Hallmark Channel News: Dog Trainer For ‘A Royal Corgi Christmas’ Reveals Royally Doggone Challenges!

The Hallmark channel has become known for its ability to showcase movies with a happy ending. For instance, the network’s annual showcase of Christmas films has turned into a highly anticipated seasonal delight. And Hallmark also often delights animal lovers with its dogged persistence in creating pet-focused films. 

But this year, the Hallmark channel came up with what we view as three delightful reasons to watch. Because the movie A Royal Corgi Christmas features dogs AND royalty AND the holidays! However, for the film’s dog trainer, it also turned into a doggone challenge. Get all the details below. 

Hallmark – Movie Dog Trainer Admits A Royally Doggone Challenge!

Dogs plus royalty plus the holidays sums up the Hallmark channel’s A Royal Corgi Christmas. And dog lovers united with royal family and holiday movie lovers in cheering. But the film’s dog trainer faced some very special challenges. However, as Sandra Shore shared with EW, it also offered a lot of fun for everyone involved.

A Royal Corgi Christmas features a crown prince (Jordan Renzo) going home to the castle for the holidays. And he takes with him a very special present for his mother the Queen. But that gift, a corgi named Mistletoe, doesn’t quite live up to royal expectations for proper behavior. 

As a result, an experienced dog trainer (Hunter King) visits from America. Can the trainer meet the challenge of helping Mistletoe behave like a good boy in time for the Christmas Ball? And can the little dog resist the temptations of a royal buffet? A real-life dog trainer, Sandra Shore, knows the answers. And she admitted that training Bonbon (who portrayed Mistletoe) proved challenging.

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Hallmark – Corgi Starring In ‘A Royal Corgi Christmas’ Can’t Resist Treats!

However, Strong has trained dogs since 2002. As a result, she felt confident that she could work with Bonbon. But the little corgi’s breed has proved especially challenging in her experience.

“Because corgis aren’t the easiest to train. They’re quite stubborn,” admitted Sandra. However, Bonbon “loved it. He loved every minute of it,” added the dog trainer. “He’s got such a good face. Such a happy face,” praised Strong.

And the corgi puppy especially enjoyed all the treats. “You use treats for motivation,” explained Sandra. “But there was a lot of motivation in that film, so we used high-quality treats. Mainly we were using dried venison.” 

Hallmark – Hallmark Movie Shows Dog Trained To Act Naughty!

However, one scene proved especially challenging. Because Bonbon needed to behave in a naughty way to pull a tablecloth. “We could only do one take. That was it! So we had to get it right the first time. Obviously we didn’t allow him to be there when all the food fell on the floor. I was on the table gathering up little bits of fabric so he could pull and pull and pull and extend it and extend it and extend it,” recalled Strong.

“But to teach a dog to pull something like that when there’s very little resistance is quite difficult. And in films, everything changes all the time. In the end, what he had to do was run underneath the table, come out the other side,” explained the dog trainer. “Because then he’s facing away from the table. We had to turn him around, by getting him to come round. And then I was saying, “What’s this? You’ve gotta pull! Pull! Pull!” And then he’d think, “Oh yeah! Yeah, yeah, yeah! That’s what I have to do!”

Tell us what you think. Do you enjoy watching movies that feature dogs? And after you share your views, check back on our site for more Hallmark news.