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Dancing with dogs
 So
there he was sitting at his desk on a hot day, working away in his new job, when the phone rang
and someone called Louise Dibley called asking Rob Archer whether he’d be interested in going
on a programme called Faking It. Initially he thought it was a wind up from one of his
mates so he didn’t take it too seriously. After a few odd questions - one of which was whether
he’d ever had any pets - Louise invited him along to an interview later that week. And the
rest, as they say, is television history.
I have always liked Faking It
and I do believe in taking chances in life, so I decided to go along. All I knew at that stage
was that the challenge would be ‘using my communications skills as a consultant in a different
environment’. However, there were a lot of questions, and doubts: How would I come across on
TV? What if I looked stupid or failed dismally? How on earth would I get time off work (having
just joined the company!)
At the interview itself I met Louise
but also Patrick the Director and Ros the Producer who would grow to be friends over the next
few months. They were an excellent team and I trusted them immediately. I could feel myself
warming to the idea. At the end of the interview they also told me a bit more about the
challenge. It would involve a lot of time outdoors, it would involve learning a new skill,
and….it would also involve dogs.
I knew then I had to do it.
As it turned out the firm I work for,
Serco, were incredibly supportive of me, after I’d been dreading asking for the time off. They
remained supportive all the way through in fact and I remain really grateful for this.
The Beginning
So the next
thing I knew I was being whisked off to the countryside, to start a four week challenge
‘involving dogs’. I thought it might be sheep dog training, but didn’t really care what it was
as long as I had my own dog to train. I have never been able to have a dog in my life, but I
have always longed for one.
The next few days were a blur, and for
a city boy initially from Birkenhead, pretty bizarre too. I met Kay Raven my first mentor, and
a huge variety of dogs, which I loved, and I was immersed into a world I had no idea existed. I
left my comfortable and familiar life far, far behind. And, of course, then I met Bobby.
I do remember feeling nervous before
she came out of the van, but when I saw her I knew we’d get on. She had such energy, she was so
friendly (to put it mildly) and almost completely out of control. This was going to be good…
 Mary
Ray
After a few
days of obedience training with Kay they turned the heat up and off we went to the ‘Dogs in
Need’ Show in Suffolk. It was there that I first saw Mary Ray and it was there that I first
saw, to my horror, the scale of the challenge before the Bobster and me. Aside from the fact it
was with dogs I can’t think of any other challenge which I would have wanted to do less than
this. I hate dancing and I definitely didn’t want to dress up. I remember watching Mary’s
routine and thinking that’s it, none of my mates will talk to me again, and I’m definitely
never going to pull again…Still, at least I had the Bobster.
I was nervous when I first met Mary,
mainly because everyone spoke about her with such awe. I remember going to her caravan and
thinking it was like meeting a film star – she was clearly a big, big name in the world of dogs
although I admit, I’d never heard of her! When I did meet her to my surprise she was really
laid back and – bizarrely - very modest. I was relieved, but still nervous. I thought there was
no way she would have time to help me much, and I thought it was probably a gimmick having her
as mentor. How wrong I was.
Training
Over the next few weeks I spent nearly every
minute of every day with Mary, Dave, their dogs and Bobs. I followed them around the country in
my new caravan, often travelling with their friends from Rugby dog club, and staying in their
house in the week.
Some
people have commented about the lack of footage showing the training process. Let me help
redress this. Training was pretty intensive, especially the second two weeks. Kay worked hard
with me on some basic obedience, but from then Mary spent virtually all day every day training
me and the Bobster. We got familiar with clicker training, working on ‘reading’ the dogs,
teaching me about how dogs work and think, and of course developing the routine. It must have
been hard to have a strange man in the house, and it must have been boring and frustrating
having someone as clueless as me to train. I did have one advantage – I loved dogs and couldn’t
spend enough time with them. So the training was never that much of a chore, although I have to
say it was really, really hard work. I went to bed every night shattered, whilst people rang me
and asked me if I was enjoying my ‘holiday’!
So day after day we worked, usually in
Mary’s back garden, and slowly and surely I started to develop some basic skills. Looking back
I realise how luck y I was. I mean, to spend over 3 weeks, every day, having a master class in
dog training from the world’s finest dog trainer. Money can’t buy that sort of experience and I
can see that whilst the odds were stacked against me and Bob at the start, those odds were
gradually redressed by Mary’s dedication.
