VIDEO: Local Dog Auditions for Letterman (and Trainer Grows his Business)

Local dog Nakita took a cross-country road trip to audition for Stupid Pet Tricks on the Late Show with David Letterman. Nakita, a 3-year-old Dutch shepherd, and Nakita's owner, Chad Culp, sat down with Patch to talk about Culp's first-ever visit to New York City, his job as a dog trainer, and Nakita's appearance on America’s Funniest Videos. (Click on the video to the right to see the audition for Letterman's show and the "Banana Spit" trick.)

Gilroy Patch: What's the story behind the Late Show with David Letterman and America's Funniest Videos?

Culp: We dubbed our trip to New York and Los Angeles the “banana spit tour.” My wife Dawn made a video of a silly little trick where I bite a small piece of a banana and spit it at Nakita, and she catches it. We went further and further with it until I was doing it from the roof of the house while Nakita stood on the ground in the front yard.

Dawn sent out the video to a few places, which led to our going to Southern California to shoot America’s Funniest Videos. Then we had to come a back quickly and pack, and go back down because of the storms. We took the southern route to New York City to make it to the (Letterman) show, knowing that there was only a 50/50 chance we'd be chosen. They invited six dogs to audition and only put three dogs on the show.

Patch: What was it like auditioning for Letterman? Did you audition in the Ed Sullivan Theater?

Culp: We did audition in the Ed Sullivan Theater. It was a lot of waiting. We sat with all the other dogs and dog owners in the green room for a few hours while the guest band did a sound check. When it was our turn, our audition was over pretty quickly, but it was still a lot of fun.

Patch: What did you do for the audition? Were you nervous?

Culp: I was definitely feeling the pressure but Nakita was cool as a cucumber. We did three banana spits. We did one up close, and one about 10 feet across the carpet on stage. Then they asked if I could do it from up in the lighting rig, so I said "sure we can try," and I climbed up there. We nailed it! 

Patch: You did well!

Culp: I thought we did well. Nakita caught it every time. But by the time we got to the audition, she was so burned out on bananas she started spitting them out instead of eating them. (Laughter.)

Patch: Was Nakita one of the dogs chosen?

Culp: No.

Patch: Oh, no. It sounds like the lighting rig trick should have guaranteed her a spot. Tell me about the tricks some of the other dogs did.

Culp: One rode a push scooter than he pushed himself. Another dog pulled a frozen waffle out of a freezer and then toasted it in a toaster. (Laughter.)

Patch: Nakita lost her spot to the waffle-eating dog? (Laughter.)

Culp: I guess so. We still had a great time. They paid for everyone, and Dawn and I were so excited to be in the Ed Sullivan Theater.

Patch: Did you ever see Letterman?

Culp: We did not. We were hoping to see him and were disappointed that we didn't but we do have a nice family photo snapped in the Ed Sullivan Theater.

Patch: And this was your first time in New York City?

Culp: It was.

Patch: What did you like best about New York?

Culp: The best thing about New York? That's tough. Being able to share the experience with my wife and dog was really cool. The pizza was the best I've ever had and Central Park was great. We took one of those guided bicycle tours through Central Park. I think we made a good photo op for the other tourists with Nakita jogging alongside our cart.   

Patch: You've been a dog trainer for about six years, right? 

Culp: Yes, I've had dogs my whole life before I decided to train them. Professionally I went to Animal Behavior College, which is an online curriculum. They set you up with a trainer in your area, and you go and do your hands-on portion. You also have to do volunteer work and work with shelter dogs, to get your certification.

Even though I've had dogs my whole life, it turns out I was doing a lot of things wrong. I also got certified with the Global College of Natural Medicine for Animal nutrition, with a focus on dogs.

Patch: What about your job is different from what people expect?

Culp: I am dog trainer; that’s the standard title, but a lot of what I do is coaching people on how to better manage their dogs and how to have a better life with them. Usually I have people come to me because they want to get some basic training. Sometimes they have wait until they have some major behavior issue that they need help with. I just help them handle their dogs, and a lot of that has to do with helping the humans realize they have to change their behavior in order to change the dog’s behavior. That’s the trickiest part, I think.

