaved right now, but when their owners go back to work, it’s going to hit them like a train. Lockdown isn’t just affecting people, it’s having a massive impact on their dogs.’
Press play if you missed what Leon had to say in last week’s conversation with Shaun Davis, our director of compliance and sustainability. For more of Leon’s tips on responsible dog ownership, you can visit www.leontowers.co.uk.
