By: Emily Safron
Hollywood, CA, (The Hollywood Times) 7/12/2023 – Chrissy Joy is a celebrity dog trainer, International Trick Dog Champion and manager of Bone-A-Feid Talent Group (BTG). She has always had a love for animals, but her passion was truly sparked when she got her first dog, a beagle named Angie. “I had never taken a training class or read a book on training. I just went with the flow of what felt right, and a spark had lit,” says Joy.
Due to agoraphobia, the fear of leaving the home, working animals helped Joy develop a place of comfort and safety. She has attributed her work with dogs to changing her life. In addition to training other dogs, she works with The Joy Crew, her four dogs: Beasley, Whidbey, Darbey and Fuji. You may have seen her dogs on various projects such as The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, Agent Toby Barks and Sydney Sweeney’s latest movie Reality.
BTG was created within Joy’s home training facility, BFF Pet Services. It consists of live shows along the east coast that include several trainers and their dogs. Joy also has a large hand in DOGTV, a channel of programs created just for your dog through color accommodations and calming sounds. Through DOGTV, Joy is a host of The Dog Moms, a show and podcast designed for pet parents, outlining the fun and difficulties of owning a pet!
When it comes to working on sets with animals, there is more to handling than meets the eye. “When I work my dogs on set, I am careful to understand the expectations on the job and discuss realistic ways to achieve goals without diminishing the importance of my dogs’ mental and physical wellness. There is always a point where I need to be comfortable to say, “no” or limit the actions that are expected,” says Joy. “I know my dog’s body language and expressions to know when they need a break or if a scene is demanding too much.”
The biggest part of being a dog trainer is being open to flexibility on set. Prior to filming, Joy likes to walk her dogs around the filming area to allow them the chance to get acquainted with the environment. They also may get the chance to meet actors who will be in the scene. Once it is time to film, there is a small window of time for the dogs to investigate their working area. When Beasley starred in Agent Toby Barks, he was expected to do a wide array of tricks from driving a car to crawling through an AC vent. “I will never forget a scene where they asked if he could do four different actions in a row in one single take. We hadn’t practiced and time was of the essence. I only had time to briefly show Beasley around the scene. Once “action” was called, Beasley nailed all of the actions swiftly and with ease… leaving their jaws dropped! It just proves to show the love and bond we create with our dog can unlock incredible moments of communication and trust,” says Joy.
If you are interested in getting involved on set or learning more, Chrissy Joy and The Joy Crew are both on all social media platforms as @thejoycrew on TikTok, Instagram and Facebook and @thechrissyjoy on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
