Cath Phillips: Dog trainer hits the screens to see if dogs can fly planes

Cath Phillips with husband Peter and dog Alfie

Rochdale dog trainer Cath Phillips will make a special TV appearance this weekend, as part of a ground-breaking new series that teaches Britain’s favourite pets the skills to fly a plane.

The new Sky1 series 'Dogs Might Fly' aims to test whether man’s best friend could absorb the skills needed to control an aircraft, as part of a new cognitive training technique that claims the animals have much higher abilities than we realise.

Twelve abandoned dogs from across the UK will attempt to become the first dogs in history to carry out the complicated task, some of which were cast aside by local authorities to be put down and were rescued by the show.

Expert dog trainer Cath Phillips, who runs On Track Dog Training School in Smallbridge, was selected to star in the series to prove how certain training techniques can actually be used to enable the canines to master aircraft controls.

Cath said: “Unfortunately I can’t say until after the show whether or not the dogs were fully successful, but it’s not as strange as it sounds. There is special training from scientists, dog trainers and pilots which teach them surprising skills.

“I was one of the four trainers chosen to be interviewed and put alongside three experts, including a scientist from Hungary and a well-known animal trainer.

“Then we searched the country for rescue dogs. Some of the dogs had been set aside to be put down by local authorities, because they can only keep them for a certain amount of time before they are destroyed. Thankfully we took them and they were so popular that every one of them have now been homed.”

During the 10-week training period, scientists looked at the dogs’ communication, empathy and memory skills as they followed their journey and watched them improve. The adorable canines were so loved by those caring for them, that even a camera man took one home.

Cath added:  "It is really great that they all have a place to live now, we couldn’t have had it where they went back into rescue after filming.

“As for the planes, there isn’t much else I can tell you yet, you’ll just have to watch the show and find out for yourself.”

The first episode will be on Sky1 at 7.00pm on Sunday (28 February).