Victoria Stilwell's Top 10 Dog Tips

Posted by Clare Bristow

happy-dog-and-owner If you've had chance to watch Victoria Stilwell in her show It's Me or the Dog, then you know she has a very practical approach to dog training .

She shows owners how to calmly and effectively take control of their dog by teaching them how to implement positive reward based training .

Whenever I watch the show I find myself thinking 'oh, that's such common sense', and at the end of the day, dog training is, at least when you look at it in an unemotional way. And that's where the problems start, in my mind - we get too emotionally wrapped up in our dogs when we train them.

I know how I want my dogs to behave, but sometimes find it hard to teach them to do it - sleeping in their bed and not mine is a prime example.

It's easy to start letting your dog get away with little things and before you know it, you're wrapped around his paws just like the owners Victoria rescues.

It's Me or the Dog is being shown on Animal Planet on Mondays in the US from 16 April.

Victoria gave Animal Planet her top 10 dog tips for having a happy and well behaved dog ; I've summarised them below. They all make perfect sense, of course!

Don't stop [tag] training your dog [/tag] - people think that once they have taught their dog a few basic commands then that's [tag] dog training [/tag] off the list. Dogs don't stop learning and training should be reinforced throughout your dog's life.
Look at the world through your dog's eyes from time to time, and use this knowledge to help you with your training.
Make sure your dog gets sufficient exercise - as the saying goes a tired dog is a happy dog.
Give your dog confidence and make him feel secure. You don't achieve this by being dominant owner, but by being a calm teacher who encourages and rewards good behavior.
Check your dog's diet - many [tag] behavioral problems [/tag] stem from a poor diet.
Dogs easily get bored, so sign up for an fun activity together - agility and flyball are examples.
Make dog care a top priority - have your dog micro chipped and keep up to date with veterinary checks and shots.
Playing with your dog is a great way to bond with him.
Keep your dog safe - with increasing dog theft know where your dog is at all times and don't leave him unattended.
Have fun and [tag] enjoy your dog [/tag], you should never think of your dog as a burden.

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Keywords: basic commands, behavioral problems, bonding with your dog, dog behavioral problems, dog training, enjoy your dog, exercise, positive dog training, training your dog, Victoria Stilwell

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Comments

2 Responses to “Victoria Stilwell's Top 10 Dog Tips”

patrice ferguson on December 27th, 2009 9:44 am

I love Victoria's shows. I wish she had one about potty training the nearly adult dog we got at the shelter. Caroline is was found abandoned and malnourished and spent the better part of a month in a city shelter. We can't seem to get her to train to the back yard. Instead she uses the two landings of stairs as a potty area. She is about 11 months old mixed pit and black lab spayed female very energetic but totally doesn't like being left alone for even a few minutes. We sit outside in the yard with her to go potty which she will sometimes do. Then go back inside and pee and poo again indoors. "double yuck". Funny thing is she uses the carpeted landings on the stairs exclusively not the tiled floor on the bottom level to do her business which is harder to clean up after hence daily extractions. We live in Vegas so leaving a dog outside all the time is out of the question because of extreme temperatures and her being a very short hair doesn't leave much for warmth even in a mild winter. What can we do to train her indoors with pee pads which she rips to shreds rather then uses as a potty zone?
Al Colman on February 10th, 2010 3:26 am

We have rescued a 3-year old Wire Haired Fox Terrier with 2 major behavior problems (outlined below), and would appreciate your help.

My wife and I are senior citizens and our dog Howie is very friendly, very cuddly to us and other humans, but we brought him into a home where we have two cats. I feel his “prey instinct” is so strong that if he could get to the cats (they now live locked up in my office), I’m sure he would kill them. He is so fast that he can duck away from a “claw swipe” by either cat, (If the cats were smatter they could maybe gang-up on him and force him to deal with both of them at the same time, but they’re not!)

Because we can’t match his energy I have been using a tread-mill with him and have built up to 1.5 miles per day on it (should be at 2 by next week.)

The other major problem is his barking. We live in a semi rural area and he will hang out at a window and bark at anything (even things we can’t see). If he sees a squirrel it is absolute bedlam (and there are lots of squirrels here).

He is good about doing his toilet work outside in a 35 x 35 foot fenced yard. In the spring (we live in Connecticut), I am looking forward to setting up a 100 ft run for him in one of our open yards.

Thank you, love your show!