Dissapointed in 4th US season

Discussion of Victoria's TV show, It's Me or the Dog.

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doxielover
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Re: Dissapointed in 4th US season

Post by doxielover »

I was just mentioning to my husband how this show has lost interest for me. Focus on the people way too much. As soon as AP's motto went to Surprisingly Human, I knew this network was going downhill. Just look at all the shows they have now. My husband put one on (can't remember the name...something about mud) and commented it wasn't about animals at all. Anyway, I used to love IMOTD. It was my real first exposure to positive dog training. I learned so much which made me do more research, buy books, and find a positive dog trainer near me. The old episodes from England were wonderful. They were only 30 minutes but focused mostly on the dog training, so it's just an excuse that they only have 45 minutes to cover things. I noticed in the last episode the lady was trying to get the dog to sit. We didn't see any instruction on how to get the dog to do it. I don't need that instruction, but a new dog owner tuning in might learn a thing or two. We used to see sit, down, stay, leave it, loose leash walking, potty training, etc. I still love Victoria and all she stands for, but I'm probably not going to watch much more of people yelling and screaming at each other. Can't stand reality TV and this show and Animal Planet has just turned into that.

Oh and I want to add that I used to record every episode to keep on hand in case I wanted to rewatch a training method. For the last 3 seasons, that hasn't been the case. No need to keep these episodes.
jacksdad
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Re: Dissapointed in 4th US season

Post by jacksdad »

Thanks for the Link wickedhippy, that did clear things up.

I have to admit, at first I was a bit disappointed as well. However...... (and I felt this before listening to the link by wichedhippy)

I actually think the focus on the people is a nice twist. Many issues and/or lack progress is due to the human factor. I really like the addressing of the human half of the equation. "fixing" the human side of things is really what a lot of "dog training" is about. I am liking seeing Victoria address attitudes, perceptions, expectations. I am finding this season fascinating.

Lets be honest, as a "spectator" activity dog training isn't all that fun to watch UNLESS as ARI points out, your a dog geek. The other issue is repetition. I am learning from hanging out here that there does seem to be a lot of "repetition" in terms what things that people need help with. How many times are we going to want to watch the same issues over and over? It really was time for a tweak to the show.

As for the shortened seasons, ya that is defiantly a disappoint..selfishly so. I honestly don't know why they are shorter, but in addition to the repetition I mention in terms of what people need help with, Victoria's life isn't what it once was. I highly suspect she may not want to be away from her family for the length of time it would take to film a 20+ episode season.
wickedhippy
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Re: Dissapointed in 4th US season

Post by wickedhippy »

jacksdad - you put things so simply, I do wish I had the eloquence that certain members seem to have, when I'm trying to explain something. :)

At any rate - it makes complete sense, what you've said. So thanks for that feedback.

I want to add though, that sometimes I feel like I'm defending Victoria on this forum... and that doesn't seem right to me. It's just a feeling I've had - especially when it comes to the show.

I am a member of this forum because I support Victoria, and her methods of training... people as well as dogs. There are SOOO many people out there that act exactly like those on IMOTD - I actually know quite a few of them unfortunately. Maybe one of them will catch the show and see that the behavior of their dog lies in the the behavior of the owner. I've thankfully introduced the show to some people that needed that type of guidance. Once the owner learns that their actions can cause a reaction from the dog, then perhaps they will change.

I will continue to watch the show, to practice my support of an incredibly humane and positive trainer. :D
"If nothing ever changed, there would be no butterflies" ~ Anonymous
Creator of the We Love Victoria Stilwell Fan Site http://victoriastilwellfans.webs.com/
Corinne
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Re: Dissapointed in 4th US season

Post by Corinne »

I love Victoria and her training methods but the New York series is a bit rough although these people seem to be typical New Yorkers (I'm from NY) and she does have to do more training for the owners than the dogs it's still a great show
jacksdad
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Re: Dissapointed in 4th US season

Post by jacksdad »

wickedhippy wrote:I want to add though, that sometimes I feel like I'm defending Victoria on this forum... and that doesn't seem right to me.
I would say pick the battles. over all, Victoria really doesn't need us to defend her.

