Graeme Hall, the renowned dog trainer known as the Dogfather, has experienced a series of dramatic life events away from his television career, including the loss of three dogs, a marriage split, and a severe dog bite accident.
Marriage Split from Elinor Perry-Hall
Graeme married accountant Elinor Perry-Hall in 2017 in a ceremony in Sri Lanka, followed by celebrations in the UK. Rumours of their separation began circulating in 2023. In an interview with The Times, Graeme revealed he was living in Oxfordshire with a new partner. The reason for the split remains private, and he keeps his personal life relatively confidential. In 2024, Graeme and his new partner were photographed together at Thirsk Birds of Prey Centre.
Triple Heartbreaking Loss of Dogs
In 2025, Graeme shared the sad news that he and his unnamed partner lost all three of their dogs: boxer Scooby, Jonny, and Tish, a Patterdale terrier. Speaking to Country Living, he said: “Although my partner and I lost all three of our dogs last year, there was a sense of relief mixed in. They reached ripe old ages with health issues including doggy dementia, so towards the end we used to joke that we had one blind, one deaf and one daft as a brush. I can still say I have a Rottie and a springer, though, even if they are both guinea pigs, named after their dog-like colourings.”
Hardest Dog Loss: Rottweiler Gordon
Graeme endured his biggest heartbreak with the loss of his Rottweiler Gordon, who developed incurable cancer. He had to make the crushing decision to euthanise him. He recounted: “People say that dogs let you know when they’re ready to go and get to a point where they’ve given up. However, when Gordon got unwell with incurable cancer, it was different. He couldn’t balance or see and was falling over, banging into things and hurting himself. In the end, he was just staggering around the garden in circles. But rather than slowing down, it’s like Gordon was saying: ‘I’m alright, Dad; just give me a minute to shake this off.’ We had to overrule him. He was fighting it and wanted to keep going, but we knew he couldn’t and was suffering. It was incredibly difficult and the hardest dog loss I have ever been through.”
Horror Dog Bite Accident
In 2019, Graeme spoke about nearly losing his hand after being attacked by a German Shepherd. He told the Daily Express: “A German Shepherd I went to see four years ago had been re-homed, and was barking very aggressively. They brought him in to see me and he just went for my left hand. He bit hard, at the same time the owner pulled on the lead. The effect was to rip it [my hand].” He added: “It was off to A&E. I ended up in the operating theatre. The bites just missed a tendon and nerve and I nearly lost the full use of that hand. It was a close call. That really made me think differently and I will now put a muzzle on the dog, but I still get little bites here and there.”
Graeme started his professional canine training business in 2008 and has been presenting Channel 5's Dogs Behaving (Very) Badly since 2017, along with an Australian version. The show helps dog owners manage misbehaving pets and strengthen their bond, though it can sometimes go wrong for Graeme.
