Positively Dog Training - The Official Victoria Stilwell Podcast

In this episode, Victoria is joined by Anna Webb, a broadcaster, and behavior and nutrition expert.  She is the host of A Dog's Life podcast where she explores all levels of modern dog ownership and brings to life why every dog is extraordinary.

Stay tuned for nuggets of information, on topics including:

To learn more about Anna, visit https://annawebb.co.uk/pages/about-anna.  Subscribe to A Dog's Life podcast on Apple, Spotify, or your favorite streaming app.  

In this episode, we are joined by the Sarah Fisher, who delves into why movement is the foundation for all behavior. Sarah passionately explains her philosophy that understanding and facilitating movement can significantly help animals find their natural flow. This conversation sheds light on the importance of meeting the needs of the beings in front of us, emphasizing that movement isn't just a part of life?it's integral to life itself.

Sarah's expertise offers a profound understanding of how movement influences behavior and wellbeing, providing listeners with a deeper appreciation of its pivotal role.

Visit Sarah's website or attend the Dog Behavior Conference to learn more. 

Join Victoria and her team as they discuss strange behavior dogs do in the latest roundtable discussion.  From cleaning out the cupboards to obsessive licking, no behavior was left out. 

Learn why dogs might engage in these behaviors and how Victoria and her team work through them.  You will be surprised by what you learn in this entertaining and eye opening episode.

Don't forget to visit Positively.com to learn more and answer the question... Why Does My Dog...?

On this episode, Victoria and Andrew talk about his upcoming presentation for the Dog Behavior Conference.  Andrew shares his mantra with us:  "learn, support, and teach.  Learn from the dog first, support what you have learned, and teach things that are likely to be intrinsically valuable for that dog.  After that, train what you like."

C.A.K.E. is about understanding this:
Compassion
Awareness
Knowledge
Empathy

To learn more about Andrew Hale, visit https://trainpositive.co.uk/. 

Don't forget to join the Dog Behavior Conference to learn more about Bringing CAKE to Dog Training. 

In this episode, Victoria talks with Jo Pay about her upcoming presentation at the Dog Behavior Conference: Understanding Why Dogs Chase and What You Can Do About It.

For dogs, chasing is an enriching activity.  It's not wrong to the dog, but it certainly can  be a problem in our human world.  Stay tuned for a sneak peak into what Jo will be talking about at the 2024 Dog Behavior Conference.

To learn more about Jo, visit https://standishdogtrainer.co.uk/.

Join Victoria and her team in this roundtable discussion about changes that we and our dogs face as we travel through life together.

The team leaves nothing unsaid as they explore past and current planned and unplanned changes, plan for future changes, and talk about building resilience in our dogs to help them accept and recover from change.

Find more information about the Brave Collection and the Building Resilience course at Positively.com. 

In this episode, Victoria and Steve Dale talk about his upcoming presentation at the Dog Behavior Conference, Dogs weren?t Bred to be Couch Potatoes: Why We Must Enrich their Lives.

Enrichment is for all animals: from those living in the zoo to our companions (dogs and cats too). Enrichment is individual.  We need to know and understand our animal?s preferences and that their stage of life and breed may influence what enrichment looks like for them.

Victoria and Steve leave nothing unsaid in this entertaining, enlightening, and inspiring episode. Listen in to find out just how enriching a big pile of bed pillows can be for one cat in particular.

To learn more about Steve, visit stevedale.tv.  

In this episode, Victoria talks with Michael Shikashio about his upcoming presentation at the Dog Behavior Conference, Hostility in the Home: Dog Aggression Directed at Family or Visitors.

Victoria and Michael discuss the importance of understanding dog behavior and body language, the role of empathy in training, and innovative approaches to managing and helping dogs and their families. 

To learn more about Michael, visit aggressivedog.com or find him on Facebook or instagram. 

Join Victoria and her team in this roundtable discussion about building resilience in puppies and give them the tools they need to be successful in all stages of life including adolescence and as an adult.  