Great Gadsby
With a couple
of weeks to go I was whisked off to Blackpool to Mike Gadsby’s kennels (not his kennels you
understand, the kennels he owns) in Blackpool. One day a programme will be made about Mike
Gadsby, because he is one of the funniest, most charismatic men in the world of dogs and of
course one of the most successful. He had a unique contribution to my Faking It experience; I
will never forget his scathing (and unrepeatable) commentary as I tried to show one of his
dogs… But it was brilliant fun and a nice break from the training. Good luck Mike in the future
and thanks to your and your gang for such a funny time.
I remember I was getting quite tense at
the time about the lack of training time I was being given, and that I grumpily insisted before
leaving Blackpool that I needed some time to train Bobster. I remember doing a long training
session in the pouring rain whilst the RDF team waited in the car. It was one of the best
sessions we’d ever had and I was enormously encouraged on the way back to Rugby. As well as
wet.
Back at Mary’s we got back into our
training routine and I continued to learn more about the dog world. By now I was getting into
agility, and I borrowed one of Mary’s dogs, Taz , to do a few rounds. I think when I do get a
dog I will get one like Taz and I will keep going with agility I enjoyed it so much.
 The
End...
So the big day
eventually arrived. Whilst I was nervous I had decided that we couldn’t treat it too
seriously as it would be wrong to put too much pressure on Bobster. But we gave it our best
shot and although we weren’t particularly good on the day we somehow managed to fake it. The
other contestants were all technically better than me, but perhaps Bobby’s charisma got us
through. She has real star quality and it was just another example of how lucky I was.
Then just as suddenly as she arrived,
she left. After all the excitement it came suddenly. I went home that night and felt pretty
empty, though also happy to have got through and to have done OK. I also knew it was one of the
experiences of my life, and one I would never forget.
From my perspective I was determined to
do three things:
-
I wanted to give it my best shot no
matter what the challenge, and I think I did.
-
I wanted to come across as someone
who respected the world into which I was being submerged – all too easy to come across as
arrogant city boy - and even though HTM is not something I would really do on my own, I think
I did.
-
And finally I wanted to strike a
balance between taking it seriously and having fun. Again I think I did, most of the time.
But the joy of the four weeks, and
ultimately the success of ‘Faking It’ was due to other people, so to finish a few ‘thank yous’
are in order so thanks to:-
-
RDF production team who were brilliant and Patrick,
the Director, is a real talent who I think produced a really warm and genuine film which
apparently is the most watched Faking It ever…
-
Kay Raven and her gang (Lynne, Janice, et al) for
their expertise, warmth and support.
You were there all the way through for me and I’m very grateful.
-
The folks at Rugby and Hinckley Dog clubs
Thank you for welcoming me into their world and for helping me out so much. I watched the
agility crew at Crufts and was proud of you all! (And good luck Aled at Twickenham!)
-
Bobby’s owner for giving her up for four weeks.
Ian, that was a generous thing to do mate. Thanks to the people who rescued Bobby too
from her miserable existence. And shame on whoever owned her first…
-
My employers Serco, and my friends and family who
kept me going through the low points - and yes, there were a few.
-
Dave Ray for putting up with me for four weeks.
-
The Ray dogs for allowing their routine to be
messed up by a beginner!
-
All the people I met in the
wider Dog World for showing kindness, patience, humour and friendship to a sometimes lonely
beginner and his rescue dog. The response not just during the filming but also afterwards
(for instance at Crufts) has been quite overwhelming.
-
Bobster. Throughout the whole four weeks, with
change constant, lots of training travelling and boring filming to do, she remained the same:
fun loving, even tempered, happy, cute. It was impossible not to fall in love with her. And
to think she’s a rescue dog…
-
But perhaps above all, thanks to Mary Ray for the
amount of time and effort she put in. She could have got away with doing far less, but she
didn’t. She was there all day, every day and never stopped helping me. She never once worried
about me ruining her beautiful dogs’ training, even though I treated them all as mates and
spoilt them. Not only is she a superstar, with an unbelievable gift with dogs, but she is a
really genuine and honest person, who is very modest. She has a gift with animals which
cannot be taught, but she is able to help others get the best out of their dogs. Her
performance at Crufts was amazing, (again), but even more so now I understand what’s
involved. I’m proud to know Mary, and one day I’ll bring her my own dog and will get her
advice again. (Maybe one of Taz’s grandchildren?). You and Dave really do deserve all the
success you get.
Since the show went out I’ve been
overwhelmed by the response, and nearly every day there are moments from the four weeks I
remember and smile about. I will never forget the experience, but I will also never forget the
debt I owe the dog world, to my mentors, to Bobster and perhaps especially Mary Ray.
Thanks to you all.
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