8 Stars Reveal What It's Like Working With Pets On Set

While it's the actors and actresses who often get paid the most and typically receive more recognition for their careers on most TV shows and movie sets, it's often their four-legged counterparts who end up stealing the show and the hearts of fans.

We just can't help it. Whenever there's a pet on a show or in a movie, our focus immediately zeroes in on them and no one else.

Half the time, we're captivated by how adorable they are, how sassy they can be, or how funny they are. And when pets are involved, the story somehow becomes much more emotional.

Remember films like Hachiko or A Dog's Journey? Those films made us bawl like toddlers more than any other movie starring humans.

Pets have a unique effect on us, especially when it comes to movies and shows. While they may appear to make it seem effortless on-screen, working with pets in these situations isn't the easiest task in the world.

Although many pets may be intelligent and able to follow some commands, they aren't quite at the level yet to understand the many intricacies of a film set, so it's the humans who need to adjust. Many actors and actresses have experienced this, and while the animals may be adorable and friendly, there are some challenges that you really have to work through as well.

Here are the experiences of actors and actresses who've worked with pets on set.

1. Bridgerton

In the second season of Bridgerton, a corgi named Austin played Newton, the Sharma family's dog, who had a strange fixation on Jonathan Bailey's Anthony. Apparently, though, the actor and the dog just didn't click.

“Austin played Newton, and it’s a sterling, stunning performance, but do you know what? We didn’t get along,” Bailey told EW in February 2022. “He just loved sausage, and there’s nothing wrong with loving sausage, but it was more the way we had to hold little crumbs of sausage in my hand to try and get him to jump into my lap. … It’s amazing that I got to work with him because he’s obviously going places, but we didn’t really click.”Liam Daniel/Netflix

2. Dog

The film Dog was inspired by Channing Tatum's bond with his late pooch, Lulu.

“We thought about [calling the movie] Lulu, but there was already a movie with that title,” Tatum explained during a W magazine interview. “But my character specifically tries not to say the dog’s name for so long — he’s just like, ‘Dog! Dog! What’s up, dog?’ because he’s trying not to personalize the animal. But he obviously starts to have a connection with her, and in the end, she becomes something to him.”

For the film, the actor worked with a Belgian Malinois, which he described as an intense breed. He admitted that they have a lot of energy, and he initially thought it would be a simple movie.

At the end of the day, however, he said that he could only really get the pup to accomplish one task at a time.

Hilary Bronwyn Gayle/SMPSP

3. Black Beauty

Mackenzie Foy learned to ride horses for her role in the film.

"It was probably like two weeks of training, but I knew that I was going to do this film a couple of months earlier,” she told The Hollywood Reporter. “I actually wanted to start riding anyway once I finished high school, so this movie encouraged me to do it. I probably got ten lessons in on my own before I started filming. Once I got to South Africa, I worked with FilmEquus, and they taught me everything I needed to know to do the film.”Disney+

4. The Art of Racing in the Rain

“I’m kind of f—ing crazy. I’m not one to be afraid of a role, and actually, when roles are a bit frightening, that’s where you can find the most truth in the character and the story because we’re pushing ourselves,” Milo Ventimiglia said about taking on the lead role in the film. “We’re pushing our boundaries. It was a very human story, kind of like This Is Us, where you have real-life stakes that were happening to this guy — his career as a race-car driver, his life with his family. It’s so deeply human, and the angle where you have a dog who happens to be an elevated soul and is watching his owner go through the trials of life, it felt like a unique story. It had magic without it feeling like it was trying to push the magic.”

In an effort to be closer to the pooches, he also admitted to spending a lot of time with them. “I spent a lot of time with the [two golden retrievers that played Enzo] before we started filming. When we were on set, I was the only one who was allowed to give affection and play with the dogs aside from the trainers because we needed that familiarity,” he said.

D Gregory/20th Century Fox/Kobal/Shutterstock

5. Marley and Me

Marley and Me is one of the most memorable pet movies out there. It's a classic that remains in the hearts of many.

Talking about working with a dog, however, Jennifer Aniston admitted that it wasn't always easy. "There were times when he'd perform the best in the scene, but you'd feel like you hadn't gotten it. But that's what you get for working with a dog,” she said, adding that sometimes, her canine co-star would break character at the most inopportune moments.

Moviestore/Shutterstock

6. Turner and Hooch

“Dogs force you to get out of your plan and out of your comfort zone, which is really great for a guy like me, who likes to run his scenes in the shower the night before,” Josh Peck said about his experience working with five French Mastiffs on the Disney+ film. “The dogs would certainly pass gas sometimes in the middle of a scene, and usually, I could power through it, but I’m not that professional. I’d be like, ‘I’m sorry, can we just take a moment and let the air literally clear?’”Disney+

7. Full House

The sitcom brought in not just one but an assortment of pets for various episodes, which actually helped kickstart Candace Cameron Bure's affinity for animals.

“Being on Full House and being around so many animals, more than just dogs, we had a chimpanzee on the show, a donkey, a ferret, and so much more,” the Fuller House alum told Today in 2018. “So, I’m sure all of that contributed to my love of animals.”Mike Yarish ​/ NETFLIX

8. Frasier

The dog Eddie was actually recast during the run of the show, Kelsey Grammer revealed about working with a Jack Russell terrier on Frasier.

“So, for the last appearance of Moose — the original Eddie — they actually did makeup on him because he got so … and gray that they sort of painted his markings back on him. [Production also] let him sit on the couch because he couldn’t really do tricks anymore,” he said.

Grammer also added that the pup used to bite his co-star John Mahoney whenever he was on Mahoney's lap. Unlike his character on the show, the late actor, unfortunately, hated the dog, Grammer revealed.

Nbc-Tv/Kobal/Shutterstock

If you're not really trained to work with animals, working with pets can be a significant challenge, especially in an environment where there's added pressure to perform well in your job. You have to juggle both your performance and your relationship with the pet to make your scenes together believable.

That's why we definitely commend the efforts of these actors and actresses who've worked with pets on-screen. It's not an easy job, and they did it magnificently.