Could your dog be a supermodel?

Short legs, a cold nose and the ability not to leave a puddle on the floor aren't attributes usually associated with top models. But it's different when you're a dog.

Lisa Ronchetti, 26, a PR manager from north London, signed up her eight-month-old miniature dachshund, Milo, to a pet model agency just six months ago, but he has already starred in a video and photo campaign for Barclays bank.

With possible fees of up to £100 an hour, the earning power of your pet is not to be sniffed at, and while there may be an occasional call for a chameleon or cockatoo, dogs are the top earners in animal modelling.

Ms Ronchetti could be on to a winner, according to Beverley Cuddy, editor of Dogs Today magazine. "Ads often use a token dog to add a bit of warmth," she says. "Ten years ago it was usually a big shaggy one. Nowadays it's likely to be a small dog like a dachshund."

To make your pet a star, first find an agency. As with their human equivalent, watch out for the dodgy ones, warns Ms Cuddy, as they can demand large payments from proud pet owners in return for a glossy portfolio and little else.

Ms Ronchetti has signed Milo up to PetLondon Models, a central London agency run by Melody Lewis, 27, a former lawyer. Most of the agency's clients are dogs and cats, but it also has iguanas and even a hedgehog on its books.

"What is important is that these animals are pets," says Ms Lewis, who started the agency five years ago after getting her own dog, Poppy – also now a model – from Battersea Dogs Home. "We always talk to owners before accepting an application. We want the animals to enjoy themselves when they're working."

Applying for membership of PetLondon Models was straightforward, according to Ms Ronchetti, who simply supplied photos and details about Milo, and paid £19.99 for a year to cover the cost of his online portfolio. Dog and owner did a six-week training course, and soon after, Milo found himself on set shooting his first commercial.

Pet models come in all shapes and sizes and mongrels can be just as successful as pedigrees. In the dog-modelling world, training and temperament are what really count. But however obedient your pet is, it's unlikely to make you rich. Milo earned £200 for the Barclays bank shoot, but there are travel expenses involved and you may have to take time off work.

Finally, Ms Cuddy warns that this is a highly competitive business: "There are 6.9 million dog owners in the country, and 6.8 million of them think their dogs should be on television."