The team opens up about the importance of providing safety, understanding that there are important milestones in their lives, and what each puppy needs may be different based on their new home's family members, lifestyle, and environment.  

Don't have a puppy, don't worry.  There are a lot of nuggets that will benefit dogs at all stages. 

In this roundtable discussion, Victoria and her team share valuable insights and tips for creating effective training habits that benefit both dogs and their owners. They stressed the importance of considering a dog's individual needs and tailoring training methods accordingly. They discussed various training hacks and habit loops, emphasizing the significance of making training feel less overwhelming for clients.

One key takeaway was the concept of "habit stacking," where trainers encourage clients to integrate short training sessions into their daily routines. By pairing training moments with activities they already do, such as feeding, walking, or going to get the mail, clients can effortlessly incorporate training into their lives. 

On this episode, Victoria is joined by Brad and Lisa Waggoner, owners and founders of Cold Nose College.  Brad and Lisa share their individual journeys into dog training, stories of their dogs, and the secret sauce to achieving a fast and joyful recall. 

Lisa's book, Rocket Recall, is helping trainers and people grow their relationship with their dog while training this important life skill.  Lisa defines a Rocket Recall as ?that glorious moment when anytime and anywhere you say ?Come!? and your dog immediately and enthusiastically turns on a dime and bounds rapidly to you.?

Stay tuned to learn more.

The fabulous Holly Firfer is back on the podcast and talking puppies! Holly is the VP of programming and Development for ReachTV and Scripps News Anchor. She is a former radio DJ, news correspondent and Victoria's podcast companion for many years, but recently she has taken on a new role - mum to Artemis, a rescued pitbull puppy. 

What has Holly's experience raising a puppy been like and did she make the right decision to go down the puppy path again? What were the biggest challenges and how is she coping with the next phase - adolescence?

In this episode, Holly shares the ups and downs of raising a puppy, living with a pitbull and the responsibility she feels to undo the misconceptions people have of the pitbull breed type.

In this episode, Victoria Stilwell hosts Justine Schuurmans from the Family Dog and author of The Dial Method, the busy parent?s shortcut to raising a family dog right. They share personal stories and experiences that emphasize understanding dogs? needs, improving relationships, and the importance of accessible resources for families and professionals who work with dogs. 

?The Dial Method is a multi-functional system that could be used in different ways, meeting you exactly where you are and when.? The four core principles of The Dial Method are: see your dog, parent your dog, teach your kids, and create a plan.  The book, workbook, and video course are available at The Family Dog.

If you are a dog professional, sign up to become a Dial Guide.  The next training session is February 24-25, 2024. 

The Dial Method isn't just for dog professionals or families with kids and dogs.  Everyone can benefit from the information shared in this podcast.  Enjoy!

In this episode, Victoria Stilwell hosts Sean Brown, owner of Petsercise UK and a former rugby player. He's featured on "Dog Academy,? a show which can be viewed on Channel4.com. Sean is working with Pawsable Assistance Dogs, helping household pets become therapy or assistance dogs.

Victoria and Sean dive into positive training, emphasizing the importance of holistic training, encompassing both behavior and emotional well-being. The heart of their conversation centers on offering dogs enriching experiences that allow dogs to be themselves, fostering understanding, deepening the human-canine connection, in turn creating behavior change.

Stay tuned to learn the connection between seat belts and the dog training industry.

Find Sean on Instagram or Facebook.

In this roundtable discussion, Victoria and her team discuss the exciting newly launched Positively website and give you tips to help you during the holidays with your dog. As we head into the holidays, we reflect on how much our dogs mean to us.  How can we learn to be better listeners? How can we help them to understand our world? How can we help them become more BRAVE?

To find out, head over to Positively.com (after listening to the podcast of course) and register for a FREE account and take your first course on us. 

Happy Holidays, 
Victoria and the entire team at Positively
 
 

In this episode, Victoria talks with Niki Tudge, founder of Pet Professional Guild.  Learn more about Niki and what led her to create this amazing organization. 

