R. I. Dog Guy, LLC

While audiences cheered, “oohed and ahhed” at Windy during her 19 performances playing the role of “Sandy” in the Cohoes Music Hall production of Annie in December 2005, little did they know the efforts involved behind the scenes and during the rehearsal period.

The following summarizes some of the unique challenges we faced for each aspect of Windy’s two scenes in the play:

Ø  Scene 1, Part 1: Windy first appears when Annie is standing in the “street” and a couple of cops run across the stage, screaming about the “wild creatures” in the alley…Annie looks to the stage wing and says “There’s one they didn’t get,” goes down on bended knee, and slaps her legs…”Sandy” comes running out to her.

The challenge here was to get Windy to go out to Annie.  We made one rehearsal attempt with treats, but Windy pawed at Annie’s hands, pockets, etc., so we proceeded to work without treats on stage.

For Windy, the immediate gratification proved to be the Annies—their praise, touch, and affection were self-reinforcing enough for Windy in the long run.  After just one rehearsal, Windy readily went onto the stage to greet Annie.

Another challenge with this scene was working with me backstage. My presence caused Windy distraction and confusion.  She would look to me as if to say that she couldn’t answer to two “masters,” and found it difficult to be attentive to Annie’s signals with me in sight.  (“What?  She’s the boss?  I thought that was your job!”) We quickly discovered that it was best for me to get out of sight and to let the Annies have control. Windy was fine with this, and for every performance, she did all her scenes without me anywhere in the vicinity.

Ø  Scene 1, Part 2: This was the most challenging part of the scene. The police officer comes across Annie and stray dog on the street, and questions Annie when she claims the dog is hers.  During this conversation, with Annie’s back to her, the “mutt” is left at a distance on a sit-stay (Annie tells Sandy to “sit” and “wait.”).  The cop orders Annie to call the dog, by the name Annie has made up: “Sandy.”  During a suspenseful moment, Annie gets down on bended knee and calls “Sandy, come here boy!”  Sandy does not budge. A second try: “Sandy, puh-leeze!”  No go…and Annie casts a worried look up at the officer. On the third call, Sandy comes bounding happily to Annie, the audience cheers, and the policeman is convinced of Annie’s ownership of the pooch. 

Then Annie and Sandy proceed to front and center stage for Annie’s compelling and heart-rendering singing of “Tomorrow,” with Sandy at her side as her partner in hope.

The challenge here was that after two years of competition obedience training and establishing a perfect recall, it was a trick to teach Windy to NOT come when called!  I practiced with Windy at home: on the first two calls I did not make eye contact.  If she came to me, I just put her back on her sit/stay, and repeated.  On the third call, I made eye contact and slapped my leg—when she came, she got major treats. These cues (eye contact and leg-slap) became the signals for Windy to come to Annie.

Interestingly enough, Windy had no problem coming to the name “Sandy.”  It seemed that the collective cues worked fine for her…and maybe it helped that “Sandy” sounds a little bit like “Windy.”

Windy caught on quickly and found this to be a fun “game” which was very self-reinforcing.  It is interesting that each Annie used somewhat different “commands,” but Windy responded to each girl.  The consistent eye contact and leg-slapping were the effective signals.

The main challenge was for Windy to maintain a sit/stay with Annie’s back to her, and no reinforcement whatsoever. This was the very hardest part for her. She looked “abandoned” (true to script) and I could tell she wasn’t thrilled about the situation in the earlier performances. (“What’s she doing, leaving me way out here, stranded like this?”)  After a while, however, she accepted it for what it was…her mission for those couple of minutes.  It was amazing to me each and every time I watched the scene, how Windy did this simply because it was what was expected.  The only thing “in it” for her was the ensuing part of the scene where the “recall game” kicked in.  

Ø  Scene 2:  Annie and Sandy come upon the Hooverville “street bums,” a rowdy, angry bunch who welcomes Annie and Sandy into their fold. The scene is loud, and ends up with the policeman breaking up the huddle and Annie and Sandy fleeing, all to the tune of loud instruments including rolls on the kettle drum.

The challenge in this scene was for Windy to become comfortable with the noise and “hostile” atmosphere.  Again, with no use of treats on stage, we relied heavily on the Annies to comfort Windy.  One thing I informed them both of early on was that Windy is not crazy about being petted on her head, so they used their touch by stroking her on her side and chest. Other “comfort” and reinforcement measures included frequent attention and eye contact from Annie, and use of the word “good” whenever it fit into Annie’s script.  They also smiled a lot at her. Both scenes ended with Annie and Sandy running off stage, and the running was also a reinforcer. I noticed after a few performances how Windy was anticipating and getting excited and ready to dash off with Annie. The Annies were definitely the key to Windy’s success and comfort level in both scenes.

Ø  “Scene” 3: the curtain call:  There was an elaborate curtain call for the cast, and just as everyone was leaving the stage at the very end of the call, Windy came running out to Annie, who showcased her beautifully.  This brought the house down and won the loudest round of applause.

The challenge:  There was none.  Windy flew onto the stage with vibrance and joy.  She clearly loved this final moment.

