It's Her or the Dog (Guess Who Wins THAT Battle!)

01/19/2011

 

Good Dog!

On the season opener of "It's Me or the Dog," did you see how Ginger, the misbehaving Chihuahua from "Real Housewives of New York" responded to Victoria Stilwell's coaching? Even a tiny Manhattan diva dog can be eager to please and get praise. It'll be interesting to see if Ginger's good-girl act holds up when the series returns later this year. Owner Jill Zarin, like all dog parents on IMOTD, will need to keep up her homework. But Victoria, as we know, is virtually always victorious, and it's win-win-win for her, pet and owner.

Here's the rest of our conversation with this compassionate and talented trainer:

In doing the series, what kinds of things do you hope viewers take away from your experiences? And do you often run into people thanking you for your help with their dogs?

It's always great when I hear from fans about  how the show has helped them in their journey with their dogs. I've found that a lot of people who watch the show start off watching it before they even get a dog, which I think is great since they'll have a strong foundation of positive reinforcement once they adopt their new pet. I'm also honored when I hear young children tell me how much they'd like to be dog trainers when they grow up. It's a great profession that provides a lot of satisfaction.

You're very committed to stressing positive reinforcement in training.

My biggest passion is in helping to re-educate the public that there is a better way to train--positively. There is so much misinformation out there about what positive reinforcement is, what it's good for and what its supposed limitations are. Unfortunately there is still a big chunk of the population that feels it's best to 'dominate' your dog and promote 'submissiveness,' when in reality those outdated methods do more harm than good. I want my dog to behave well, to follow my lead because it WANTS to, not because it's scared of what will happen if it doesn't.

That's why I've created the new online home of positive reinforcement, www.positvely.com, which includes a search feature to find the world's best positive reinforcement dog trainers who are part of my network.

 Every dog in viewing range thanks you for making humans more perceptive about their pets' needs and wants. But how about your own dogs at home, are they as well-behaved as you'd like them to be?

Usually. Right now, we have only one dog, a rescued chocolate Lab named Sadie. We've only had her for a couple of years, because my trans-Atlantic filming and work schedule meant that it wouldn't have been fair to have a new dog in our home until that schedule stabilized a bit. Since we began shooting in Atlanta a few years ago, and with our daughter now in first grade, I've been able to travel a bit less. That means we can be responsible pet owners for Sadie. When we first got her, she was absurdly overweight and poorly socialized with other dogs, so she had some security issues while on the leash.

How did you get her to shape up?

We got her weight down through diet and exercise, and she's made great strides building confidence on leash. She's probably around 8 years old--we're not totally sure--so Sadie has had a relative lifetime of insecurity and bad habits to overcome. We're very proud of how far she's come. She's always been great with people, and my husband would tell you that her most embarrassing trait is a bit of happily unabashed crotch-sniffing when guests come through the door. But giving her a toy and utilizing her 'retriever' instincts has pretty much solved that, though.

Plus, we may be adding to the dog famiy in the near future...stay tuned for more!

Victoria, thank you for sharing your thoughts and insights with The Mole's readers. We'll definitely be watching IMOTD this season,and eager to hear about any new roommates for your dog Sadie.