MASTER dog trainer and host of reality television show Dogs Behaving (Very) Badly Graeme Hall is planning to visit Broken Hill in the next month or so to film an episode of the show.
Hall said though he’s travelled throughout Queensland and the East Coast, Broken Hill will be his first time visiting the outback.
“I’d travelled in Australia before, but kind of Queensland and up the coast, to Bundy and back, so I never really got to the interior at all,” he said.
“When we started filming this I said it’d be nice to get to different parts of Australia. I’ve never seen any proper red earth, so I’m very much looking forward to it.”
Hall said his team were contacted by someone from Broken Hill who was experiencing problems with their dog, seeking help.
“It was just the sort of things we were looking for!” Hall said.
“But coming across to Broken Hill for one story, probably not worth it. So I put a call out on 2Dry FM, and we did an interview with them and somebody else came forward. That was all the excuse I needed to just say, yes, let’s do it!”
Hall and his team are still looking for more badly behaved dogs to feature on the show and benefit from training and assistance from Hall, though he said the problems chosen for the show tend to be different to usual dog behaviour.
“I always say this: if you’ve got a problem that you think, I bet he’s never seen this before, I’m all ears.”
Hall said though he’s a dog trainer, he often has a lot to teach dog owners, too.
“Although the job title is dog trainer, I spend at least as much time training humans as I do dogs,” he said.
“You can only fix the dogs through their people.”
Hall said he’d heard of Broken Hill before his team suggested paying the town a visit thanks to an iconic film.
“When the guy said we’ve had a call from Broken Hill, and as a Brit, I live in England, but I’ve heard of Broken Hill. Why have I heard of Broken Hill?”
“And they said oh, well you might remember a film called Priscilla Queen of the Desert. I was a big fan of the film!”
He said he’s excited to finally have the opportunity to wear a prized possession given to him by a dog owner on a previous visit to Australia.
“On my first trip filming Dogs Behaving Badly here, a very kind lady gave me an old Akubra,” he said.
“She said look, it’s had a bit of a life and it’s second hand and if it fits you it’s yours, and it fits like a glove. But I live in England so never wear it, because nobody wears an Akubra in England. But I brought it back to Australia and I absolutely will be wearing it in the next video!”
Badly behaved dog owners are encouraged to reach out to get Hall’s help when he visits Broken Hill.
Visit the website 10play.com.au/casting, or email casting@networkten.com.au
