Doggy Stylee (Dog Borstal)

Member Name: marandina

Product:	Dog Borstal
Date:	26/02/07 (1475 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Mic Martin

Disadvantages: You may hate dogs

Well I can’t believe it’s happened. One minute I’m holding firm against the notion of owning a dog, the next the dam has burst and I’m being flooded by canine addiction. No sooner had we adopted our pooch then I’m suddenly hooked on the BBC3 programme - “Dog Borstal”. The concept of this particular series is the rehabilitation of the most hardened of doggy miscreants. Following a strict formula every week, “Dog Borstal“ is billed as the last-resort boot camp for canine criminals and their hapless owners. Having been through one series, the screening recently shown was the 12-part second series and this is where I picked up the trail of the recalcitrant pooches. Each week, between three and five dogs are chosen for their bad behaviour and sent to a boot camp in the country that looks a bit like one of those old prisoner-of-war camps, what with its steel meshed fences and sentry towers. It’s actually a disused air base in Suffolk but the camera shots and angles used make it look a lot more sinister than it probably is, utilizing the customary sun setting on the horizon set against silhouetted railings and towers shot to create that mood of incarceration.

The programme doesn’t indicate how the dogs are chosen in the first place but, presumably, the owners have volunteered via researchers or local ads. While the dogs are locked up in cages complete with their pictures on the cage door, the owners camp out in tents on the outskirts of the compound. Each day follows a strict timetable starting at 6am. The first duties of the day include cleaning the cage out, providing food and water for the dog and taking it for a walk. Over the course of the following week, the owners pair up with qualified dog trainers to correct the bad habits of the dog in question before taking an examination by an independent adjudicator who decides whether to fail/pass or pass with distinction the dog(s) and their owner(s).

It’s hard to determine who the real stars of the show are. The dogs are always charismatic in a bonkers kind of way; the owners are usually the root of the problem bringing their own idiosyncrasies to proceeding whilst the dog trainers are characters in their own right. The trainer/handlers are Robert Alleyne, Mic Martin and Lynne Davies in series 2. Most of the energy comes from the fly-on-the-wall style of filming, picking up on how the dog owners are feeling as well as the inner thoughts of the trainers. The week can be arduous with the early starts and the basic accommodation provided for the owners. There have many precious moments in the series including Lilly, a thieving Cocker Spaniel who had to be taught to stop stealing; Ralphy, a hysterical Lurcher who couldn‘t cope with people leaving the house; and Penny the Alsatian who scared the living daylights out of anyone walking past her on the street. Most of the time, the dogs are retrained successfully although you’d have to watch each programme to see the final outcome as not everyone passes. In fact, not everyone even makes it to the final test and one dog owner was sent home before being allowed to take the exam by hard case, Mic Martin. Telling her in no uncertain terms that she hadn’t shaped up during the week and that he didn’t trust her to take the final step, she left for home with her metaphorical tail between her legs. “Dog Borstal” always shows a vox pops at the end where the owners reflect on whether the behavioral adjustments have stuck which gives a natural closure to the 60 minute run time.

The dog handlers bring an air of authority to the show. Robert Alleye is an experienced dog behavioural trainer for over 14 years. Author of 'The Trouble-Free Dog,' he gives lectures on canine behaviour to many different groups and organisations. Robert is the calm, assured one of the group, filling his charges with a quite confidence on the road to reform. Lynne Davies is a full time dog trainer specialising in behaviour and nutrition. Volatile and emotional at times, Lynn concentrates on the owners as much as the dogs to get her results. The king of the team is Mic Martin who describes himself as a modern-thinking instructor, advising owners to approach training in a fun and friendly manner. With a police background and a macho image, Mic is often seen wearing dark glasses and sporting a frown that usually progresses to a growl. He has his own unique way of dealing with owners that involves a series of punishments if they fail to meet his standards. He’s made owners go on lengthy punishment runs (when I say “lengthy”, it’s made to look that way but is probably more of a stroll in reality. That’s the power of editing) as well as confiscating one particular lady’s bottles of wine for a week followed up by sending her home in tears for not doing as she was told over the course of the week. Mic is often filming swearing at camera with the words bleeped as well as any screen text starred out so that viewers aren’t offended. Mic is hilarious and makes the show for me with his tough talking and swaggering indifference to the various owners.

“Dog Borstal” is shown on BBC Three during the week and either at 8pm or 9pm so it’s best to check the schedule. It’s an example of low-budget, high impact, fly-on-the-wall television and is about a million times better than vacuous shows like “Big Brother”. It appeals to all generations young and old (with a caveat around Mic’s swearing!) and dog owners will adore it. You will almost certainly pick up some bits and pieces around ways to train your dog although some of the methods used carry an on-screen disclaimer that they should only be employed by professional dog trainers. Funny, dramatic, emotional and well constructed, “Dog Borstal” is a show for dog lovers and fans of navel-gazing TV alike and with its pre-watershed scheduling, can be enjoyed by children too as long as they can’t lip read!

Highly recommended

Thanks for reading

Mara

More info at http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcthree/programmes/dog_borst al/

Summary: Overview of "Dog Borstal"