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Channel 4 looking for nation’s naughtiest pets for new series of Dog Academy
Hear one couple’s story of how they overcame their struggles with their anxious pet dog
Owners and their naughty dogs can now apply to join the second series of Channel 4’s Dog Academy to help them overcome their struggles.
The hit new show, which features struggling humans with misbehaving pooches, is on the hunt for potential new participants to apply for its second series, for which filming will start later this year.
The company behind the programme, Five Mile Films, are now taking applications for people and say they have compiled a list of trainers to help transform the behaviour of their dogs.
The show wants to hear from owners who are really struggling with their pet’s behaviour and how to train them, and they want people to express their interest now in preparation for filming.
The series will see a team of Britain’s top specialist trainers instruct beleaguered owners in dog management skills and dog psychology.
A flyer for the show reads: “Are you struggling with your dog’s behaviour? Would you like to overcome your dog’s issues?
“Our prime time Channel 4 series is back and looking for misbehaving dogs and their owners.”
From The Dog Academy series one, episode two, Kelly Lee, a nurse, and her partner Emilien Borne, a personal trainer, from Tyldesley in Greater Manchester, were struggling with the behaviour of their dalmatian, two-year-old Lupin.
Suffering from anxiety due to a traumatic start in life, Lupin was tearing up their home, chewing through sofas, cushions, floors, walls and even their washing machine. He’d drag the couple on walks, causing Kelly to fall out of the house and pull her arm out of its socket.
Their dog walker even refused to walk the young pet because of the dragging, and the last straw came when Kelly’s friend was also dragged to the floor while walking him.
It was Kelly’s friend who tagged her in an advertisement for Channel 4’s The Dog Academy, and the couple applied believing this was their last hope to help their beloved pet.
About Lupin’s behaviour, Kelly explained: “He shredded the couch to pieces. If we took him out for a walk, his anxiousness was just so apparent with him pulling at his lead.
“And obviously, the bigger that he got, the stronger he got. It got to a point where I couldn’t actually physically walk him because he was just dragging me over. He’d drag you into the road and leaving the house, he’d drag me out.
“On three occasions I actually fell out of the house and hurt my knee, and he yanked me so hard once that my shoulder popped out the socket.
“One of my friends lives around the corner and if me or Emilien were on shift, she’d pop by and walk him. She phoned me one day crying to say she can’t walk him anymore because he’d just pulled her ‘clean out of the house’.”
She continued: “We were like, ‘enough is enough’. It’s one thing it happening to us but when other people are getting injured, we knew we had to do something about it. And it turns out, it was all because he was traumatised.”
Kelly and Emilien saved Lupin, from potentially being euthanised because he is deaf and was struggling as the runt of the litter. The mum-of two drove four hours to urgently collect him.
They already had one dalmatian Ralph and now the two brothers live together with the couple at their home. However, while Lupin was still a puppy he contracted Parvovirus, which can be fatal in puppies, and spent a number of weeks in veterinary care ICU, where he almost died.
Not wanting to have him put down, the couple brought him back home so he could spend his last days with his family and brother Ralph.
Kelly and Emilien took it in turns being by his side around their work shifts and even slept on the sofa.
But with Kelly putting her nursing skills to good use, she fed him back to strength with egg yolks, liver and pureed chicken, and administered IV fluids, pain relief and penicillin suitable for dogs, following the advice of her veterinarian friend.
Surrounded by a loving family and given around the clock care, Lupin turned a corner and was nursed back to health.
But the traumatic experience left the friendly and lovable pet with anxiety and this is where his behaviour issues began.
About being on the show, Kelly said: “The day was broke down where we’d do some learning, and while we were learning without Lupin, Lupin would be with the other trainer learning stuff, and then we kept coming together.
“Then we’d put it together basically as a team and try and work together to do it. Honestly, I had no hope I was resigned to thinking, ‘yeah, right,’ I was really sceptical.
“But then the trainer brought him back into the courtyard and he just walked next to them on a lead and we were like, ‘oh my god’.”
Kelly said the trainers told them part of Lupin’s behaviour was also down to the couple mollycoddling him while he was ill and failing to discipline him where needed. They felt guilty for telling their pet off when he was ill and because he nearly died.
The couple are now following a plan they were given for Lupin, and The Dog House checks in with them regularly to follow up with their progress. Kelly’s told them he’s ‘like a different dog’.
She added: “Lupin is literally by your side on the lead and he’s not pulling. We’ve also not had any chewing episodes at home.”
Lupin now has his own Instagram page where you can follow his progress @lupinandus.
If you’re struggling with the behaviour of your pet dog, you can apply for The Dog Academy HERE. If you have any questions, send an email to dogacademy@fivemilefilms.co.uk.
What's On
Huge beer festival with more than 500 different varieties coming to Manchester
Can’t wait for this!
Manchester Craft Beer Festival is back for another year, bringing with it more than 80 breweries and 500 different beers to sample.
The fourth edition of the festival will be taking place at Depot Mayfield on Friday July 5th and Saturday July 6th.
Cloudwater, Track, Marble, Northern Monk, Bundobust, Sureshot and Seven Brothers will be there to represent Manchester, alongside other UK stalwarts like Deya, Verdant, Siren and Leeds’ North Brewing Co.