I would also throw this out...this is 100% my own opinion, not speaking for Victoria, representing her etc.... BUT part of why I say pick your battle for offering your support and defense is (at the risk of sounding very rude and condescending) some peoples expectations of what she should be or should not be doing...may not always be reasonable and really doesn't merit a response. And other times..people just need to vent and voice an opinion and then they are done with it.
dontpugme
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Re: Dissapointed in 4th US season

Post by dontpugme »

I was just thinking about this this morning, so I used the stopwatch on my phone to see just how much of the ”He Needs to Go” or something like that was actually working with the dog, and I was very surprised. I will always be a supporter of the show (unless Victoria suddenly starts using prong collars or something which we know will probably not happen) because it is pretty much the only dog training TV program that promotes positive training and because if I hadn't seen an IMOTD episode that one day four or five years ago, my dog would probably be dead.

If what she said in the interview about extended episodes on DVD is true, I wouldnt mind paying for it even though I already spend twentysomething dollars for the season pass on iTunes. I know the season one DVD didnt have anything different than what was shown on TV, but I dont know if anything different was put on the season 2 DVD. I didnt purchase it because it took quite a long time to be released, and when it finally was sold, I had already bought the entire seson on iTunes. I know wickedhappy bought it...were there any special features?

Im also very dissapointed by the shorter seasons, but new episodes are new episodes.
--dontpugme
wickedhippy
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Re: Dissapointed in 4th US season

Post by wickedhippy »

No, nothing extra on the Season 2 DVDs, however with the seasons being so short (3 & 4) perhaps that is what will fill up the time on the new DVD(s)... not sure. I don't know why she would say it if it wasn't true, because then it's just asking for people to go off about that if they buy the DVDs and there aren't special features, lol.

Actually there were a few episodes from season two (or one maybe?) that didn't even make it to DVD. The one where the dog gets separation anxiety when his buddy dog leaves the house. the one where the woman has two dogs that she wants to take on hikes with her, and the one where the woman has the shaggy dog that jumps off the boat whenever she takes him out to the water. Those I know for sure didn't even make it to DVD. Also the TOP 10 and TOP 15 specials never made it to DVD either.

So, I don't know what's going to happen - guess we'll just have to wait and see. ;)

And you paid twenty-something? When I got the pass today, it was sixteen something... :?
"If nothing ever changed, there would be no butterflies" ~ Anonymous
Creator of the We Love Victoria Stilwell Fan Site http://victoriastilwellfans.webs.com/
dontpugme
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Re: Dissapointed in 4th US season

Post by dontpugme »

wickedhippy wrote:No, nothing extra on the Season 2 DVDs, however with the seasons being so short (3 & 4) perhaps that is what will fill up the time on the new DVD(s)... not sure. I don't know why she would say it if it wasn't true, because then it's just asking for people to go off about that if they buy the DVDs and there aren't special features, lol.

Actually there were a few episodes from season two (or one maybe?) that didn't even make it to DVD. The one where the dog gets separation anxiety when his buddy dog leaves the house. the one where the woman has two dogs that she wants to take on hikes with her, and the one where the woman has the shaggy dog that jumps off the boat whenever she takes him out to the water. Those I know for sure didn't even make it to DVD. Also the TOP 10 and TOP 15 specials never made it to DVD either.