How do you find a good trainer for your dog? What should you look for? Victoria and Niki take a deep dive into these questions and more.  They help you learn to advocate not only for dog, but also for yourself.  

In this episode, Victoria talks with Beverley Cuddy, editor of  Dogs Today Magazine, about the XL Bully ban that will take effect in the UK on January 1st unless something is done to prevent it.  

Beverley and Victoria dive into the reason for the legislation, what constitutes an XL Bully dog, and how the legislation will affect families, veterinarians, trainers, and many others. 

In this roundtable discussion, Victoria and her team discuss the labels in dog training.  Labels are often applied to certain behaviors dogs do, training methodologies or protocols, and more.  Are labels helpful or do they muddy the water? 

In this Holiday Episode, Victoria and her team discuss how appreciating what the dog does well now can help us create simple, effective training plans. 

In this roundtable discussion, Victoria and her team discuss whether we should be ignoring behavior we don?t like. Is there a more effective approach that considers what the dog is trying to communicate with the behavior? How can we meet their needs and create a solution that works for us?

Victoria is joined by world renowned reinforcement-based dog sports coach, Kamal Fernandez.

With over 25 years of dog training experience, Kamal is a well-known face in the dog training world, both on and off the television.  A much-celebrated trainer on TV shows like Dogs Might Fly and The Dog Academy, Kamal shares his extensive knowledge working with companion and sport dogs around the world. 

Kamal shares his insights about reactivity and what you can do if your dog is reactive to people or other dogs. A seasoned competitor at Crufts, Kamal explains how doing competitive obedience or sports with your dog enriches the relationship between you.    

You may have seen her on the hit online show Guardians of the Night, or watched her popular training videos online, but trainer Alex Sessa, also runs Peach on a Leash, a highly successful dog training business in Atlanta and the surrounding area. 

In this episode Alex and Victoria recount what it was like filming and working with police dogs for Guardians of the Night, and explore what it takes to build a successful dog training business. A powerful advocate for positive training methods, Alex discusses how real world positive training for companion and working dogs supports a healthy emotional life. 

Do dogs like being trained or are they just tolerating it?  Join Victoria and her team in this month's roundtable discussion as they seek to answer this question from the dog's point of view. 

Pet Abduction is an ever-growing problem in the UK and as it stands now, by law, if your pet is abducted, the crime is treated no better than if a piece of furniture was stolen. Pet Theft Reform aims to change all that and the group has been campaigning since 2018 to make pet abduction a specific offense with access to proper custodial sentences for people who commit these heinous crimes.  

How can you keep your dog protected and what can you do to support the cause? Join Victoria and guest, Animal Geographer and Pet Theft Reform campaigner Dr. Daniel Allen, as they delve deep into the tragedy of pet abduction.

If you are a British citizen, show your support and sign the Pet Theft Reform petition to make pet abduction a specific criminal offense: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/640101

TV Presenter, Radio DJ and host of the BBC?s hit show, Long Lost Family, Nicky Campbell, is back to talk all things family, music and dogs. 

What do the Rolling Stones, finding long lost family members, elderly Labradors and West Highland Terriers have in common? Nicky Campbell of course! Nicky has had a long and distinguished career as a radio DJ, a TV presenter, and an animal lover. Along the way he has interviewed legendary bands, presented Top of the Pops, hosted his own successful radio shows, and has always been in the public eye, but it wasn?t until a nervous breakdown that he truly came to understand the power of animals. 

Adopted at a young age, Nicky understands what it is like to discover family members again, which makes him the perfect presenter for the achingly beautiful TV series, Long Lost Family.  But it is his dogs that fill him with joy and it is their power that has helped him on what has been, at times, a difficult journey. 

Join Victoria and Standish Dog Trainer, Jo Pay, as they take you behind the scenes of Channel 4?s hit TV show, The Dog Academy. 

