Victoria Stilwell

One of my all-time favorite dog trainers Victoria Stilwell is one of the worlds most recognized and respected dog trainers. Stilwell is best known for her role as the host of Animal Planet's hit TV series:

“It's Me or the Dog”, where she shares her insights and passion for positive-reinforcement dog training. 

Reaching audiences in more than 45 countries, Stilwell helps counsel families on their pet problems.

She has a particular fondness for rescue animals in need of behavior rehabilitation and devotes much of her time and energy to a number of animal rescue organizations in New York and Atlanta, serving as a behavior adviser and giving regular seminars on the subject of dog rescue, training and rehabilitation.

Stilwell is a passionate advocate for positive-reinforcement training methods that enhance a dog's ability to learn while increasing his confidence. The results are a healthy, well-adjusted pet. She is a vocal opponent of punitive, dominance-based training techniques, which often result in quick fixes but ultimately cause more long-term harm than good.

She is committed to helping the cause of animal rescue and is heavily involved with rescue groups around the world, including Paws Atlanta, Stray From the Heart (NYC), Hong Kong Dog Rescue and Greyhound Rescue of West England. She works closely with the Wisconsin Puppy Mill Project, Humane Society, Puppy Mill Awareness Day and Waterside Action Group to increase awareness of the horrific practice of puppy-farming globally.

Stilwell has worked as a volunteer adoption counselor for the ASPCA, and regularly features in numerous magazines and journals, such as The New York Times, Cosmopolitan, The Daily Mail, MSNBC.com, USA Today and Psychology Today.

Stilwell is a regular columnist for The Bark, Dog World, American Dog and Dogs Today magazines. She has appeared on countless talk shows, news broadcasts and radio shows in the United States, Europe and Asia as a dog-training expert, and her popular Positively Podcast series is heard by listeners worldwide. Named 2009's Dog Trainer of the Year at the Purina Pro Plan Dog Awards, Victoria is certified by Animal Behavior and Training Associates and is a proud member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers.

Her two best-selling books, It’s Me or the Dog: How to Have the Perfect Pet and Fat Dog Slim: How to Have a Healthy, Happy Pet, have received much praise and detail her core rewards-based training philosophy: "There's a better way to train - Positively."

For more information, visit Victoria's official site: positively.com or Watch videos of Victoria Stilwell in action.