Dog Academy: Destructive Dalmatian from Wigan undergoes dramatic transformation on new Channel 4 show

A couple from Tyldesley, Wigan, have spoken about the dramatic transformation their deaf Dalmatian has undergone since appearing on the new Channel 4 series The Dog Academy. The show, which starts its run later this month, helps badly behaved dogs and their owners overcome challenging behaviour.

Kelly Lee and her husband Emilien had reached the end of their tether with Lupin, who is now two years old. His anxiety had gotten so bad that he would cause thousands of pounds worth of damage when left alone, chewing through sofas, cushions, walls, doors and even the washing machine.

The mum-of-two works as a nurse at a hospital in North Manchester and the last straw came after a particularly bad shift. She recalled: “I would come home to destruction and I’d had a really horrible shift and I just said: I can’t come home to this anymore. I’ve just had stress for 14 hours and I’ve come home and my safe space is stress.”

Lupin’s behaviour started affecting the couple’s relationship. Emilien, a personal trainer, found it easier to control him when out walking due to his strength, but Kelly found it very challenging, sometimes dangerous.

She said: “When I was walking him I was getting injured, I pulled my arm out of its socket, bruises, rope burn, he pulled me into the road when a car was coming at one point, he pulled me out of the house onto all fours in the garden, where I scraped all my arms and my knees. It was just chaos.”

Their professional dog walker “sacked” them and trainers would not take Lupin on as they did not have any experience working with deaf dogs. Kelly and Emilien decided to apply for the Channel 4 series after a friend – who knew Lupin well, having had a similarly difficult experience walking him – tagged them in a Facebook post.

Rough start in life

Lupin’s problems were not his fault. As the runt of the litter, he was almost euthanized after his breeder found out he was deaf. Because he couldn’t hear his mum whelp when it was time for food, or when it was time to play, he was falling behind his siblings and failing to thrive.

But this was the deciding factor for Kelly, who was initially on the fence about getting a second dog. They already had Ralph, also a Dalmatian and Lupin’s brother from another litter, and it was 2021, the height of pandemic, when puppy prices were skyrocketing. Lupin’s situation was so desperate, Kelly said it “tugged on her heartstrings” and she knew she could give Lupin the home he deserved.

Lupin settled in quickly. He immediately bonded with Ralph, who helped him learn and grow in confidence, but things took a turn for the worse when Lupin contracted Parvovirus, which can be fatal in puppies. He started deteriorating and was taken to dog ICU, where he had blood replacement therapy, plasma exchange, antibiotics and a nasogastric feed.

Kelly said: “The vets were phoning us every day saying: We’re expecting him to die, he’s not doing well, we really think you should consider euthanizing him to put him out of his misery. For me, it wasn’t an option.”

They took Lupin home, because, as Kelly reasoned: "if he’s going to go, then he should go with us at home, where his love is, where his brother is."

She said: "We brought him home and he was a mess. He was so sick. He didn’t have one ounce of fat on him, he was like a skeleton, he was constantly shaking, crying, he wouldn’t eat, wouldn’t sleep, he was incontinent. It was awful.”

Nonetheless, they persevered with Lupin, taking shifts to sit with him on the sofa and following the advice of vet friends. He started to pick up, in small steps at first, like simply lifting his head, but eventually he started walking to his food bowl by himself.

However, as he got stronger, that’s when the challenging behaviour began. Kelly explained: “He had closed the window on his learning opportunities. Although he had a few commands under his belt, everything else went completely out the window. What we didn’t realise was that he was traumatised. He became very anxious.”

The Dog Academy

Kelly said they were sceptical about taking Lupin to Dog Academy, the Channel 4 show, but were open-minded and willing to try anything. It was filmed over just one day and they were unsure how much he would learn in such a short amount of time.

On the show, dog training experts worked with Lupin and his owners, both together and separately. Kelly was “shocked” by the results and how quickly things changed for the better. She described the process as a journey of “self-discovery,” having learned how to better recognise Lupin’s needs and communicate with him.

Now, when they’re out walking Lupin is “in his element” and no longer needs constant treats. He can also be safely left at home alone, providing he has his favourite toys left out for him.

Kelly said: “It is hard work, those first few weeks with the training, taking him out, constantly training him. It is a bit boring and repetitive, but it’s worked and I couldn’t imagine him any other way now – even if he does chew the corners of my pillow, as long as it’s not the washing machine.”

“We didn’t give up on him when he was ill. We fought so hard to keep him alive and to treat him and get him better. And when it got to that point with him at the end, we just thought: ‘Right, we’re going to have to fight for this now as well.’”

Kelly’s advice to other worried dog owners is firstly to seek advice, but more importantly, have “the courage to acknowledge that you’re making mistakes.”

She said: “They’re animals at the end of the day and as much as you say you know your dog, you really don’t, until someone opens your eyes and takes a look at you and sits you down, gives it to you.” Emilien also had some important advice: “Never stop loving your dog.”

• The Dog Academy premieres on Channel 4 on Thursday 30 March, 8pm. Kelly and Lupin’s episode will air the week after, Thursday 6 April.