Rescue mutt Ned, who plays Nan’s (Allison Tolman) pet dog Martin on ABC’s “Downward Dog,” went to acting school for six weeks before the start of the show’s filming. But how did Tolman prepare for her scenes with Ned?

In a recent interview with Salon, Tolman revealed that her preparations for acting opposite Ned weren’t that intensive compared to what Ned had done prior to start of show’s production. “My main job with Ned was just to bond with him and get him to sort of trust me and like me,” Tolman said. “[I just had] act like I was his owner, which was kind of a crash course in bonding.”

But filming actual scenes was a different story. Tolman admitted that shooting scenes at Nan’s home could feel lonely at times because she was only interacting with a dog. “[But] as I got to know Ned’s trainers more and more and kind of regard them as my co-stars in these scenes, that became really helpful,” said the Emmy- and Golden Globe-nominated actress.

READ: What was Allison Tolman’s first impression of “Downward Dog”?

During a guest appearance on “Good Morning America,” Tolman admitted that filming scenes with Ned made “days longer and a little bit more technical on set.” “But for us, he is the heart of our show,” the “Fargo” alum said of Ned. “[So] there is no option to not have a dog. I’m glad that it’s this one because I love him.”

Surprisingly, Tolman also had to deal with allergies when filming intimate scenes with Ned. “I’m allergic to dogs,” she revealed on the morning show. “I’m [actually] fully drugged up right now. I took allergy pills then I wouldn’t get itchy. But anytime he’s like kissing me, they’ll be like ‘That’s so great. We loved it,’ and I’ll be like ‘Great!’ Then they’ll cut and I’ll be like ‘I need some Benadryl spray on my face.’”

In next week’s Season 1, episode 4 of “Downward Dog,” Nan meets Eric (Timothy Omundson), an attractive dog owner who appears to be the older and more successful version of Nan’s ex-boyfriend, Jason (Lucas Neff). Nan enlists Eric’s help with Martin (voiced by Samm Hodges), secretly hoping to score a date with him. But when Martin gets to spend some time with Eric’s well-trained dog, Martin is thrust into a crisis of self-confidence.

“Downward Dog” Season 1, episode 4, titled “The Full Package,” airs on Tuesday, June 6 at 8 p.m. EDT on ABC.

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