GRAEME HALL

The dog trainer hosts new series Dogs Behaving (Very) Badly (starts Tue., Aug. 6 at 7.30pm; Seven).

How did you get into dog training?

I’d had a corporate career and just over 10 years ago, I was looking for a change. I was into dog training as a hobby. I’d just got two rottweilers and threw myself into that, because I knew I had to train these dogs well. I was going to a dog training club, and the head trainer said, “Why don’t you be a dog trainer? You’re good with people.” I thought that was interesting because a lot of people who are good with dogs aren’t good with people, and you can only fix the dogs through the owners. I looked at a few websites and thought, “I can do a good job at this.” What’s the naughtiest dog you’ve met?

The standout one is the German shepherd that put me in hospital. The family had just re-homed this dog and suspected he might have been abused. He came in, barking, and

I did all the right things, but he bit into my left hand really hard. I needed surgery.

What is the most common misbehaviour?

The lead walking in Episode 1 [where the dogs drag owners] is pretty common because it’s pretty easy for a dog to pull a human. Your dog’s got four-wheel drive power and a low centre of gravity, and he’s got a powerful engine. Which basically means you’re going to get pulled over if you get it wrong.

How different are dogs to humans?

They’re a bit like toddlers. A toddler does something kind of naughty but quite clever, and part of you wants to laugh, which would give the game away and send the wrong signal.

“In every episode, there are tips that you can try for yourself,” Hall says.

“When I was a kid, we never had pet dogs,” Hall reveals.