Positively Dog Training - The Official Victoria Stilwell Podcast

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.