Bruiser

If you can afford it, hire Wiiliam Berloni. His company rescues dogs and trains them for performance. He handles Sandy, Bruiser, and Toto dogs. Perfectly professional and awesome experience. This will require much less effort on your part. If you can't afford that, work with a local dog trainer. Establish the blocking and what exactly you need Bruiser to do. Then work with the trainer to assertain whether the goals are realistic and if so, how they can be achieved. Early in the process, the actors interacting with the dog must be involved in the training. They will be responsible for cues and commands. Make sure you have an appropriate space for the dog to rest, eat, go to the bathroom, etc. and that your venue allows pets. We produced The Wizard of OZ with a live TOTO. IT was worth the effort and expense, but it was an effort and expense. Break a leg!