Stand-up to have you barking with laughter

A FORMER lab technician who has 25 years’ experience as a dog behaviourist, says he is living the life of his dreams, combining his passion for teaching people how to train dogs with stand-up comedy.

Tony Knight said he learnt much of his skills with canines from his mother, bestselling author of ‘The Dog Whisperer’, and that he had always had “a passion” for making people laugh.

During COVID-19, he had an idea to try to combine the two.

“I trialled it at the end of last year and it went well,” said Mr Knight.

“Whenever I was teaching dog behaviour, I always wanted to make it so that it was fun to learn, because I think you remember things better when you enjoy the learning process.

“So, when I was doing presentations or talks, I’d always put a few jokes in and bring the subject to life.

“It wasn’t really a stretch of the imagination to think, right could I just actually have the guts to say this is a comedy show about dog training, rather than this is a talk about dogs which is going to be funny.”

Since then, he’s taken his show far and wide, including the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Adelaide Fringe, Perth Fringe, and internationally.

“It seems to be working really well, people are really enjoying the show, having a laugh,” said Mr Knight.

“More importantly, they go home with a newfound understanding and respect for their dogs, and they know how to start to solve particular problems they might have.”

Mr Clarke said the dog-handling methods he teaches are gentle, not requiring force, and that he wants people to know that dogs can be trained no matter what their background.

For reference, he said one of his four dogs, Lewis, was “a nightmare” when he got him, with “no respect for people’s personal space,” and now “he’s great.”

“It’s a show with a message, but also, it’s a show that gives you homework, which I don’t think any comedy show’s ever done before.

“But it’s in a good way, because they finally realise what their dog’s been trying to tell them all this time, and now they know the right thing to do.

“And on a serious level, I teach people how to avoid over 95 per cent of dog bites during the show with a very simple change of their behaviour, and also how to solve things like separation anxiety, which is a really big problem, especially after COVID.”

Mad Dogs and an Englishman will be at 6 Darling Street, Eaglehawk, on Monday 23 October, and tickets can be purchased at https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/mad-dogs-an-englishman-eaglehawk-hall-bendigo-tickets-625955237967.