So what are “˜celebrity dogs,’ and does your dog have what it takes to be featured in a new, big-name cinema flick?

If your dog enjoys good looks and a winning personality, and even has that special “˜something’ the French call je ne sais quoi, then your dog may make a great prospect for being one of the up-and-coming stars. But it isn’t just looks, personality or being able to do tricks on command that makes a dog a prime candidate to become one of the new breed of celebrity dogs … other skills are required, too. Let’s examine what it takes to be a celebrity dog in a little more detail.

One of the most valuable traits that your dog can have, if he wants to have a shot at the silver screen, is patience. If he’s going to be a successful star, your dog needs to be able to repeat the same thing over and over again. There’s plenty of standing around and then having to re-do scenes, something even the human actors find difficult, so celebrity dogs need to avoid falling victim to boredom too easily. They also need to grasp that if they’re patient and well-behaved, there will be plenty of reward for them over the long term. This takes a good deal of training.

Secondly, any successful canine star or dog actor needs to be able to take direction from complete strangers, and follow these instructions to the letter. A dog actor might also be required to undertake activities in strange surroundings, and work closely with even more complete strangers (the actors and crew), so your dog will need to feel comfortable in a variety of environments and not scare easily with unfamiliar handlers.

Thirdly, if your dog is to be a famous and in-demand canine star, then he’ll need to be relatively insensitive to sound. For instance, your dog will need to be able to take loud environmental bangs and crashes without being fazed by them. This is particularly true if your dog is working on a film set.

Alternatively, your dog might need to learn to pretend to be sleeping without flinching while his acting partners move through the scene … a common scenario when working on the set of a mini-series or soap opera, and one that requires great effort on the part of your dog.

Of course, not all celebrity dogs are working dogs. The final way to make a celebrity of your dog is to become a celebrity yourself. Make the covers of preteen and Hollywood magazines, attend and throw parties with plenty of “swag,” develop a self-branded empire filled with perfumes, fashion, films, top hit singles and reality TV programs, and your dog might become a celebrity simply from being associated with you, particularly if he’s tiny, cute and can be dressed in adorable clothes.

This is the path to dog celebrity taken by four-footed stars like Paris Hilton’s Bambi and Tinkerbell (present and former Chihuahua), Britney Spears’ Bit Bit and Lacy Loo (Chihuahua and Maltese), Jessica Simpson’s Daisy (Poodle-slash-Maltese mix), Kate Hudson’s Clara Bo (Pomeranian), Star Jones’ Pinky (Maltese), Pamela Anderson’s Star and Luca (Golden Retriever, Chihuahua), Nicolette Sheridan’s Oliver (Golden Retriever) and Hilary Duff’s Lola and Macy (Chihuahua and Pocket Pomeranian).