Brandon McMillan with Surfin' Jack in 2020 Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images Share on Facebook Share on X Share to Flipboard Send an Email Show additional share options Share on LinkedIn Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share on Tumblr Share on Whats App Print the Article Post a Comment The term "celebrity dog trainer" gets tossed around pretty loosely in Hollywood, but (much like the O.G. Cesar Millan) Brandon McMillan may be the rare one who's actually earned it. Aside from hosting his own Emmy-winning CBS reality show, Lucky Dog, in which he rescues and rehabilitates "unadoptable" canines, his off-camera client list reads like the seating chart at the Dolby - Dr. Phil (Great Pyrenees), James Caan (pit bulls), Demi Lovato (Maltipoo) and Wolfgang Puck (golden retriever and English sheepdog), to name just a few. With no shortage of trainers in Los Angeles, why do the rich and famous choose him? It's certainly not to save money. McMillan, who charges $9,500 for a two-week camp or $14,000 for six weeks of boarding and training, may be among the most expensive dog trainers on the planet - and he doesn't pretend otherwise. "Honestly, I work with very wealthy people," he says unapologetically. "My clients have fabulous homes filled with priceless furnishings that they do not want destroyed by a rambunctious puppy." Related Stories Hollywoof! Jet Set Pets: The Booming Business of Dog-Friendly Airlines Hollywoof! The Members-Only Dog Park Where Hollywood Elites Sniff Each Other Out What he offers isn't a quick drop-in session; it's a three-month immersion. Clients hand over their dogs to one of McMillan's two "puppy-raising camps" in California or Florida. These are no kennels. He describes them as "dog Shangri-Las," architecturally charming mini-barns designed to mirror the upscale homes the animals will return to. The logic: A puppy that learns to respect its surroundings will bring those manners home. His understanding of animals was forged early, in the family business. When he was 6, his father - who, along with Brandon's uncle, ran a Hollywood business supplying trained animals for film and TV - was launched 6 feet into the air by a Siberian tiger that took a chunk out of his thigh. The lesson was clear: Whether it's a tiger, an orca or a teacup poodle, no animal is ever completely "trained." McMillan chose to focus on pets, building his method around simplicity. Behind the private jets and Architectural Digest-worthy surroundings, his curriculum boils down to seven commands: sit, stay, come, down, off, no and heel. Each takes weeks of repetition to master - longer if he's training the owners, too. With Drew Carey on The Price Is Right in 2023. LOS ANGELES - NOVEMBER 13: "Holidays - Episode #412L" - Coverage of the CBS Original Daytime Series THE PRICE IS RIGHT, scheduled to air on the CBS Television Network. Pictured: Drew Carey and Brandon McMillan. (Photo by Sonja Flemming/CBS/Getty Images This story appeared in the Oct. 22 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe. THR Newsletters Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day Subscribe Sign Up California At Ease: The Fort That Found Inner Peace sneakers On Shoes Are Up to Half Off: Here Are the Brand's Best Models for Running, Walking and Training shopping Brooks x Disney Drop Two New Sneakers and Bring Back a Limited Number of Sold-Out Styles shopping KATSEYE on Their Pandora Collaboration and the Best Gifts to Receive Art + Hollywood David Hockney's Most Iconic Double Portrait Is Going Up for Sale at Christie's Travel Jet Set Pets: The Booming Business of Dog-Friendly Airlines California At Ease: The Fort That Found Inner Peace sneakers On Shoes Are Up to Half Off: Here Are the Brand's Best Models for Running, Walking and Training shopping Brooks x Disney Drop Two New Sneakers and Bring Back a Limited Number of Sold-Out Styles shopping KATSEYE on Their Pandora Collaboration and the Best Gifts to Receive Art + Hollywood David Hockney's Most Iconic Double Portrait Is Going Up for Sale at Christie's Travel Jet Set Pets: The Booming Business of Dog-Friendly Airlines