Positively | Victoria Stilwell | Forum

I think you're spot on using the 'watch me' technique to teach calm behavior around other dogs. For the stay, you can make it even easier for her to have initial success by starting with her sitting at your left. Pivot directly in front of the dog so you are facing her, give the stay cue, reward, re...

Does he sit on cue? If not, teach him that first. Then, rather than waiting to reward him for looking at you on the walk when he's already excited about potential prey, teach him to focus on you with a cue word. Do this in a distraction free environment. Hold a food treat in your hand, bent elbow, s...

I agree with rossibear that your pup needs more time, but you also might try thoroughly cleaning his current 'favorite spot' with an enzymatic cleaner that will eliminate all traces of the scent of his urine and feces. This will help decrease the likelihood that he will eliminate there again. If he ...

Tethering her to you is a good solution for training house manners. You might want to reintroduce her to the wood floor with the leash on so she can learn to walk carefully on it. Put her on the leash and keep her with you for thirty minutes at a time, and reward every calm behavior you see even if ...

What is her threshold for the behaviors you describe? Determine how much distance from other dogs/people she needs in order to be calm/comfortable. Then, set up a training situation with a non-reactive dog and at a neutral location. Keep your pup outside her behavior threshold (far enough away from ...

I love ABC! The home study portion was very informative, but the best aspect of the program is the externship with a local trainer. I'm paired with a wonderful trainer in my area and I've learned a lot from her so far. I just finished the observation stage and starting Wednesday I will be bringing m...

Hi Victoria, I'm an Animal Behavior College student. It's great to be able to see our curriculum put to use on your show. Thanks for all your hard work! My question is regarding Buddy's sweeper chasing behavior. You explained to the family that by encouraging Buddy to chase the sweeper, they were in...

I am familiar with clicker training. She's not terribly motivated by toys or play, unfortunately, and volunteers are not allowed inside the kennels with the dogs. I thought about using a pot and lid to contain the treats and opening it for her when she sits and waits calmly. The problem with that is...

Hi everyone, I train dogs at a local shelter, and we have a female 6 yr old rottie who is very sweet and calm, and very adoptable, except for a major food issue. She was severely malnourished when she came to the shelter, and they have done a wonderful job restoring her health. However, she displays...