Meet the trainer: Joel Silverman, Trainer : Part 2

June 2, 1:31 PMShowbiz Pets ExaminerLorraine Goodman

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Trainer Joel Silverman & Foster

Joel Silverman, best know as Dreyfuss’s (real name: Bear) trainer on the hit TV series “EMPTY NEST,” was recently in New York City to promote his new book, “What Color is Your Dog.”  I was fortunate enough to speak with him about his philosophy on training, the meaning of the “ colors” in the title of his book, his background working with marine mammals such as Pacific and Atlantic bottle-nosed dolphins, California sea lions, and killer whales for Sea World and his training treat of choice, Bil-Jac.

This is Part 2 of that interview. (CLICK HERE for Part 1.)
 

 L: You began your career working with dolphins and whales. Is that different than training a dog?

JS: It’s identical. It really is.  I talk over and over again about developing that relationship with killer whales or with dolphins – before you get in the water with them. Really getting to know them. It’s the same thing. You come in the morning and they’re jumping out of the water to see you cause they’re happy to see you. That’s no different than coming home at the end of the day and your dog putting his feet up on you or burying his nose in you chest, just to please you – it’s the same kind of thing. It’s positive reinforcement, what I use.  Many, many different types of rewards, with what we call a ‘varied reinforcement schedule’: which is using different types of rewards and rewarding the animal at different times – to make it interesting. That’s what we do with marine mammals and that’s exactly what we do with dogs. It’s super parallel – we talk about that in the book, “What Color is Your Dog,” how similar the training is.

L: Do they like Bil-jac? - only kidding...

JS: (laughing) Never tried Bil-jac on a killer whale! … I’m sure they would like it. You know, there are a couple of other former Sea World trainers out there, giving seminars. I’ve caught a couple of them, and one of the things that they both focus on is the  trust and the relationship. Exactly like I do. That’s something that we learned from marine animals and we want to share with dog owners.

L: Can I ask about Bear (who played “Dreyfuss” on NBC’s Empty Nest)? Was he your dog?

JS: He belonged to another company, that I worked for at the time. Basically, he lived with me, and I did the first four years of “Empty Nest” with him, along with a back-up dog I had as well.  I left the show after the fourth season. He went back to the company.

L: I gather that the professional acting dog system works differently in Hollywood than it does here in NYC. Here, most of the animals used in commercials or print ads are pet dogs.

JS: That’s very true. Basically, what happens in LA, the people who have animals actually are suppliers – they train them specifically for movies and commercials.  In NYC –the agencies – they represent private party animals. People ask me this a lot: – what does it take to train an animal for movies or commercials. They need to be raised on a set or they need to spend a lot of time on a set. Unfortunately for many of the animals out here, that's just not the case. They’re private party animals.  So sometimes you can run into problems, behaviorally, with animals that are not conditioned to the lights and the whole set experience. If you’ve ever been on a set before, you know how different it is: you’ve got lights, people moving in the background; shadows; so on and so forth. That’s why people who train the animals for movies and commercials do so well in CA – because the animals are raised on a set.

Oftentimes if we’re working in NYC, we’ll bring animals out here,  especially with cats. Cats out there…. there's no comparison.

L: What happened to Bear after the show went off the air?

JS: I don’t know, to be honest. After I left, he went to live with another trainer. He was a great dog. The cast, the crew - they treated Bear like gold.

L: Anything else you would say to someone who wanted to train their dog to be in Showbiz?

JS: Number 1 -- You want a dog that is a happy dog. And you want a dog that really, really wants it.
Number 2 -- Try to find a way to work with and learn from someone who works  on the set. There are things you need to know as far as lights, cameras, terminology: Rolling; Speed; Marker; Action… you want to know exactly what they’re going to say. Last thing you want to do is come on the set and not know what you’re doing, cause you'll look really bad. And be really open. Listen to what people say. And learn.

For more info: Joel Silverman is the author and host of a dog training video called the HOLLYWOOD DOG TRAINING PROGRAM which has sold over 300,000 copies. In 1999 Joel hosted a TV series on ANIMAL PLANET called "GOOD DOG U".  In February, 2009 - Joel Silverman was presented the 2008 Our Hero Dog Water "Trainer of the Year" award at the Grand Hyatt in Midtown Manhattan in New York City.

To learn where Joel will be promoting his book,  "What Color is Your Dog?" CLICK HERE for tour schedule