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Rick Karl, Owner
Hollywood Dog Training School
Our Proud History- Hollywood Dog Training School
Hollywood Dog Training School was founded in 1927 by Carl Spitz Sr. an international respected dog trainer who was known for his police dog, war dog, and studio “trick” training. In the early 1950′s, Carl and his son, Carl Jr., relocated the school to our current location. The land was purchased from Rudd Weatherwax, the owner and trainer of the original Lassie. In fact Lassie’s paw prints are embedded in the cement of one of our kennel floors. This is a daily reminder of our proud history.
Hundreds of Hollywood dogs have been trained here over the years, and we take great delight in seeing them on the silver screen. Likewise, we have trained hundreds of dogs owned by Hollywood stars. Yet, while our celebrity clientele is substantial, we would prefer you to know what great pleasure we get in working with the star of the American family home – your dog.
The most indulged of all the spoiled lovelies of Hollywood during the Golden Age were the canine actors who worked in films. They had their own hotel—The Hollywood Dog Training School—where at one time, seventy-five of the best known dogs of the screen lived in tranquil comfort.
The previous location of the school was set on a pleasant ten-acre site, covered with oaks and willows, near Laurel Canyon Boulevard five miles north of Hollywood. Three hundred feet back from the road stood a cream colored frame house and back of it were two kennels, each 150 feet long. It featured southern exposure, long runs to each kennel, a large grass playground, showers in each section, and several porcelain bathtubs with hot and cold water, an electric drier and a special kitchen where, every day, a tempting cauldron full of vegetable and beef bone soup was cooked for dinners of the distinguished boarders.
Around 1958, the Ventura Freeway was being built through the San Fernando Valley and the route went through Spitz’s school, forcing him to relocate. Today the Hollywood Dog Training School is still in existence at 10805 Van Owen Street.
Excerpts from Paw Print The Magazine