Film & TV Unit

Behind the Scenes of Because of Winn-Dixie

What do you get when you mix a Newbery Medal-winning children’s story with a charming ingénue and her rascally canine companion?

American Humane’s Film & Television Unit got the inside scoop from trainers Mark Forbes, Larry Payne, and Ray Beals of Birds and Animals Unlimited during filming of Because of Winn-Dixie in Napoleonville, Louisiana.

Winn-Dixie, the title canine character, may look like a mangy mutt, but he is actually a rare breed known as the Picardy shepherd, named after the region in northern France where it first developed. Head trainer Forbes explained he wanted a dog that looked like the one on the cover of author Kate DiCamillo’s novel, but could not use a mixed breed because it would be impossible to find four or five that looked enough alike. Multiple understudies are critical in movies so that if one animal gets sick or doesn’t feel like working, production doesn’t have to come to a grinding halt. In the Picardy shepherd, trainers found a breed so unusual that audiences wouldn’t be able to tell when the dogs were alternated in filming.

Four canine stars in one

An exhaustive search yielded the trainers four perfect specimens: Scott and Laiko were alternated for the lead part, and Decon and Sasha were on call as backups. Since none of the dogs had ever performed before, trainers spent 12 weeks training the foursome to get a feel for their unique strengths and weaknesses. After prepping the dogs for seven weeks in Los Angeles, they flew to the set in Napoleonville to finish the training with AnnaSophia Robb, the young actress who plays the part of Opal.

Scott and Laiko performed nearly all the action in the film, and Forbes marveled at their differing personalities. Scott was the more sophisticated of the two, excelling at intricate training and the slower paced, sentimental scenes. On the down side, Scott needed more time to adjust to new people and situations. Laiko meanwhile had a gregarious, fearless nature, always willing to try new stunts. This ying-and-yang balance worked perfectly for Forbes, since one dog was always able to perform as needed.

As seen from the set

While trainers enjoyed a catered pancake breakfast, the animal actors remained in their crates inside heated vans, warm and cozy. Crew members would stop their own work and gather around as the trainers took out the dogs to exercise them. Handmade wooden ornaments with each dog’s name hung on their crates a Christmas gift from some of the crew, Forbes explained. Apparently it was never a problem to find someone on the set willing to help walk or give these contented canines some attention. As Forbes and Laiko walked to the set, several people would automatically bend to pet the dog. There wasn’t a lot of talking to the trainers, but everyone acknowledged Winn Dixie.

Not surprisingly, AnnaSophia and the dogs got along wonderfully. Included in the trainers’ bag of tricks was a special pair of goggles for the actress that had a fork extending from the nose piece. Forbes would put a piece of cooked liver (a favorite treat of all the dogs) on the fork to get the dog to look directly at AnnaSophia. By the time the actual filming rolled around, all the actress had to do was hold up a piece of liver near her face to get Winn-Dixie’s attention.

One big family

In addition to the four Picardy shepherds, trainers also wrangled goats, pigs, doves, rabbits, a goose, a monkey, and a cockatoo named Cookie the star of Gertrude’s Pet Shop in the film. Forbes recalled one night when Cookie was sitting on her perch and the entire cast and crew threw a surprise birthday party for AnnaSophia. Singer/songwriter Dave Matthews, who makes his big screen debut in Because of Winn-Dixie, played his guitar for the actress while Cookie bobbed and danced to the beat. At the end of the song, it was not Matthews who brought the crowd to its feet but Cookie’s avian dance moves!