AS my car climbs the sweeping driveway to John and Margaret Elliott's house, an excitable springer spaniel bounds to greet me. A second later, Margaret appears, and with a few stern words, has the dog in check. He slopes off, reminded of who's boss, and I'm impressed by her firm stance. Yet the thought that this is how she treats her husband makes me feel a bit uneasy.

Earlier this year, after a phone call from the producers, Margaret and John agreed to take part in a TV experiment, called Bring Your Husband To Heel.

The idea was that, under expert guidance, Margaret would learn dog training techniques, but rather than try to tame the family pet, she would use them on her partner.

"What they said was that they were looking for couples who had been married for quite some time and had a stable relationship but there was something that the husband did that the wife would like to iron out," says Margaret, 56. "That's what made me laugh a little bit because I thought I could write a novel on the things about John that irritated me."

Despite initial reservations, the couple decided to sign up. "We did discuss whether it was the right thing to do and worried that people might laugh at us but we went into it with our eyes open," says Margaret.

"I think you've got to be able to laugh at yourself. I believe this programme will be quite embarrassing for us but so what?," adds John, 61.

The couple put the producers' interest down to John's fame as chairman of the 'No' campaign for a regional assembly. For Margaret, this was further reason to get involved.

"John's no stranger to the television and I am, so I thought it was probably a chance for my five minutes of fame," she says.

So contracts were signed and in March, a TV crew descended on the couple's home in North Bitchburn, near Bishop Auckland. It wasn't long before being filmed became second nature. "We had three cameras in the house for about three weeks. You tended to forget that they were there," says Margaret.

The couple, who both hold senior posts at manufacturing firm Ebac, in Bishop Auckland, were questioned on John's faults and agreed the main one was his untidiness. "I'm a bit of a slob," he says sheepishly. "I'm very untidy around the house. I'm messy when I make breakfast or lunch or anything. I always seem to use about 15 knives and when I peel an egg, a lot of it goes on the floor."

Sitting in the well-kept living room of the Elliotts' stunning home, I can see how this might be a problem. They only moved here just before Christmas, succeeding former Sunderland striker Kevin Phillips at the rambling farmhouse. Its five bedrooms, six loos, swimming pool, bar and games room mean Margaret already has her work cut out - and she doesn't have a cleaner.

"Before the programme, John would make his own breakfast and never think about clearing up. I would know what he'd had for lunch because of all the debris left behind and I would come in on a night and start clearing all that away," says Margaret through gritted teeth.

The solution involved subterfuge. Rather than tell John what was happening, the programme makers simply said they aimed to cure him.

Meanwhile, Margaret was whisked off to dog training sessions - without her husband's knowledge. "They did ask me how I felt about not telling John but I didn't feel too bad about it," she admits. "Because you normally deceive me," John teasingly interjects.

For the secret lessons, Margaret went to Sandy, in Bedfordshire, where she was coached by Annie Clayton. "She was a dog trainer, but I think the word they used was a dog psychologist. I had to go away for two separate days," says Margaret.

Didn't John get suspicious? "I thought they were just shooting more stuff," he says, nonchalantly.

The first session was outdoors, and Margaret was nervous from the outset. "I've had a dog for a number of years but I'm not really a doggy person - I'm actually frightened of them - and when they said I'd be working with dogs I thought, 'Oh blooming heck'," she says.

"I had to be with several different dogs but the main thing was I had to take this dog for a walk, and the outcome of that was I didn't actually take the dog - the dog took me. The second day's training was inside and it was getting dogs to pick up toys and put them in a box. Annie was training them and I had to follow. Her patience was absolutely fantastic."

After each class, Margaret went home to 'train' her unwitting husband. She says the lessons were oddly pertinent.

"On the first training day, Annie showed me that if the dog starts pulling one way, what you have to do is turn it around and go a completely different way and not follow the dog. Annie would have a box of titbits and if the dog did as it was told, it would get one. Her aim was that I would start giving the dog titbits from my hand," says Margaret.

"As far as I was concerned, it was John who had the problem but it was me who couldn't communicate with him.

"I just nagged - we didn't really talk about it. I think what Annie brought back to me was the fact that if you don't talk, you never know what each other is thinking or wanting."

When she got home, this translated as her praising John when he was helpful and trying not to nag - although she admits that it was difficult.

"Once or twice I went into the utility room and talked to the camera because I was getting a bit frustrated. I think one of the things I said was, 'This is going to be a bloody long journey'," says Margaret.

Throughout the experiment, John remained in blissful ignorance - although he noticed his wife becoming "softer".

It certainly seems to have borne fruit.

"What I did was definitely out of order," admits a penitent John. "Now I take my cup away and I can even fold towels. It's so easy and why should Margaret have to do it?"

Margaret agrees there have been changes. "He's definitely not Mr Perfect but I don't want Mr Perfect. The producers asked if there was something I thought John could do and I said if he could make a pudding, that would be great. He made an apple crumble and it was fantastic." she says.

"He bought me a box of Ferrero Rocher last week and I can't remember the last time he did that."

The training has also had an impact on another family member - Barney the springer spaniel.

"Before the programme I would feed him but that would be about all. Now I pay him more attention," says Margaret.

* John and Margaret will appear on Bring Your Husband To Heel on BBC2, at 7pm tonight.