A LEIGH canine trainer has the unenviable task of teaching celebrities how to train dogs wary of strangers for a new live TV programme.

Julie Hindle, who runs Ace K9, a dog training and grooming centre in London Road, is one of five trainers taking part in the latest series of the Underdogs on Living TV.

The programme pairs up ten celebrities with rescue dogs and pits them against each other in events such as obedience, agility and doggie dancing.

Despite having more than 20 years experience as a dog trainer and behaviourist, this is proving to be Julie’s biggest challenge yet.

She said: “Celebrities are not necessarily dog people. The dogs are rescue dogs in a home with no training, and have got baggage and problems, so we have to try and get the dogs on board, too.

“The celebrites only get to select from four dogs and they may not get the right dog for them. They do not even get to touch them before they choose.

“It is a huge gamble.

“It is also hard when their time together is extremely limited because the celebrities do not live with the dogs. It tests you as a trainer.”

Julie is coaching Kevin Sacre, the actor who plays Jake in Hollyoaks, and stand-up comedian Jason Wood.

She said: “Jason was petrified of dogs as he was bitten by a dog as a child, but now he has fallen in love with his dog and wants to own it.

“You get huge success with dogs if they accept you as their handler.”

Each week, the celebrity with the lowest vote at the end of the night is eliminated from the competition.

All the dogs featured are available for adoption. The show airs on Living TV this autumn.

For information about adopting a dog, contact the Dog Trust on 0845 0763647