Weatherwax Family Hollywood Dog Trainers

The Weatherwax name is recognized worldwide
in association with the nine generations of
Collies that have played the role of Lassie.
From Pal, who portrayed Lassie I, thru
Laddie, who initially portrayed Lassie IX,
each was selected and trained by Rudd and
later by Bob.

The Weatherwax family of trainers have additionally been responsible for most of the famous dogs on film and in television. The fox terrier who played Asta in the "Thin Man" series, the spaniel who played Daisy in the "Blondie" series, the cairn terrier who played Toto in "The Wizard Of Oz", and one of the dogs
who played Petey in the "Little Rascals" series represent just a few.

Today, Bob Weatherwax continues to make appearences
with the dog he calls "Laddie, Son Of Lassie", and, along with his daughter Mary, has every intention of breeding and selecting a tenth generation Weatherwax Lassie dog to carry on.

As well as Laddie, and in the tradition of the Weatherwax Lassie dogs who have always had a small terrier pal, Bob is currently training a little Cairn Terrier mix named Throttle. Little Throttle is Laddie's best buddie, and a smart little terrier in his own right. We'll surely be hearing more from Throttle in the future!

The trademark license holder of the "Lassie" name currently uses a dog neither selected nor endorsed by Bob Weatherwax to play the role of "Lassie". Some internet sites claim that this dog actually was selected by Bob, and even that the trainer of this dog was selected by Bob. Both statements are completely false. The fact is that the dog currently hired by the licensor to play the role of
"Lassie" came from a litter that Bob regarded as unsuccessful in producing a Collie qualified to meet the Weatherwax standards for a suitable "Lassie". All the puppies in that litter were placed as pets.
One of the puppies was given to Carol Riggins, a former part-time bookkeeper for both Rudd and Bob Weatherwax, who asked Bob to teach her about dog training. She eventually became one of his assistant trainers. That particular puppy, named "Hey Hey", was deemed by Bob to have an unsuitable temperament for the demands of a working dog as well as an unusually shaped head for a Collie (what is commonly called a "Borzoi head" or "Roman nose")and was thus never considered by Bob to be "Lassie" material. Bob gave Hey Hey to Riggins as her pet, never to be used for commercial or breeding purposes, a clause in the Lassie puppy contract that applies to all Lassie sons and daughters placed in good homes. That dog is now being used to portray "Lassie", and Riggins is being portrayed as a "trainer" selected by Rudd to succeed him (as if he had no son who not only worked for him but went on to establish his own successful dog training business in the entertainment industry!) Bob Weatherwax was unquestionably named his father's heir in Rudd's will, along with the bequeathing of Rudd's Lassie dogs to Bob to continue the legacy and ensure the future of the Lassie line of collies. Bob has done just that in breeding, training, and selecting
the 8th and 9th generation of Weatherwax Lassie dogs. (Howard and Laddie, respectively). He is in the process of breeding for the 10th generation along with his designated breeding partner and heir, his daughter Mary Duxbury.
Any other claim is an outright fabrication.

The field of dog training is frighteningly wide open. Basically, anyone can hang out a shingle or put up a web site, call themselves a "dog trainer", a "dog behaviorist", a "rehabilitator", or even a "canine psychologist" and go about doing, and advising people to do all manner of strange, unproductive, and even hurtful things to dogs. As a professional dog trainer who came up in the business under the guidance of his professional dog trainer father, Bob Weatherwax has seen it all. He has also established a proven record of both successful and positive training methods, evidenced not just by nine generations of beautifully trained Lassie dogs (shared with his dad), but numerous dogs of all breeds who shared the spotlight of "famous well trained canines" in both movies and television series.

Recently, Bob has decided to embark on a new venture, sharing his insights, experience, and even his methods personally with individual dog owners. For a small fee, anyone can have a "Telephone Chat With Bob Weatherwax" to discuss their own dog's training and behavior, the Hollywood dogs Bob has trained, or other subjects of interest to the "Canine minded" person. Telephone Chats with Hollywood Dog Trainer Bob Weatherwax are now being featured on Bob's Web Site