On Tuesday, Vladae Roytapel of Troy was just your average dog wizard.

By Wednesday night, he was a dog wizard who had David Letterman on a leash -- literally.

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"Basically, I took over the show," said Roytapel, a native of Russia who teaches and demonstrates his alternative dog training techniques around Michigan. "I said, 'OK, David Letterman, let me demonstrate my methods on you.'"

And demonstrate he did. Roytapel led the talk show host around his New York studio during an appearance on Late Night with David Letterman on CBS Wednesday night.

How did a Michigan dog trainer, who dubs himself the "dog wizard," get on a nationally syndicated TV show?

According to Roytapel, it's just good luck. Show producers found some information on Roytapel's Web site, http://www.911dogwizard.com/. They called him at 8 p.m. Tuesday, flew him out in the early morning Wednesday and rehearsed early Wednesday afternoon.

Not having slept the previous night, Roytapel said the rehearsal didn't go very well. The dog they had him train, a producer's chocolate lab named Coco, was "totally out of control."

But like any wizard worth his salt, Roytapel bounced back for the taping of the show a few hours later. "I felt confidence in myself and I said to myself, 'You can do this.'

"'I'm going to surprise you people,'" he remembers thinking after the rehearsal. "'I'm going to bring you a big surprise.' So I concealed my intentions."

The studio was cold, but Roytapel felt hot. "David Letterman liked to have very low temperatures in the theater. You will never scare (the Russians) with cold weather."

He walked out on stage with some training leashes and sat down to chat with Letterman. After a few minutes, said Roytapel, he started to feel more relaxed and comfortable.

That's about the time the Troy resident reigned in the TV host, so to speak.

But Letterman, who knows a stupid pet trick or two, was game. He walked on all fours for a while, even agreeing to be a chocolate Labrador.

"It was a riot. I think a couple people fell out of their chairs," he said.

But after 12 minutes, it was time to say good-bye. Letterman went to commercial, and Roytapel went back to Troy.

"Dave Letterman, I think he wanted to be top dog," Roytapel laughed.

For more information about Vladae Roytapel or his new DVD, Obedience for Life, visit his Web site at http://www.911dogwizard.com/.

mpennefather@hometownlife.com (248) 901-2558

Originally published October 8, 2006

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