During the final two performances (each of the Annies alternated), producer Jim extended the accolades at the end of the curtain call.  This entailed him bringing out a huge flower bouquet for Annie, who at that point was still holding onto Windy by the rope “tab” she wore. So that Annie could accept the flowers, Jim took Windy and instructed “Sandy, SIT,” which she did with a “military” style sense of obedience.  She stayed there, totally off-leash, between Jim and Annie as Jim praised Annie and all the child actresses for their efforts, talents, and commitment.  It was as if she understood the levity of the moment, remaining calm and still, with frequent reverent glances up at both Annie and Jim.

In true Toller form, during the 19 shows, Windy exercised great creativity. Yawns were common (“Come on, get on with it”), and on two occasions she decided to meander about the stage as Annie and cop conversed.  Her Toller curiosity was always active, demonstrated by craning her neck in all directions as she sat.

Other quirks she wrote into her script were licks of Annie’s face as Annie was belting out “Tomorrow,” or rolling over on her back for belly rubs.  In one show, when she first ran out on stage, she suddenly darted off to the side, towards the rear of the stage, and Annie had to go get her.  The culprit: a tiny piece of glow-tape someone had dropped on the stage floor!   

People have asked where I was during Windy’s scenes, and were surprised I was not in the wings cueing and supporting her. As mentioned previously, Windy worked best when responding to just the Annies, and was more confident and clearer in her mission without me in sight.  To get to the stage before her scenes and curtain call, producer Jim met me at the bottom of the steps leading to the stage area, and took her up to backstage.  He held her on her “tab” until her stage entrance in Scene 1, and Windy got so she knew the entire sequence and would run up to Jim, and wait for him to let go so she could run out to Annie.  When she was done on stage, Jim would lead her back out to the stairs, and she came flying down where I met her at the bottom…loaded with treats and lots of praise of course.

Overall lessons learned/points for consideration:

Ø  The producer has one task in mind, and that is the show.  Rehearsal time is very limited, and much work at home was needed, as well as behind the scenes with the Annies.

Ø  My obligation was for Windy to be comfortable and happy at all times.  This meant keeping a strict feeding/elimination schedule, the right amount of rest, and  fun play (ball throw) when she was at home.  We ceased formal training altogether during this two month period of rehearsals and performances.

Ø  With theater, be comfortable with the unexpected.  Maintaining a perfect sit/stay is a good thing for an obedience trial, but yawns, getting up and down, etc., are appealing on the stage...as much as they caused me to cringe at times!

Ø  Windy needed a significant amount of conditioning to the noise levels, but managed very nicely.

Ø  Every dog needs to be adapted to his/her individual preferences, temperament, etc.  For Windy, working without me and without food treats was successful.  She is the kind of dog who finds every behavior self-reinforcing, and enjoys work and tasks for their own sake.  For other dogs, treats on stage might be very workable, or it may be more effective for the owner to give cues from off-stage.  Each dog is different, and the show taught me a lot about Windy.

Ø  Lessons learned: Had I to do this over again, I would have asked the producer up front to see the script for Windy’s scenes, and where she would be crated, coming to and from the stage, etc.  As it was, we learned the scenes and other factors on the spur-of-the-moment.  

Ø  I felt that consistency was important, with the whole sequence from when Windy and I came out of the dressing room to after her scenes were over.  We left the dressing room at the exact same point in the script/music (there was a baby-minder in the dressing room, so we could hear the play).  I met her at the same place when her scenes were done, and I walked/pottied her at the same times during and between performances.

Ø  Which leads to the subject of pottying, and the broader topic of producer/owner communication.  Producers are not dog handlers, and dog owners are not producers.  For one dress rehearsal, Windy did not appear in the curtain call. The reason was that Jim saw me leaving with Windy during the show, so she could go out for a walk and to relieve herself.  Jim thought we just didn’t feel like staying, were tired, whatever, and that we had gone home.  I had to explain that dogs also need bathroom breaks, and that if he saw us leaving the building, we would be back to reappear for the curtain call! 

What I learned about my dog:

Ø  I learned to trust her a lot more in everything. People have nagged me about my uncertainty at times, and lack of confidence in my dogs, always overly worried that they will make a mistake.  It’s so true that if we are unsure, our dogs will be as well.  Seeing Windy do some very difficult things, and with a sense of humor and confidence, really taught me so much about her strength of character, which far exceeds mine. 

Ø  There are more reinforcers than I ever realized. Windy is very food and toy motivated, and I rely on them very much. But not being able to use them on stage magnified for me the value of many other things so important to our dogs.  I watched from a distance during the performances when the Annies did some very simple things, such as a quick “good,” smiles, touch, eye contact…They illustrated how important those gestures are—and these young girls know little about dog training!  While I’ll continue with treats and toys, I will use the other rewards more.   

Ø  Being actresses, the Annies had a very skilled way of reading Windy every second they were on stage together.  I learned from watching them, and the impact of their slightest gestures.  Even during the Hooverville scene, when one of the street-women handed Annie a cup of “soup,” the Annies would offer the cup to “Sandy,” who, each and every time, dove her Toller nose into it. That act in and of itself was a positive reinforcer. I am much more aware of how important the “little things” are to my dogs.

It was a wonderful experience which strengthened Windy’s character and confidence, and provided another level of bonding for us which I never anticipated.