What kind of dog is Hooch in Turner & Hooch?
The new Disney Plus series may well capture the hearts of dog lovers.
The unlikely duo of Turner & Hooch to a new generation with a new sequel series on Disney Plus, which sees former teen star Josh Peck as the son of Tom Hanks' character from the original film.
Following a similar premise to the 1989 hit, Turner & Hooch sees buttoned-up US marshal Scott Turner Jr inherit an unruly dog, similar to that with which his father once worked with.
After some initial hesitation, the two strike up a close bond and an effective working relationship, cracking cases and inching closer to the truth about what happened to Turner Snr.
Creating a 12-episode television series is a larger undertaking than a single feature film, with the team behind Turner & Hooch's 2021 incarnation enlisting the help of five dogs to get it done.
Read on for all the details on Hooch in Disney Plus' Turner & Hooch series.
What dog breed is Hooch in Turner and Hooch?
The dog featured in Turner & Hooch, both the 1989 original and the 2021 follow-up, is a French Mastiff, a muscular breed known for its strength which first gained popularity in the mid-1800s.
According to the American Kennel Club, a well-raised French Mastiff will be a "sweet and sensitive", but the website warns that if proper training is not applied from a young age, they can be "stubborn" or "dominate" their owners.
The PDSA emphasises the importance of buying a French Mastiff, also known as a Dogue de Bordeaux, from a responsible breeder, estimating that the pet would cost approximately £17,000 across its lifetime (not including purchase price).
Sadly, French Mastiffs do not often live as long as certain other dog breeds, with Pets4Homes giving an average lifespan for the breed of five to six years, as they are prone to heart conditions.
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Is the dog in Turner and Hooch real or CGI?
Make no mistake: Hooch is the real deal.
In the first film, the role was played by just one animal – the since deceased Beasley the Dog – but the role is shared in the new version among five different French Mastiffs, each one with their own particular skill.
Arnie, Hammer, Opie, Cyd and Mimi are the names of the five canines cast in the series, with star Josh Peck getting to know them all very well over the course of the shoot.
"They’re all talented in their own ways. Opie was our elder statesman, an older dog, so he had a chill way about him. Hammer would pull my arm out of its socket because he only had one speed, and that was ‘Rip Josh across the scene’ at all times," the former Drake & Josh star told New York Post.
"And then there was Mimi, our only female dog, who was our super-specialist. When we needed a dog to jump high, she was the one we called in. It was like having a team — you called in your specialist."
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In another interview with Variety, Peck praised how having real dogs on-set lends scenes in Turner & Hooch a sense of authenticity and unpredictability that he enjoyed taking on.
“Dogs force you to get out of your plan and out of your comfort zone, which is really great for a guy like me, who likes to run his scenes in the shower the night before,” he explained.
Turner and Hooch is streaming exclusively on Disney Plus. You can sign up to Disney Plus for £7.99 a month or £79.90 a year now. Looking for something else to watch? Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what's on tonight.
Authors
David Craig is the Senior Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest and greatest scripted drama and comedy across television and streaming. Previously, he worked at Starburst Magazine, presented The Winter King Podcast for ITVX and studied Journalism at the University of Sheffield.