Manchester Craft Beer Festival
Heritage breweries like Timothy Taylor’s, Chouffe and Timmermans will also be there, as well as international breweries from the US, Greece, Spain and Australia.
There will also be some great food options to line your stomach, including bao buns, crispy chicken and katsu tater tots at Bone Daddies, as well as Almost Famous, Bundobust, MorMor and Voodoo Rays.
Manchester Craft Beer Festival
Greg Wells, director of Manchester Craft Beer Festival, said: “It’s been a disheartening year for Manchester’s beer scene so far with closure of the beloved Indy Beer Con Fest and the unsuccessful debut of the International Brewing and Cider Festival, but we’re pleased to announce our return and bring more of what has been loved in the past three years.
“With even more breweries and experiences on offer and larger capacity this year, we’re buzzing to be back to satisfy all the beer lovers out there.
“The addition of a complimentary trade session to our programme is all about promoting this world class beer city and a small gesture to support all the incredible people who work across the drinks and hospitality industries.
“We all have a mutual understanding of the hardships our industries have faced in recent times so we thought it’d be a nice gesture to get everyone together for the love of drinks, food and music to celebrate beer and ourselves!”
Manchester Craft Beer Festival
The entry price includes all your drinks throughout your session, as well as festival glass and access to all the events happening.
And as it’s on during the Euros, it will be screening the football too.
Day tickets cost £57 per day session – with a discount for four tickets – or £145 for the whole weekend. Grab tickets HERE.
What's On
New makers market with everything from dog accessories to house plants and jewellery coming to Manchester
Get this one in your diary!
A brand new makers market is coming to Manchester this late May Bank Holiday weekend, with something for everyone.
Taking place at New Jackson – a new urban neighbourhood located at the southern gateway to the city – Manchester Made Market will be held on Saturday May 25th and Sunday May 26th.
Over the two days you’ll be able to browse a selection of local artisanal traders and small businesses from across the region.
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There’ll be everything, from food produce, homewares, crafts and creations to dog accessories, house plants, jewellery and homemade soap.
Among the traders will be Manchester and Cheshire-based florist and floral artists Dot & Flora, graphic artist Ablott MCR selling music prints, HGT with crochet fashion and homeware designs, and artisan candlemakers Leaves and Prickles.
Elsewhere, there will be essential oils and other treatments from Grounded Wellness, permanent jewellery from Sealed Links, and desserts from Cake With Heart.
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There will be plenty of street food options to keep you topped up while you shop, including The Wild Grill, Food Sorcery, Salvi’s and new favourite Medlock Canteen.
Neighbourhood Brew will be supplying some great drinks as well.
Supported by Renaker, the market is free, but you can upgrade your experience with a limited, free VIP ticket with access to the dedicated bar area.
What's On
Manchester Flower Festival returns with tributes to Sarah Harding and Caroline Aherne
It’s taking place later this month!
The legendary Manchester Flower Festival is returning to our city later this month, complete with pop-ups, installations and tributes to some local icons.
Taking place over the late May Bank Holiday, the event will be headlined by its ‘Floral Trail’.
This year’s theme is Manchester Icons, with a host of names past and present being honoured in flower form, including the late comedy legend Caroline Aherne, pop star Sarah Harding and suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst.
The Vain Photography / Manchester Flower Festival
Collaborating with Manchester illustrator Stanley Chow, floral designer Liv Woodward will create a portrait of Caroline Aherne at the Floral Marquee on New Cathedral Street, using sustainably sourced plants and flowers.
Girls Aloud star Sarah Harding will be remembered in a ‘tribute garden’, sponsored by the AO Arena, with visitors able to donate to the Sarah Harding Breast Cancer Appeal by scanning the QR code at the display.
The homage to Pankhurst has been created by female-led Decordia, featuring an ornate wooden Manchester Town Hall-inspired planter with sashes, posters and colourful icons, alongside a wicker figure of the suffragette herself.
This can be found at the corner of Cross Street and King Street, adorned with purple, green and white plants – the colours of the suffragette movement.
The Vain Photography / Manchester Flower Festival
Other local legends will also be honoured with their own installations, including Happy Mondays vocalist Rowetta and iconic Manchester brewery Boddingtons .
Fringe events will be taking place too, at locations including Northern Quarter art shop Fred Aldous, The Bridgewater Hall, the Kimpton Clocktower Hotel and the National Trust’s Castlefield Viaduct.
Selfridges Exchange Square, El Gato Negro, Tast Catala, Franco Manca, Grand Pacific Manchester and Urban Playground will also be taking part, with alfresco dining, festival-related dishes and cocktails.
The Vain Photography / Manchester Flower Festival
Now in its seventh year, the Flower Festival, which is put together by Manchester City Centre Business Improvement District, attracts tens of thousands of visitors each year, with live entertainment, workshops, and arts and crafts markets.
It all happens from May 24th to May 27th – head over to the website HERE to find more information.
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Huge beer festival with more than 500 different varieties coming to Manchester
New makers market with everything from dog accessories to house plants and jewellery coming to Manchester
New apartment development with huge gardens and outdoor space opening this year
Stagecoach hiring over 100 new bus drivers for Bee Network with £31k salaries
Manchester Flower Festival returns with tributes to Sarah Harding and Caroline Aherne
