The Poodle (and Dog) Blog

Working dogs—dogs as TV pitch dogs

You’ve probably noticed a lot of dogs in television commercials lately and for some very good reasons.

Some of the most popular Super Bowl commercials this year featured dogs, including two which were somewhat controversial. People either loved them or hated them.

The Skechers commercial where the French Bulldog beat the Greyhounds because of the power of shoes offended some people who want Greyhound racing banned.

The Fritos commercial had some cat forums organizing boycotts against Fritos. A goofy looking Great Dane seems to know all about the disappearance of a cat and bribes the human with Fritos not to rat him out.

Whether the ads are cruelly offensive or innocent humor seems to be in the eye of the viewer.

Controversy is unusual in commercials that feature dogs. A dog almost always brings warmth and humor to the ad, even if the dog just walks across the screen without having a major role.

Dogs are cute and innocent. People love/like dogs—except for the most truly malevolent or demented among us. The feeling carries over to a positive attitude toward the company represented in the ad.

We may not have warm feelings toward insurance companies, but only the afore mentioned malevolent or demented can avoid warm fuzzies watching this very successful, long running commercial.

 

 

Another important reason to use dogs in commercials is economy.

Professional actors belong to a union, which sets minimum rates for the work, hours, working conditions, breaks, meals, overtime pay, etc. But that is only part of it.

The actor also gets residual payments whenever the commercial is aired. Every time you watch that nerdy guy marry bacon or the Carl Jr.'s bimbo eat a burger, they get a hunk of change. A successful ad campaign can earn thousands of dollars for an actor.

Dogs don’t have unions. Their rate of pay is negotiated between the agent or dog trainer and the people casting the commercial. A typical rate is $350 a day for a walk-on part and more for special training involved. Not belonging to a union, the dog gets no residuals.

This commercial not only sells the product with fun, humor, warmth, and camaraderie, but it has a special message at the end.

 

Do you have a favorite doggie TV commercial?

"How to hug a baby," by the dog

Thanks to Dan for sending these.

“First, spy a baby. Be sure that the object you spied was indeed a baby by employing classic sniffing techniques. If you smell baby powder and the wonderful aroma of wet diapers this is indeed a baby.


“Next you will need to flatten the baby before actually beginning the hugging process. The "paw slide" - Simply slide paws around baby and prepare for possible close-up.

“Finally, if a camera is present, you will need to execute the difficult and patented "hug, smile, and lean."


The natural instinct of a dog that hasn’t been corrupted by genetics or environment is to love and protect helpless baby animals of all species.

Having said that, is it just me or does this baby look a little overwhelmed? Maybe I’m too protective, but I’m not sure I would subject a baby to this photo shoot even for cute Internet pictures.

The picture on the right looks like it might be captioned, “Yum, soup bone.”

What happens to the dog when the baby arrives?

Every year dogs are brought into animal shelters because their owners are expecting their first baby. It’s like the dog has served its purpose as the surrogate child and now must step aside for the real thing.

Dogs are pack animals. Given the chance they will welcome a baby into the pack and show the same loyalty and devotion to the new arrival as they show the other members. A family can be richer for including a dog as a family member. Love is a quality that has no boundaries. But some considerations are needed.

People who are expecting to start families should give a lot of thought to the size, breed, and temperament of the dog before they get it.

If a dog that has been accustomed to being the center of attention is now ignored or shunted off to spend lonely hours outside, it is naturally going to feel hurt and bewildered.

A dog should never be allowed to be alone with a baby just as a toddler should never be allowed to be unsupervised around a baby. Dogs and small children are unpredictable. Rare tragedies have occurred very quickly in both situations, even with very small dogs.

Here are three books available from Amazon with good suggestions for living with babies, children, and dogs:

There's A Baby in the House: Preparing your Dog for the Arrival of your Child (Paperback)

Living with Kids and Dogs...Without Losing Your Mind (Paperback)

Childproofing Your Dog: A Complete Guide to Preparing Your Dog for the Children in Your Life (Paperback)