Victoria appeared on the Today Show on Thursday, February 1th. In a segment with Natalie Morales, she outlined her 5 top tips for positive dog ownership:
When Sadie first came into my life four years ago, she was what I would call a reactive dog, lunging towards and barking viciously at any dog that walked past or came close to her. Fortunately I was able to temper her reaction and teach her a new way to cope and behave in similar situations. The techniques I used meant I could change her behavior without physically punishing or imposing my will upon her in any way. I just gave her choices.
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LIsa Matthews
February 19th, 2011 at 5:35 am
Terrific job on the Today Show, Victoria. You packed a great deal of AWESOME information in the short time they allowed you.
Thank you for ALL you do.
Sincerely proud to be a positive trainer too,
Lisa Matthews
Pawsitive Practice, Alpharetta, GA 30005
lmatthews@pawsitivepractice.com
Diane
February 19th, 2011 at 11:07 am
Absolutely love your show and all the advice and help you give to people to help them train their dogs. The one problem I have is that it's very difficult to train my dog to greet men who are strange to him in a non-aggressive way when they visit our home. He has always had a fear of men since I adopted him at 16 weeks old....other, he is a wonderful, obedient, fun and very intelligent dog. He is an almost 3 yr old Havanese. He has mastered every piece of agility equipment and has done one "Show & Go" in which he did almost perfectly. We don't have the number of visitors as often as we have had in previous years so he doesn't get to see strangers entering our home very often at all, including those who come to deliver something or for repairs. He has been obedience trained and socialized.....walks, parks, fairs, stores and goes to doggie daycare twice a week....they love him!! Any suggestions? You and other trainers have people to assist you in your training when you visit homes....is there anything I can do to help my dog (Benji) get over this? Thank you so much for all you do.
Dougan
February 20th, 2011 at 11:35 am
Your dignity, love, and warmth shine through to dogs and people. And I'll have a link to your site from our Sheltie rescue!
Zoe OB
February 28th, 2011 at 8:09 am
The more people understand that the way of dominance is outdated and ineffective, the better. We love Victoria and use her positive reinforcement tips all of the time.
Tip to Diane whose dog is aggressive towards men. We also had a similar situation with our dogs when we lived in more rural surroundings. Keep some really good treats near your door and ask your visitors to use them when they come over. Good treats for this are high value, such as bits of chicken or hot dog not a dry biscuit. When greeting the dog, use a low calm voice and don't make any sudden movements. When Ben is calm, toss a treat. Keep repeating and pretty soon Ben will associate strange men with good things. Look for more detailed tips in Victoria's book; it helped us also. Good luck!