So, I don't know what's going to happen - guess we'll just have to wait and see. ;)

And you paid twenty-something? When I got the pass today, it was sixteen something... :?
All that remains of the summer specials and the top 10/top 15 are clips on AP's site and YouTube channel. The SD or standard definition season pass was sixteen and some cents. I bought the HD/high def version because it looked really nice on my computer and my moms ipad and also got me SD versions of all of the eps for free. Those take up less space on my iPod.
--dontpugme
dontpugme
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Re: Dissapointed in 4th US season

Post by dontpugme »

Just remembered that the indoor and outdoor secrets episodes didn't make it on DVD either, but clips from both are on AP's site and YouTube.
--dontpugme
MPbandmom
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Re: Dissapointed in 4th US season

Post by MPbandmom »

I watched 3 of the shows yesterday. 1 on the Positively site, 1 on the Animal Planet site (I was so delighted to be able to see the whole show and not just little clips like in the past.) and the one that actually aired last night. (I hijacked my husband's tv watching time. :lol: ) There is a lot of emphasis on the people, but there were good training tips also for things that are very common issues that people deal with with their dogs. Some tips were things that people might not think up on their own, like selecting specific dogs to walk together and how to manage 2 dogs in a house that don't get along. I thought it was a nice blend of both. She has done things with the people in the past in the UK seasons. Having the couple drive the military vehicle comes to mind, wife blindfolded and husband giving instructions because the wife didn't trust the husband's judgement.

The people and their attitudes does play such a critical role in how the training progresses or doesn't. I know I saw a bit of myself in the laid back fellow last night. Victoria needs to reach the people so that they are in turn better able to reach the dogs. If it takes pointing out a few human flaws that hinder training in the process, then she should show what it takes to make things work for the people so that they can make things work for the dogs.

Just my opinion.
Grammy to Sky and Sirius, who came to live with me, stole my heart, and changed my life forever as I took over their care and learned how to be a dog owner.
dontpugme
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Re: Dissapointed in 4th US season

Post by dontpugme »

Its strange to think that the season is almost over...Six episodes down and only four left. I haven't yet seen the two most recent episodes because its hard to find WiFi in the Philippines where iTunes will download the eps in less than five hours.
--dontpugme
Suzette
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Re: Dissapointed in 4th US season

Post by Suzette »

I have to say that in my opinion, this fourth episode was so much better than the first three. There was still a lot of drama with the family (that's okay, it's a huge part of why these dogs are how they are and that needs to be shown and addressed), but much more dog training was shown this time around - which has always been (prior to the first three episodes of this year's fare) and in my opinion should always be the main focus of the show. Yay! Definitely a good sign of shows to come.

And WickedHippy, I don't think VS needs you to defend her, though you might feel you do. She's a big girl and can take some lumps now and then. She gives me the impression of a pretty tough lady who can take a criticism or two without crumbling. Though honestly, no one on this thread bashed her at all. Some of us have an issue with the tone of the recent shows, but have wholeheartedly endorsed VS and have shown our admiration and respect for Victoria herself. :wink: :D
My avatar is Piper, my sweet Pembroke Corgi. b. 5/11/11
wickedhippy
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Re: Dissapointed in 4th US season

Post by wickedhippy »

I didn't say she NEEDED me to defend her, I just said I felt like I was ... and I did feel that way. She is the creative consultant of the show...

People defend others without them needing it all the time. ;)

And which episode were you talking about - the sixth one was just aired - did you DVR them?
"If nothing ever changed, there would be no butterflies" ~ Anonymous
Creator of the We Love Victoria Stilwell Fan Site http://victoriastilwellfans.webs.com/
mutt97
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Re: Dissapointed in 4th US season

Post by mutt97 »

I am also disappointed in the show lately. I want to watch her dog training skills If I want to see a show on marriage counselling I will watch Dr. Phil. She has a great deal of knowledge to share about dogs, I hope she does not waste it.
dontpugme
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Re: Dissapointed in 4th US season

Post by dontpugme »

Just watched the This Dog is Ready to Implode ep and Last Chance At Love, and I have to say that Im very happy about them. Both episodes were very It's Me or the Dog with regards to the couples, but there was a lot of stuff that a viewer could learn about dogs from the episodes. Effects of shock collars and harsh punishment and teasing and over touching on the Maltese episode (not to mention the effects of getting another reactive dog) and misreading a dogs fear and unconfidence for a macho attitude and how important management is with Casper and Finnegan and the husky. (coby? Koby?)
--dontpugme
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