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When Strictly Come Dancing bosses signed TV dog trainer Graeme Hall as a contestant for 2026, they hoped the man affectionately known as The Dogfather would be the answer to their ‘Middle England’ problem.
Knowing that a roster packed with lesser known young celebrities and online influencers would fail to chime with the show’s traditionally loyal audience of more mature women, the host of Channel 5’s Dogs Behaving (Very) Badly was recruited to shore up ratings in this crucial demographic.
After years of scandals dogging, you might say, the primetime competition –from bullying to inappropriate sexual comments and allegations of drug-taking – he was seen as ‘safe’ and non-controversial.
Certainly Yorkshireman Graeme, who turns 60 next month, is down to earth and a good dancer, and has won over at least some of the five million still watching.
Graeme is said to be one of the few positive reasons to tune in as the new presenting trio of Emma Willis, Johannes Radebe and Josh Widdicombe continue to be widely lambasted for their hosting skills.
Indeed, 6ft 2in Graeme topped last week’s leaderboard, scoring 31 with professional partner Lauren Oakley.
‘There’s a lot of love for Graeme,’ says my show insider. ‘You meet him and he has a really kind and trusting demeanour.’
But back in the world of four-legged friends, Graeme has found himself in the, er, dog house.
Strictly Come Dancing bosses hoped TV dog trainer Graeme Hall would be the answer to their 'Middle England' problem
While he coaches viewers of his Channel 5 show, which he has hosted since 2019, in how to train man’s best friend, many experts are not convinced.
The show became a hit during the pandemic, when dog ownership soared and working from home became the norm, but now Graeme is coming under scrutiny for his ‘outdated’ methods.
In fact, the row began after a 2022 episode in which he insisted that an eight-year-old Labrador called Ruby was being a ‘diva’,
Some viewers thought she needed to see a vet, arguing that she was showing signs of being in pain when she would refuse to get off the sofa or stop mid-walk.
So furious are many that a petition calling for the show to be axed has reached almost 8,000 signatures on change.org.
Separately, on Facebook, irate trainers have insisted he regularly misadvises viewers. One group member, Linda Millwall, wrote: ‘What he knows about training dogs would fit on the back of a postage stamp.’
Graeme calls himself a Master Dog Trainer with the Guild of Dog Trainers on his website.
But, say his critics, he ignores modern science-based positive reinforcement techniques and relies on ‘dominance theories’.
Graeme topped last week's leaderboard, scoring 31 alongside his professional partner Lauren Oakley
This asserts that dogs are constantly looking to achieve higher status over other animals, and should be put in their place, sometimes with physical force. ‘Graeme has a lot of critics,’ says an associate of his. ‘He is far from everyone’s cup of tea. Dog behaviour clearly sends some people into a very irate place.’
There was also backlash of a different kind after producers working for Graeme were alleged to have repeatedly asked qualified trainers to offer their expertise without being credited.
Gary Pomroy, 64, a former police gundog trainer who runs KarmaK9 Dog Training in Clacton-on-Sea, Essex, says he was approached to work on an episode two years ago, but refused.
He said he was ‘asked to do an assessment with an eight-month-old Dogue de Bordeaux that was persistently barking at other dogs and people at the door’.
He said: ‘My speciality is dealing with reactive, anxious dogs so I was pleased they found me. It was a Friday morning and when I walked down the driveway, I was ambushed by three people who said, “We’re a production crew working with Graeme Hall and we would like your ideas on how to train this dog.”
‘They explained I would hand over my methods to a “very famous television star”.
‘They said they would pay my assessment fee and asked me to sign a non-disclosure agreement.
‘I said “no”. I refused because [in my opinion] Graeme doesn’t know what he’s talking about.’
Known affectionately as The Dogfather, Graeme has found himself on the receiving end of criticism from other dog trainers
Cheryl Marney, 40, has been a trainer for six years. Like Gary, she is certified by the Institute of Modern Dog Trainers (IMDT).
She shared a message showing that a producer called Gisella contacted her in August 2024 saying: ‘We are scheduled for some filming at Caerhays Castle and are looking for a local heel-work expert to come onboard and film with us for around an hour.
‘Graeme Hall our host would love for a professional to perform heel work to show how it’s done.’
Cheryl, who runs Chel’s Tails Canine Coaching in Cornwall, said: ‘There was no way I was going on that show. Graeme’s methods are fear-based and very outdated and he doesn’t have any recognised certifications.
‘The Guild of Dog Trainers does not constitute a proper qualification in my opinion, it’s just an organisation that you pay to join.’
Also coming out to have a pop at Graeme is Marcia Ashworth, a former military police dog trainer.
She showed this newspaper an email asking her to help stop a dog from barking at a telephone ringtone in September 2024.
When she complained about the approach, the production company behind Dogs Behaving (Very) Badly insisted on Facebook: ‘It has been suggested (incorrectly) that we use other trainers on the techniques developed by Graeme within DBVB, which is completely untrue. Only techniques developed or chosen by Graeme, bespoke to each specific dog, are used on the show.’
Graeme has found himself at the centre of a row over how he treats dogs on his show, Dogs Behaving (Very) Badly
Marcia, 45, who runs the Lancashire Canine Academy in Accrington, Lancs, adds: ‘I don’t agree with how he trains dogs.
‘Some weeks he uses positive reward-based methods and the next he is doing something aversive. A lot of people in the industry don’t rate him. He’s just a presenter, he’s not a trainer, if they admitted that it would be fine.’
Those who know Graeme are ‘deeply saddened’ to see a man who has dedicated his life to helping dogs criticised in such a way.
A friend said: ‘His experiences are very real and it feels unfair to dismiss [them] just because his approach doesn’t align with someone else’s. He cares enormously about dogs, respects other trainers and the fact they might approach it differently.’
Graeme’s dog-training journey began in 2008 when he started his business. Nine years later he appeared in one-off special Dogs Behaving Badly on Channel 4. He writes a newspaper column and hosts a podcast, Talking Dogs.
Away from the limelight, he has a girlfriend, Nikki, after splitting from wife Elinor Perry-Hall in 2023 after six years of marriage.
People describe him as ‘lovely’.
‘Graeme is one of the joys of Strictly. He could very easily win,’ says a Strictly insider. ‘There are clearly people sniping at him in the doggy world but dogs love him. If Graeme’s four-legged friends could vote he’d be waltzing all the way to the glitterball.’
A spokesman for Avalon, the production company behind Dogs Behaving (Very) Badly, said: 'Graeme Hall is a master dog trainer with over 15 years experience, who has successfully trained thousands of dogs. It has been suggested (incorrectly) that we use other trainers to advise on the training techniques used by Graeme within DBVB, which is completely untrue.
'Only techniques developed or chosen by Graeme bespoke to each specific dog are used on the show. The dog behaviour changes shown on the programme are a result of his expertise only. Any dog specialist invited to appear on the show, always on screen, is purely to enhance the audience understanding of different aspects of the relevant dog training.'
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