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It's Me or The Dog - The
Victoria Stilwell Interview for K9 Magazine
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"It's Me or The
Dog - Victoria Stilwell's techniques and advice are contained
in this excellent book to accompany the Channel 4 hit
series."
You
Can Purchase it
Here
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Victoria is one of the
world's most recognised and respected dog behaviour experts. As the
host of the hit Channel 4 TV show "It's Me or the Dog", Victoria has
been able to share her insight and passion for dog training with an
ever-broadening audience.
Here you can find out more
about Victoria in an exclusive interview with K9
Magazine
1) Over the
past series of ‘It’s me or the dog’, which dog would you say was the
most problematic and why?
Pongo was a
two and a half year old entire male Dalmatian that had an extensive
bite history and other nervous disorders. He was essentially a
really good dog but he had not had a good start in life and that
along with the environment he was living in exacerbated his nervous
behavior.
2) Have
there been any cases where you believed the owners of the dog were
entirely to blame?
Training is
80% owners and 20% dog in my book. Dogs are willing and eager
to learn while humans can be a lot harder to deal with.
In many
cases I find owners are inadvertently causing certain behaviors in
their dogs. No more so than one case I had in Manhattan where the
owner had received an eviction notice because his two Dachshunds
were barking all day.
The owner
worked long hours and left his dogs alone with little
stimulation. They were bored and anxious and barked in order
to give them something to do and relieve the stress. First of
all I asked him why he had got two dogs if he worked all day.
He told me that he had bought the dogs for his girlfriend but they
had subsequently split up and he was left with them.
He loved
them too much to let them go so after I had made him see that his
lifestyle contributed to the cause of his dog’s behavior I gave him
a daily schedule of walks and games to play with his dogs as well as
hiring a dog walker for three days a week and then taking the dogs
to a doggy day care twice a week where they could play with other
dogs. No more barking, no eviction and two happy
dachshunds!
3) What do
you believe is the most important virtue of a successful dog
trainer?
Compassion,
patience and understanding for both dog and owner. It’s
important for a trainer to motivate owners to carry on with their
dog’s education when the trainer leaves because unless the owner is
motivated to work with their dog the likelihood of them carrying on
the training is very small.
I want
owners to enjoy training their dogs. The ultimate aim is for
both dogs and owners to become confident and happy with themselves
and their lives together. After training sessions have
finished I offer a free telephone service for my clients for the
rest of their dog’s life. This ensures that owners have a
constant support system and dogs stay in homes rather than ending up
in shelters.
4) What will
people be able to get from your book that couldn’t get seeing you an
action on our screens?
There is not
enough time to show all the training techniques in their entirety
because each episode is only 30 minutes long whereas the book breaks
down all my techniques and gives readers a comprehensive step by
step guide to obedience training and dealing with problem
behaviors.
5) What is
the most satisfying or rewarding experience you have to date in your
career as a dog behaviour expert?
Rehabilitating dogs that have been abandoned in rescue
shelters and helping them thrive in their new families.
6) What is
the worst experience?
Seeing dogs
come into the shelters that have been abused and
neglected.
7) Is there
one particular situation that occurs where you just think to
yourself ‘I’ve seen this a million times
before’?
Owners who
call me in because their dog is chewing the furniture and being
generally destructive, only to find out that the dog has been left
alone nine hours a day every day.
What do they
expect? If they were left in that situation with nothing to do but
wait for someone to come for nine hours each day I’m sure they would
go mad. It’s exactly the same.
8) What is
the most unusual situation involving a troublesome dog that you have
encountered?
One of my
clients in NYC had a Boston terrier who liked to steal the washing
and rip the labels off of towels, shirts and other items leaving the
rest of it intact. The terrier was completely infatuated with
labels.
9) Were
there any ‘too hot for TV’ moments when filming that you’d like to
let us in on? Were there any outrageous ‘dogs behaving badly’
moments where the director just had to cut?
Yes but
you’ll have to buy the DVD for that!
10) How did
you get started in this line of work?
I was an
actor but supplemented my dwindling income by dog walking. I
started walking one dog a day and by the end of the month I had 20 a
day. I loved it and became very interested in why dogs behaved
in the way that they did. I met many trainers who influenced
me greatly and since then I have never looked
back.
11) Are you
a stickler for good behaviour with your own dogs, or do you like to
let them get away with the odd thing now and
then?
I do not
have my own dogs at the moment because I am working so hard but my
husband and I have spent the last five years fostering dogs.
Many of the municipal shelters in New York and New Jersey euthanise
half of all the dogs that come into their shelters because there is
not enough room for the amount of dogs that come in.
We then go
in and get them out before they are euthanised, giving them a home
while we find suitable families to adopt them. We have rehomed
40 dogs and cats in the last five years.
We offer
them a loving home but the boundaries are there from the start
because security breeds confidence and many of the dogs we get need
a huge confidence boost.
12) If could
ask your dog one thing, what would it be and what do you think the
answer would be?
What’s it
like to live in the human world? A: A little confusing but I enjoy
it because I am loved, well fed and protected.
13) Is there
a particular breed that keeps cropping up in your work? Who is the
naughty boy of the canine world?
I can’t say
that there is. I see such a variety of dogs that I can’t pick
out a breed that is necessarily naughtier than the
rest
14) What
breed are you most like and why?
A German
shepherd/Border collie mix. I have a lot of energy, am
intelligent but disorganized, love working, and am very protective
of the people and animals that I love.
15) What one
piece of advice would you give to someone who is considering
becoming a dog owner for the first time?
Do your
research first. Do not get a dog on impulse. This is
common sense but it’s amazing that people still do it.
A dog is an
important member of your family and will require a lot of your time
and attention. A dog is not disposable property that can be
given up if it becomes too much of a pain.
You must
invest in your new dog’s education and if you need help utilize the
wealth of knowledge that hundreds of talented trainers in the UK can
give you.
Purchase
a Copy Of It's Me or The Dog - The Book to Accompany the Hit Channel
4 Series
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