Lions and Tigers and Totos, Oh My! Get to know the four-legged stars of The Wizard of Oz

The role of Toto is played by two cairn terriers, Alfie and Nessa, who are trained by none other than Tony Award-winner Bill Berloni. William Berloni Theatrical Animals has trained animals for 33 Broadway shows and hundreds of off-Broadway and regional productions, national tours, television shows, movies, and even Super Bowl commercials.  

Berloni has a soft spot for Toto, calling him “the only character who goes to Oz and doesn’t need to learn anything.” Read on to learn more about what it takes to prepare these terrier stars for their time in the spotlight!

CTC: What is the training process like for both dogs? 
Bill Berloni: First, we only use adopted dogs. Once we make them healthy, we begin with a positive reinforcement basic obedience course in our training room at home. When we are sure they understand the basics, we start training them to do the same thing in different places with different distractions. If we feel they enjoy the work, we find a school production of The Wizard of Oz to try them out. That’s where we find out if they enjoy performing or not. If they do, they go into the roster of working dogs we own who live with us. If at any point of their training or career they decide that they don’t enjoy the work, we retire them back to our farm.  

CTC: What is the rehearsal process like once they are in the room with the cast? 
BB: Every human character that interacts with the dogs goes through individual training processes. We teach the actors how to be dog trainers and then bond them as friends to the dogs.  

CTC: What does a day in the life look like for these two once performances begin? 
BB: A day for the dogs is very simple. They sleep and rest as much as possible. They get plenty of exercise during the show, as well as a large amount of interaction with people.  

CTC: Are there any other fun facts about these two dog actors that you would like to share? 
BB: With recurring roles like Toto, we pass the role from one dog down to another. For years, Nessa was the lead dog while we trained Alfie in the role. Now Alfie is the lead, and Nessa is semi-retired and stands by just in case.