Animal Trainer. He is remembered for owning and training the Cairn Terrier named Terry, who portrayed 'Toto' in the 1939 movie "The Wizard of Oz." A German immigrant, he was a student of Colonel Konrad Most, who was widely considered to be "The Father of Dog Training in America." In 1927 he opened his Hollywood Dog Training School in Studio City, California. He developed the method of using silent hand signals to direct an animal and would later go on to become the person responsible for setting up America's World War II War-Dog Program. In the 1950s, his home and kennel was taken to make room for the Ventura Freeway and he relocated to North Hollywood, California where he merged his business with the ranch and dog training school of Rudd Weatherwax, the famed trainer of the film and television dog 'Lassie'. His book, "Training Your Dog" (1938) was one of the first manuals on dog training to be published. He died at the age of 82.
Animal Trainer. He is remembered for owning and training the Cairn Terrier named Terry, who portrayed 'Toto' in the 1939 movie "The Wizard of Oz." A German immigrant, he was a student of Colonel Konrad Most, who was widely considered to be "The Father of Dog Training in America." In 1927 he opened his Hollywood Dog Training School in Studio City, California. He developed the method of using silent hand signals to direct an animal and would later go on to become the person responsible for setting up America's World War II War-Dog Program. In the 1950s, his home and kennel was taken to make room for the Ventura Freeway and he relocated to North Hollywood, California where he merged his business with the ranch and dog training school of Rudd Weatherwax, the famed trainer of the film and television dog 'Lassie'. His book, "Training Your Dog" (1938) was one of the first manuals on dog training to be published. He died at the age of 82.
Bio by: William Bjornstad
Family Members
Advertisement
See more Spitz memorials in:
Records on Ancestry
Advertisement
