The trainer
Alex Rothacker
Alex started training dogs at 16 and never stopped. More than 50+ years later he owns TOPS Kennel in Grayslake, Illinois, where he runs the six-week programs that have put hundreds of police K9s on the street across the Chicago area.
He learned from the late Willie Necker, whose dogs performed on The Ed Sullivan Show, and he has carried that showmanship forward: Alex and his dogs have set more than 30+ Guinness World Records and appeared on national television for decades.
His method is simple and stubborn: consistency, praise, and tiny steps. No force. He has taken shelter dogs scheduled for euthanasia and turned them into performers. The same approach works on a police dog, a record-holder, and the puppy chewing your shoe right now.
The star
Pappy the Poodle
Pappy is a three-year-old white poodle from Chicago who walks on his hind legs — across Michigan Avenue, into the NBC Chicago studio, and up flights of stairs. Alex started working with him at three months old after noticing how much Pappy loved an audience: the more people clapped, the taller he stood.
He holds Guinness World Records for walking backward and climbing stairs on two legs, and he has charmed audiences on The Kelly Clarkson Show, NewsNation, WGN, and NBC. Millions follow him at @pappythepoodle.
Every trick Pappy knows was built the same way you'll learn in these courses — lure, mark, reward, repeat — a few minutes at a time.
As seen on
NBC Chicago
Walked into the studio on two legs
The Kelly Clarkson Show
Kelly loves Pappy
NewsNation
Live tricks on Morning in America
WGN Morning News
Studio guest
CBS Chicago
Lake County's top K9 trainer