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Lori Boyle, owner of Superdog Spectrum, is a talented and experienced Movie Animal Trainer. So...what is an Animal Trainer?
Among the many men and women who work behind the scenes in the making of a movie, are the special people who work with the livestock...they are called "wranglers". Wranglers handle the horses used in a typical westerns, however there are also Animal Trainers for all the different animals used in movies or on television. Lori Boyle is an exceptionally talented Animal Trainer for movies and television.
The role of wranglers for some other kinds of livestock is usually to care for the animals during production, and control their natural actions and movement in a given scene. The Animal Trainer, however, might spend weeks in pre-production training a dog (and perhaps even the dog's stunt double or doubles) to perform the behaviors called for in the script. Then, as though their job isn't already filled with the stresses associated with the unpredictable nature of dogs, the director might require changes, on the day, and the animal trainer must train a new sequence of behaviors during his/her lunch hour! Therefore, it is essential that dogs used in movies have exceptional focus supported by a high level of training in a set of basic behaviors.
The following are some of the projects that Lori has worked on in the past several years:
- 1998 The Jack Bull
- 1999 Shanghai Noon
- 1999 Snow Days
- 2001 The Hitcher 2
- 2002 Tom Stone - Season II
- 2002 Monte Walsh
- 2002 Open Range
- 2002 Don't Call Me Tonto
- 2003 The Clinic
- 2003 The Legend of Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid
- 2003 Surviving Love
- 2003 Going Down
- 2004 Little House On The Prairie "Little House in the Big Woods"
- 2004 Little House On The Prairie "The Ingalls' Journey"
- 2004 Little House On The Prairie "Adventures on the Kansas Prairie"
- 2004 Into the West "Night I - Wheel To The Stars"
- 2004 Into The West "Night II -Migration"
- 2004 Into The West "Night III - Dreams & Schemes"
- 2005 The Assassination of Jesse James
- 2006 Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee
- 2007 Snow Buddies
- 2008 Heartland (TV series)
- 2008 Santa Baby 2
- 2009 8 For Infinity (rock video)
- 2009 Heartland (TV series)
- 2010 PhotoShoots & Commercials
- 2010 Heartland (TV series)
- 2011 Heartland (TV series)
- 2011 Pet Heroes (TV series)
- 2011 Commercials, including a Superbowl Commercial for the 2012 Suzuki
- 2012 The Horses of McBride
- 2012 The Right Kind of Wrong
- 2012 Heartland (TV series)
- 2013 Klondike
- 2013 K.D Lang (music video)
- 2013 Sports Chek Commerical
- 2013 National Geographic Documentary
- 2013 Heartland (TV series)
- 2013 Fargo (TV series)
Lori loves working on set, but she knows only too well that working on movies, a TV series, or a commercial isn't all fun and games. First, you can't just train a dog and step into the movie business. It is essential to recognize that delays can cost thousands of dollars so preparation is of utmost importance. You need to learn about the industry and know that professionalism, an exceptional work ethic, and respectful conduct on set is key to being hired a second, third and fourth time. Then the repetitive preparation, the long hours of waiting on set and finally the extreme pressure to "get it right" in front of the camera...often over and over again...makes movie work, well...work.
Lori has trained and worked with her own dogs, as well as dogs belonging to other people, to provide the "look" the director has in mind. Whether a production company is looking for small & cute, or large & intimidating...whether they want a particular breed or a particular ability, Lori searches out the appropriate candidate. We hold Movie Dog classes at Superdog Spectrum (see Training tab at the top of the page) where, under Lori's instruction, you can teach your dog the basic behaviors that are a necessary foundation for more advanced movie dog training. Dogs graduating from the Movie Dog classes are among the first to be considered for jobs. |
