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DOGS Behaving Very Badly viewers complained that people should "stop blaming" dogs for the incompetence of their owners as the show welcomed its first celebrity guest.

Pooch trainer Graeme Hall met singer Alexandra Burke who was struggling to cope with the stubborn and jealous behaviour of her Chihuahua called Prince.

Dogs Behaving Very Badly viewers were baffled that Alexandra Burke had not trained the pooch from a young age
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Dogs Behaving Very Badly viewers were baffled that Alexandra Burke had not trained the pooch from a young ageCredit: Channel 5
Prince's reign of terror lasted nine years
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Prince's reign of terror lasted nine yearsCredit: Channel 5

The popstar, who has owned Prince for nine years, explained that the small pooch needed to be centre of attention at all times, otherwise he starts to behave erratically.

Although he may look small, Prince has become known for scaring off the other dogs at Alexandra's local Hertfordshire park and had to remain on his lead during walks.

"When you meet another dog... that literally is war," Alexandra said.

She continued: "Prince is a very loving dog and I say that from the bottom of my heart.

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"But when he is around other dogs, Prince can be quite dominating and aggressive."

Prince's reign of terror continued at home, with the Chihuahua constantly barking at Alexandra's other dogs when she gave them the slightest affection.

The second-born of five dogs, Prince had reigned supreme for nine years, leaving Alexandra at a loss as to where his sense of entitlement had come from, but Graeme had a pretty good idea.

He noticed that the singer never praised the pooch when he was quiet and had mixed some signals - like cuddling the dog when he kicked off but putting him on the floor when he was quiet.

By simply using these training tips, Alexandra was able to transform her dog's behaviour.

However, viewers were convinced that Alexandra should have given the pooch the "right training and direction from a young age".

One wrote: "Can we please stop blaming innocent dogs for the incompetence of their owners to actually learn how dogs work and how to train them appropriately? That would be great. #DogsBehavingVeryBadly"

Another posted: "#DogsBehavingVeryBadly ...so miss Burke had a badly behaved dog for 9 years before seeking help ..... from a tv show/appearance ....or am I just being #cynical #dogs are a HUGE responsibility which is why I don’t have one because I didn’t want to be #fashionable."

A third said: "Have these owners seriously not thought about this? #DogsBehavingVeryBadly."

Another added: "I knew there would be some nasty comments about small dogs like Prince.

"He clearly hasn’t been given the right training and direction from a young age and is very reactive. With the right socialisation and training from a pup, Chihuahuas make great dogs ."

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Elsewhere, Graeme met an Old English Sheepdog that kept hurling itself at oncoming traffic on walks.

He also helped transform rescue dog Coco, who used to howl and bark as soon as it left the house.

The pooch had a habit of barking at other dogs
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The pooch had a habit of barking at other dogsCredit: Channel 5
Alexandra transformed Prince's behaviour with a few small training tips from Graeme
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Alexandra transformed Prince's behaviour with a few small training tips from GraemeCredit: Channel 5

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