Patch: What led you to do dog training full-time?

Culp: That’s is good question. I had a cabinet-finishing business and was also a professional musician. I went to a holistic doctor, because I was having skin rashes, and I had ringing in my years from too much loud music. I had to shift gears, and the first thing that came to my mind was, “I want to work with dogs.”

I love dogs, have always had dogs, and had no idea what was going to happen. But that was just what I started to do, and it turns out I should have been doing this all along. It just so seems so natural for me. I spent so many years playing music, and I don’t think it was ever this natural for me. Sometimes it takes a while to figure what it is you want to do when you grow up.

Patch: How long have you been a professional dog trainer? What do you like best about doing this?

Culp: I have been doing this for about six years. I think the highlights are just when I have the big success stories: When people write me emails, put things on Facebook or email to tell me how well things are going. Unfortunately, everybody doesn’t always follow through; they realize there is work involved, and sometimes they drop off. So the people who really jump on board and follow my suggestions and find success, that is really the biggest highlight.

The last couple of years, I have also been able to do this full time. So that is a big highlight, because I really enjoy this

Patch: So this is your full-time job?

Culp: This is all I do for a living, for almost two years, and I really enjoy it.

Patch: How many clients have you had?

Culp: At this point I have seen over 1,000 dogs. Some of them in group classes, some of them private.

Patch: How much is a lesson?

Culp: I do private lessons for people locally. A private lesson is $95, so about $50 an hour. My group classes are $110 for the puppy or basic obedience class. My most affordable class is the ongoing training Monday night drop-in classes, which are only $10. Those are very popular. I also have my agility classes, and that’s $65 for the four-week course.

Patch: Why would a dog owner choose to have a dog trainer instead of just completely training their dog themselves?

Culp: That is not my first recommendation. The more the owner is involved, the better. Ultimately, they have to be involved. The benefit if they want to do a board-and-train, sometimes the benefit is getting the dog out of their home environment, which might be causing problems. I put in the foundation and the work—I transfer it to them. The key is that ... they follow through.

Patch: Are you the only dog trainer in Gilroy?

Culp: No, there are a bunch of trainers.

Patch: What is the hardest part?

Culp: You can get bitten sometimes. That is always a drag, but I tried to avoid that as much as possible. (Laughter.)

I don’t know if there is a nice way to put it, but it is kind of hard when you see that it is not really the dog. The dog has potential, but the people do not want to put in the effort or money, or a combination of both, to get what needs to be done.

Sometimes they just want someone to fix their broken dog, but it just doesn’t work. Dogs are very in tune and sensitive to their environment, which the people who are living, feeding and walking them, or maybe not walking them, as the case might be. That is a big part of the job. Making people understand how much their behavior affects the dogs behavior. The dog is a living creature that has needs to be met.

Patch: Does the breed of the dog make a difference? Are their some breeds that are easier to train?

Culp: The breed certainly has an effect, because dogs have been bred to have certain traits. Your working breeds or hunting dogs are dogs that were bred to do something. They are usually easy to train because they really want to work. The downside is that if you don’t give them a job, they start making up stuff for themselves. That will end being things we don’t like.

Patch: What is the one thing that clients want their dogs to learn?

Culp: Can I give you two?

Patch: Yes.

Culp: The pulling on the leash, either straight-up pulling, or pulling combined with barking and lunging. Being over reactive toward people or dogs or what have you. The other being that the dog’s won't come when they are called. Those are probably the biggest things. Potty training with the puppies and young dogs is often a big one, too.  

Patch: Is there anything else you are planning for the future in your career?

Culp: I have accomplished my goal, which was to do this work full time. My next goal is to be the best and most popular dog trainer in the area. That is always going to be subject to opinion. But I expect to keep learning and growing. Then I am also waiting for someone to give me a TV show. (Laughter.)

Maybe when they get rid of Cesar (Millan of The Dog Whisperer), or when he retires. (Laughter.)

All information on Chad’s classes, detailed prices, training DVDs and other dog related content is available on his website: thrivingcanine.com