Ditte Young Used Telepathy to Train a New Canine Star
The new season of the popular Netflix series Money Heist (La Casa de Papel) includes scenes filmed in Denmark, featuring a Danish Great Dane. Animal communicator Ditte Young cast and trained the dog.
Finding the Right Dog
Ditte Young was contacted by a production company looking for a Danish Great Dane for a television series. Although she was not initially told which production was involved, she immediately began searching for a suitable dog.
She soon received approximately 180 emails from owners hoping their dogs would be selected.
Ditte explained that she used her telepathic abilities to connect with the dogs and assess whether they would be comfortable in a film environment.
She initially imagined a set with approximately ten people, although the actual production crew eventually exceeded 50.
After narrowing the candidates down to five dogs, a young Great Dane named Calvin was selected.
Ditte was initially uncertain about choosing the youngest dog, but Calvin’s owner was thrilled.
Only later did Ditte discover that the production was Money Heist, one of her own favorite television series.
Her Expertise Was Taken Seriously
Throughout the month-long collaboration, Ditte found that the production team listened carefully to her recommendations.
She even influenced changes to several scenes to protect the dog’s well-being.
In one scene, Calvin was originally supposed to eat a steak. Ditte objected because repeated takes could require the dog to consume an excessive amount of meat.
The scene was therefore rewritten so the actors and dog would eat cake together. At Ditte’s recommendation, a special dog-friendly cake was prepared using liver pâté and a small amount of whipped cream.
Another scene required an actress to walk down an angled staircase with the dog while wearing approximately five-inch heels.
After practicing the scene with Calvin, Ditte concluded that it required considerable experience and calmness. She advised the production that it would not be safe.
The scene was changed so the actress and dog would walk upstairs instead.
Ditte worked closely with Calvin’s owner, Line Beske, to prepare the dog for filming.
Some of the training involved teaching Calvin behaviors that his owner had previously worked hard to discourage, including jumping onto a table.
An Unexpected Change of Dogs
When the actors and director arrived in Copenhagen in July, actress Diana Gómez was scheduled to meet Calvin for the first time.
The meeting took place in H. C. Ørsted Park.
Ditte was not physically present but stayed in contact by phone with Calvin’s owner and maintained what she described as a telepathic connection with the dog.
She was concerned about the choice of location because the park was busy and full of other dogs.
During the meeting, Calvin pulled away from Diana Gómez, frightening the actress.
The production initially decided to use Calvin’s father, Courage, as a stand-in for the walking scenes.
However, the team quickly became so impressed with Courage that they wanted him to take over the entire role.
They made the decision just 36 hours before filming.
Ditte suddenly had only a day and a half to prepare Courage for the production.
A Star Arrives in Nyhavn
Thirty-six hours later, Ditte arrived in Nyhavn with Courage.
As they approached the set, she heard crew members announce over their walkie-talkies that the dog coach was arriving.
Although Ditte had worked on film sets before, this was by far the largest production she had ever been involved in.
When she arrived, a production manager directed her toward makeup.
Ditte explained that she was the dog coach, only to discover she would also appear in the series.
After having her makeup done, she headed toward the ship Liva, where the first scenes would be filmed.
Standing alongside actors she had previously watched on Netflix was an extraordinary experience.
She also felt the production respected her expertise, especially since some crew members seemed intimidated by the enormous dog and relied on her to handle him.
Pig Ears and an Unusual Scene
Courage quickly won over the production team with his charming, easygoing personality.
He also created several unexpected and entertaining moments.
During the cake scene, Courage was supposed to jump onto a table and eat his specially prepared cake.
However, when the actors’ cake arrived, he found it irresistible and ate theirs instead.
In another scene, two actors were supposed to kiss. Courage became so excited that he jumped up onto their shoulders, leaving everyone on the boat laughing.
But one particular scene became especially memorable for Ditte.
The director suddenly decided that Courage should sniff actor Patrick Criado in the crotch.
Ditte had to find a way to encourage the dog to perform the action on cue.
She asked Courage’s owner whether she had any treats he particularly enjoyed.
The owner had dried pig ears.
Ditte therefore rubbed the dried pig ears against the actor’s crotch to create a scent that would attract Courage.
The technique worked, and Courage went directly toward the intended spot.
A Twelve-Hour Day on Set
Throughout the twelve-hour filming day, Ditte rehearsed scenes with Courage before actress Diana Gómez performed them.
The production wanted Gómez to maintain a feminine appearance on screen.
For some scenes, she therefore walked with a loose leash, allowing the dog to be edited into the footage later if necessary.
Ditte’s role involved preparing Courage, helping the actors work with him, and ensuring the scenes could be performed successfully.
A Happy Reunion
Nearly a year and a half after filming in Copenhagen, Ditte was preparing to see the finished result.
Courage had participated in seven scenes, although Ditte did not yet know how many would appear in the final version.
She had spotted herself and Courage in the trailer, confirming that at least some footage had been included.
Later that day, Ditte was scheduled to appear on the Danish morning television program Go’ Morgen Danmark to discuss the experience.
She would also be reunited with Courage for the first time since filming.
Ditte was looking forward to seeing him again.
She also hoped to meet director Jesús Colmenar again, recalling that he had kissed her goodbye and told her they would see each other again.
Looking back, Ditte described the production as an extraordinary, exciting experience, especially because she had so much influence over how they handled the dog and filmed the scenes.