Training dogs is challenging at the best of times, but training dogs on TV adds another layer of difficulty that is not for the faint of heart. Victoria and Jo share their experiences working on Channel 4?s popular show, The Dog Academy, and unleash some of their dog training secrets along the way.

How can you live successfully with a nervous/fearful dog? Jo relates how living with a dog that has special needs has given her a deeper understanding of how they experience the world, and how this journey has inspired her to help other dog lovers live successfully with their fearful dogs. 

Victoria is joined by dog trainer and behaviourist Carolyn Menteith to discuss why the UK government?s commitment to ban shock collars in England starting in February 2024 needs to be upheld and why there is a possibility the government could renege on this commitment. The pair discuss how shock collars (e-collars) work, why these devices are so popular in some parts of the world yet are banned in others, and why shock collar use is so problematic. 

Should dog trainers be regulated? Victoria and Carolyn discuss dog trainer regulation and why the formation of the UK Dog Behaviour and Training Charter benefits every dog lover in the UK and beyond. Find out more about the Charter here.

To show your support for the shock collar ban and urge the government to honour their commitment, please write to: 

Please thank Lord Benyon for the work he has done to support the ban and urge him to please bring a debate in September so the ban can go into effect in February 2024.  You can email Lord Benyon here: [email protected]  #BanShockCollars

There's a reason Animal Centred Education founder and dog genius Sarah Fisher has joined Victoria on the podcast perhaps more than any other guest - she's one of Victoria's favorite people to talk to about dogs and how we can serve them better. This week, Sarah talks with Victoria about her upcoming 2023 Dog Behavior Conference presentation, "Patterns, Habits & Familiarity."

There?s nothing more important than keeping babies and children safe around the family dog. Victoria talks with #DogBehaviorConference presenter and Family Paws founder Jennifer Shryock about critical steps needed to help guardians create and maintain a safe environment in the home and beyond to avoid catastrophe.

Dr. Kristina Spaulding joins Victoria for a deep dive into the world of her #DogBehaviorConference presentation, ?The Neurobiology of Aggression? and why understanding what that is helps guardians and trainers better serve aggressive dogs.  Geek out about the processes behind how behavioral scientists approach this all-important topic and how it applies to real-world dog training. Plus?  two bonus topics: building resilience in puppies and why not all stress is bad for dogs.

The art of raising well-adjusted assistance dogs - specifically Golden Retrievers - is a passion of this week?s guest, VSPDT trainer and #DogBehaviorConference presenter Abigail Witthauer. Victoria and Abigail share thoughts on what goes into her unique approach at her Alabama-based Roverchase Foundation as well as what she?ll be discussing during her DBC talk, ?Service Dogs: Lessons learned while raising heroes.?

Victoria geeks out chatting to one of the most formative influences on her life and career as a dog trainer: Suzanne Clothier. Suzanne shares her fascinating background as a groundbreaking thinker in the world of animal training and behavior, especially surrounding the concept of what she coined Relationship-Centered Training and the unique journey her approach has undergone over the past several decades. Victoria digs into the importance of Suzanne?s Dog Behavior Conference presentation, ?See the Dog: Temperament, Training, Choices & Relationships.?

Good Morning Britain's Pip Tomson joins Victoria to talk about her work fighting the dog meat trade in South Korea. Victoria compares her experience shutting down a dog meat farm with Pip?s, and the two celebrat e dogs? adaptability and resilience in the face of the worst that mankind can sometimes impart. Victoria offers advice regarding how to help support dogs who have suffered trauma and negative experiences. Follow Pip?s dogs  on Instagram as they work to combat the dog meat trade: @Binditomson and @Robinakathugface.

How can we make training our dogs easier? Most dog trainers know about functional assessments and the ABC?s of dog training, but DBC speaker, VSA Faculty Advisor and PhD in Philosophy Maia Huff-Owen shares a new way of considering the ?C? in ABC?s (consequences). Maia and Victoria discuss Maia?s upcoming Dog Behavior Conference topic, ?After the Click: Completing the training picture,? as well as why using food in training is not tantamount to bribery, how training dogs is like a dance, and how even the most subtle actions can make a huge impact on our dogs? behavior.

