Husbands and Dogs: How Much Do They Have in Common?

Aug. 23, 2005 — -- Annie Clayton believes husbands can learn a lot from dogs.

"I have been training dogs for 20 years but I have been married a whole lot longer and I firmly believe you can train your husband like a dog because they both learn in the same way," Clayton said. "I am living proof it works. I haven't washed a dish in years."

Clayton is the host of a controversial British reality show called, "Bring Your Husband to Heel," which promises wives the chance to teach old husbands new tricks.

Margaret and John Elliot, the show's first husband and wife/master and student contestants, have been married for 37 years.

"I spend most of my life tidying up after him," Margaret Elliot said.

John Elliot said the tone of his wife's nagging stopped him from pitching in more.

"It's the way she says 'John' that really bites into my bones," he said.

Clayton advised the couple it's all about throwing bones; more good dog than sit and stay.

"You're going to ignore what you don't want anymore," Clayton told Margaret Elliot on the show. "Replace that behavior you don't want with something that you do want, which is helping you with the dishes, which you must reward each tiny, tiny little increment towards the whole."

On the show, Margaret Elliot practiced on a real dog first. Then, with hidden cameras recording every moment, she put the formula to the test on her husband.

And it worked!

"I think most husbands have fairly predictable behavior patterns," said Daisy Goodwin, creator of "Bring Your Husband to Heel." "My husband certainly works on a very simple pleasure principle."