Positively Dog Training - The Official Victoria Stilwell Podcast

Nicky Campbell OBE is an award winning radio DJ, journalist, author, and TV presenter. His body of work spans the globe, but it is his love for dogs that has inspired his latest venture – One of the Family – a dog-centric podcast that explores how dogs make our world an infinitely better place.

All dogs should receive a good canine education, but what does a good education mean? Should our human obsession for teaching dogs obedience commands be moved aside for a more cognitive approach? Dog behaviour expert Andrew Hale joins Victoria to discuss why the dog training world needs to move away from obedience training and put dogs’ emotional needs first.

Do you ever just stop and observe what your dog is doing? When was the last time you truly listened to him? Dog behaviour expert Sarah Fisher joins Victoria and Holly to talk about Animal Centred Education – an integrated approach to animal well being. Can you really learn more about your dog just by observing what he or she does off the lead and how does this help anxious dogs in particular? Don’t miss Victoria’s latest Positively Dog Training Podcast that will forever change the way you look at your dog.

Major Biden is in the news again after a second ‘nipping’ incident that occurred in the White House. Having spent some time back in his home in Delaware to decompress and receive some training after the first nipping incident, Major and Champ returned to the White House. But a week or so later the spotlight is on Major again after another incident. What can be done to help him adapt to his new life and why is obedience training not the answer? Veterinary Behaviorist Sarah Heath joins Victoria to discuss how dogs’ emotional needs must come first when devising teaching programs to help them acclimate to overwhelming situations and environments.  

Do you have a genius dog in your home? Could your dog fly an airplane? This discussion goes sky high when Holly and Victoria are joined by ethologist and cognitive scientist, Adam Miklosi. Everyone wants to have the smartest dog, but how do you know if your dog is a genius and are some dogs, like people, smarter than others? What role does social learning play in how your dog learns and how can we use social learning to teach our dogs? Join Holly, Victoria and Adam as they go deep into the canine mind. 

Dogs are not socialized wolves, but how did evolution change wolves into the dogs we have today and how did the relationship between man and wolf begin? Can wolves be domesticated and what can we learn about the wolf that will help us with our dogs? Clive Wynne, Behavioral scientist and Director of the Canine Science Collaboratory at Arizona State University, joins the podcast to help us understand the vital role wolves play in understanding and misunderstanding the human/dog relationship.

Why do some dogs show aggressive behavior and what can be done about it? Aggression expert Michael Shikashio joins Victoria and Holly to talk about why dogs aggress and what owners can do to stop what can be a worrying behavior. Can aggressive dogs be rehabilitated and how do you handle a dog that is showing aggressive behavior? Aggression expert Michael Shikashio joins Holly and Victoria to talk about how you can understand, modify and handle an aggressive dog.

Dog trainer Lisa Waggoner joins Victoria and Holly to talk about why dogs suffer from separation anxiety and what can be done to help them. Why is this behavior so difficult to treat and how can it be done? How will dogs respond when their families go back to work and what can be done now to prepare them for this transition? Learn great advice and tips on how to help your dog when home alone. Register for the Dog Behavior Conference to hear more from Lisa and Victoria HERE.

Victoria and Holly are joined by State Farm’s Heather Paul to talk about animal rescue and why people seem to react differently to Pitbull type dogs.  Do their experiences taking their dogs out in public reflect a larger problem? How does the way people react to dogs in general influence canine behavior? Join the conversation on Victoria’s Positively Podcast – the best dog related podcast out there.

In this episode Victoria and Holly are joined by actor and animal activist Pete Egan. Peter is a beloved British actor noted for his long and distinguished acting career in films and television shows such as Chariots of Fire, Ever Decreasing Circles, Downtown Abbey and the hit Netflix show, After Life by Ricky Gervais. Peter’s advocacy and activism for animal causes spans the globe and he works tirelessly to make the world a better place for animals and their people, highlighting the cruelty of bile bear farming and the dog meat trade in Asia as well as the puppy farm industries in the UK and USA.   

Victoria is joined by dog behaviour expert and driving force behind the UK Dog Behaviour & Training Charter Andrew Hale, to discuss the interesting results from the latest dog shock collar studies. The experts dig into the need for the debate over this issue within the dog world to turn its gaze away from traditional concepts focusing operant conditioning and towards a more nuanced understanding of the dog’s experience.

The rescue of 180 Chihuahuas from a hoarding situation in Georgia has made news headlines nationwide. Alynn Lecznar joins Victoria for a discussion on how to transition dogs from traumatic situations into their forever homes.

The conversation continues. Victoria, sound researcher Joshua Leeds and Animal Scientist Alynn Lecznar explore how sound contributes to separation anxiety and how music can help relieve it.  What is a sonic pattern and does frequency impact a dog’s behavior? How can music be used to ease aggressive behavior? Leeds answers these questions and more in this episode. For more information on how music can help calm your canine go to: www.icalmpet.com and for Victoria’s separation anxiety and aggression protocols go to: https://positively.shop.musictoday.com/dept/digital-downloads?cp=54834_55890_106949

Notable sound researcher and founder of Through a Dog’s Ear Joshua Leeds, joins Victoria and Animal Scientist Aly Lecznar, to discuss how sound and music prevents and treats canine anxiety, fear and noise phobias. How can you change the way your dog perceives certain sounds and can music really help to discharge the canine nervous system? Leeds answers these questions and more in this timely podcast before the upcoming July 4th firework celebrations.  For more information on Through A Dog’s Ear go to: www.icalmpet.com For Victoria’s Canine Noise Phobia Series go to:  https://positively.com/dog-wellness/dog-enrichment/music-for-dogs/canine-noise-phobia-series/

Debbie Matthews joins Victoria to talk about pet theft and how compulsory scanning can help reunite stolen and lost pets with their owners. In 2006 Debbie’s dogs, Widget and Gizmo were stolen. Fortunately she was able to get her dogs back but others are not so lucky. Dog theft is on the rise in the UK and other parts of the world because penalties to dissuade thieves are limited and there is no legislation for compulsory scanning. Debbie Matthews and Vets Get Scanning are working to change the status quo. For more information on Fern’s Law and to sign the petition go to: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/300010