Acclaimed author, speaker, researcher and professor Dr. Alexandra Horowitz of Barnard College, Columbia University?s Dog Cognition Lab joins Victoria to dig deep into the fascinating world of the anatomy, physiology and behavior-related wonder of the canine nose. What makes dogs? noses so powerful and different from ours? Can they smell fear? Why do they use one nostril at a time? How do pheromones and sniffing play into dog/dog and dog/human greetings? Can dogs tell time through smell? Dr. Horowitz shares insights from her amazing work with the canine nose and beyond.

Victoria shares plans for the upcoming season of the Positively Podcast, including celebrity guests, expert advice and more! Plus details about the upcoming online 2023 Dog Behavior Conference.

What do the Beatles, Rolling Stones and Long Lost Family have to do with dogs? BAFTA winning radio and TV presenter, Nicky Campbell joins Victoria to talk  music, TV, animal welfare, and how our friendship with dogs enriches our lives.

Obedience training has long been the accepted path to teaching dogs? manners, but the concept of obedience might be doing dogs a disservice. Andrew Hale joins Victoria to go beyond the operant.

What is ACE Free Work and how do dogs benefit? Dog behavior expert Sarah Fisher joins Holly and Victoria to discuss hidden pain in a dog's spine, neck, joints, and legs and how Free Work is helping adolescent and senior dogs all over the world.

After a second ?nipping? incident in the White House, Victoria is joined by Veterinary Behaviorist Sarah Heath to discuss why some dogs like Major Biden show conflict behavior, and why understanding dogs? emotional experience is the first step to helping them acclimate to new environments.

Do all dogs have their own genius? Dog cognition researcher Adam Miklosi, ethologist and founder of the Family Dog Project in Budapest, Hungary, talks with Victoria Stilwell about social learning and other wonders of the canine mind.

How can we help shelter dogs get adopted more easily, and what can we learn about our own pet dogs from their ancestors? Dog researcher and ethologist Clive Wynne joins Victoria and Holly to talk about adoptable dogs and wild wolves.

Aggression is a serious behavior issue that is all too common in our domestic dogs. Michael Shikashio joins Victoria and Holly to talk about why dogs become reactive and aggressive.

Why do some dogs become anxious when left home alone and how can this common behavior problem be overcome? Dog trainer Lisa Waggoner joins Victoria and Holly to talk about how we can identify and treat separation anxiety using desensitization games, sound therapy, and other approaches.

Do people respond differently to rescue pitbull type pet dogs ? Holly and Victoria are joined by Heather Paul from State Farm. They talk about their own wonderful rescue dogs and compare the realities of insurance data versus public perception about pitbull type dogs and risks.

Victoria and Holly are joined by actor and animal activist Peter Egan to discuss dogs, moon bears, and how dogs and other animals can make us more compassionate human beings.

Victoria is joined by dog behavior expert and a driving force behind the UK Dog Behaviour & Training Charter, Andrew Hale, to discuss the interesting results to come out of the latest dog electronic shock collar studies. Does this type of research get to the heart of behavior change?

The rescue of 180 Chihuahuas sparks a larger conversation between Victoria Stilwell and Aly Lecznar about  how to transition dogs from crisis situations into homes. 

How do dogs perceive sound and can music help dogs suffering with separation anxiety and aggression? Joshua Leeds and Alynn Lecznar join Victoria for part two of this fascinating exploration into a dog?s ear.

How does sound help reduce canine anxiety and can music really help prevent and reduce canine fear and noise phobias? Sound researcher and founder of Through A Dog?s Ear Joshua Leeds, joins Victoria along with Animal Scientist Aly Lecznar, to discuss the latest research on how sound can prevent and treat canine anxiety.