During the pandemic there’s been a surge in people purchasing puppies. It’s important to establish that strong bond right from the start through shared life experiences. Play! I think people are so focused on training, when actually for a puppy it’s an emphasis on play which really creates that human–animal bond. What would you say should be the primary focus when training a puppy? Your new book, The Ultimate Guide to Raising a Puppy, was published in the UK in April. I never dreamed it would be as big as it became: going to over 120 countries around the world and lasting ten years. I wanted to create awareness about what you need to do to be a responsible dog owner, and so It’s Me or the Dog was born. I knew I had to do something, so I worked with a rescue group pulling animals from the shelters before they were put down. When I lived and worked as a dog trainer in New York, I saw thousands of dogs a year euthanised in municipal shelters. They are really doing things right.” Can you tell us a little about how your work developed? When I first came to Mayhew, I thought, “Wow, this is a great place.
Your message is one of humanity and kindness to both animals and people, and I think it’s really important to nurture people too. Mayhew gives animals a voice, which they really need.
Victoria Stilwell What does Mayhew mean to you? I always tell my handlers, “You’re lucky you’ve got a German shepherd at the end of your lead, as it’s the Chihuahuas that are really hard to train!” (I’m allowed to say that, as I’m a Chihuahua owner!) In all seriousness, it’s not so much about the breed: it’s their age, how they’ve been bred and their life experience that greatly affects their learning capacity. Are some breeds harder to train than others?
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The beauty of positive training is that it helps you find out how to best motivate your dog to learn and enjoy the process at the same time – it even works with dogs that have been in crisis and are now transitioning to care. It’s a bit of a myth that positive training only works on puppies and ‘easy’ dogs. We all know the adage ‘you can’t teach an old dog new tricks’, but do you think it is ever too late to train a dog? This approach is much easier for owners to put into use and, most importantly, it allows dogs to be more emotionally balanced and confident. You’re giving a dog other options that’s why it’s so effective. For example, if a dog is lunging on the lead, we need to find out why they are doing it and then use a variety of techniques to teach them another way rather than just saying “No”. Instead of putting the emphasis on correction, we focus on teaching dogs what to do in a situation. It’s about creating boundaries, but using discipline to guide rather than instil fear. Positive dog training incorporates many techniques, all of which are based on humane training – without force, fear, pain or intimidation. Could you explain what that is for those who are new to this method? You are famous for championing positive dog training. We spoke to Victoria to find out more about her fascinating work.
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She stars in the hit TV show It’s Me or the Dog and is the bestselling author of five books, including her most recent, The Ultimate Guide to Raising a Puppy. Victoria Stilwell is a world-renowned dog trainer and animal behaviour expert.
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