Welcome to Paid Actor Animal Training
If you are looking for professionally trained animals to bring that irreplaceable, nostalgia of practical effects to your project then look no further. Paid Actor Animal Training provides a wide range of species that can turn your wildest ideas into a reality. From rats that can drive cars to dogs that can chase down the villain, let us do the heavy lifting so your creative team can focus on building stories that captivate and inspire.
Head Trainer: Hannah Darrow, RVT
How we got here
In 2012 Hannah started a dog training company called Perfect Storm Working Dogs, which introduced dog sport training into households with high energy canine companions. In 2014 Hannah branched out to train horses at an equine rehabilitation facility in Colorado and moved to Northern California in 2018 to pursue larger animal training projects. Working with horses led to an interest in cattle, which eventually landed Hannah in Santa Rosa California where she still provides veterinary care and animal training to a wide range of exotic animals at veterinary hospitals and zoos. She utilizes a combination of R+, Karen Pryor clicker training and Michael Ellis free shaping teaching techniques to bridge the interspecies communication gaps. These days Hannah runs a successful animal actor company in Northern California and enjoys bringing her solution-based attitude to the film set.
Certifications: A.A.S, RVT, Karen Pryor Academy (clicker training), Michael Ellis Marker Training, R+ and Fear Free handling, Parelli Natural Horsemanship
Our Services
Camera-Ready Animal Actors
Provide our team with details and the timeline of your project and we will provide the expertly trained and production-ready animal actor(s). Available actors are horses, dogs, cats and rats.
Project Consultation
Let our Head Trainer help guide your creative team through the set and prop building process. Hannah can build mockups, advise on species specific materials and answer any questions about how to best utilize an animal actor in a scene.
From Birth to Broadway
If you desire a specific rat color or unique dog breed, we offer a day rate for raising adolescent animals in a safe and comfortable home environment. We can provide rehoming services at the end of your project.
Behind the Scenes Content
Daily or weekly behind the scenes training footage can be supplied for your film/marketing project.
Get in Touch
Interested in hiring one of our paid actors? Please fill out the contact form below and include any relevant details about your animal actor needs.