Positively | Victoria Stilwell | Forum

Actually, there is a complete lack of science in Cesar's methods and it is that to which I object. For example, he suugests taking dogs on a 2 hour "migratory" walk daily. Now, a person with any beckground in behavioral science would know that dogs do not migrate. Wolves do not migrate. Th...

He may very well be fear aggressive or reactive, but that does not mean he is beyond hope. Training is not the only answer. I personally know of many well trained dogs who are still working through behevioral issues. You need a behaviorist. Your fisrt stop should be the IAABC websire for a consultan...

I can't imagine how this stuff works it way into common knowledge. Sometimes, I give my dogs free reign and let them go where they want, sometimes I ask for strict heel positions. Like Emma, I probably break all the "dominance" rules, yet manage to live peacefully with my six pack and vari...

The PP has a valid point. Eli Lily is marketing Reconcile for SA. Reconcile is Fluoxetine (Prozac) and can be purchased cheaper under it's generic name. But it is not a magic bullet. What it does is help the dog into a place (neurologically) where learning is possible. A behavioral modification plan...

I agree with ckrantz. If you want to stop it, then teeth on skin must come to mean the dog plays alone, the first time, everytime. Also, doing a bit of positive reinforcement based work with him may help tire him and give him an alternative behavior to perform. It is hard for a dog who is sitting to...

Consider picking up a copy of MINE! A GUIDE TO RESOURCE GUARDING IN DOGS by Jean Donaldson (or any other book by Donaldson, for that matter).

I think curing SA requires systematic desensitization in baby steps. If it is bad, it should start even sooner than putting on a coat and walking out. It should probably just start with touching the objects (coats, keys, breifcases, purses) that indicate someone is leaving. Do you have a dog with SA...

Good for you, Cheetah!!! Training can be addictive, can't it?

I will never do regular OB because I refuse to give any of my money to an organization that supports puppy mills (the AKC), so I found a fun alternative in APDT Rally Obedience. You should check it out!

I'm going to post the same link here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sknEaZHHbhc Chandi was trained using rewards based methods without the use of physical corrections. It is entirely possible to train a dog without the use of physical corrections, without entering the P+/R- quads, and turn out a be...

I positively detest training using treats and positive only reinforcement. It will not work in a month of Sundays.Just ask some of my clients who have been through a number of training methods before trying a check chain. Well then I guess I better tell Shippo, my AKC Canine Good Citizen who was tr...

Actually, I am one of those people who believe that even human aggressive dogs should not be subject to physical aversives. Ash was a biter, a bad one too. His strikes were swift, hard and, to me, unprovoked and unpredictable. They left me with deep puncture wounds, dripping blood, that would contin...

I wouldn't suggest a choke or pinch collar for any dog, especially since there are so many more humane options, like no pull harnesses.

I do not understand why people feel the need to cause discomfort in order to train.

Paul, I am going to assume for the sake of arguement that you think that retrieves can not be properly trained without aversives and the shock collar is best because it is one of the few aversives on can use at a distance. I realize you live immersed in a culture that believes the shock collars is t...

Paul, again, I do not work with or for Victoria and can not speak to what she is thinking. I do, however, have the priviledge of working with a very talented behaviorist/trainer who specializes in dog/dog aggression/reactivity as well as some human reactivity. She does not use physical corrections. ...

tm, I did not call you cruel. I did, in fact, say that I completely understand your position. It was the same one I myself took just a few short years ago. As for why Victoria talks about positive only, I can't answer. I don't work with or for her, but the trainer I do work with/for would seriously ...