Victoria Stilwell
TV dog trainer
Born and raised in Wimbledon, England, Victoria Stilwell is one of the world's most recognized and respected dog trainers, reaching audiences in over 50 countries.She is best known for her role as the star of Animal Planet's hit TV series It's Me or the Dog (over 100 episodes so far!), through which she is able to share her insight and passion for positive reinforcement dog training by taming some of the world's most unruly pets as she counsels families on their pet problems. She also served as a judge on CBS's Greatest American Dog.
Stilwell is a passionate advocate for positive reinforcement training methods that enhance a dog's ability to learn while increasing confidence, resulting in a healthy, well-adjusted pet. She is a vocal opponent of punitive, dominance-based training techniques which often result in 'quick fixes' but ultimately cause more long-term harm than good while damaging the owner-dog relationship.
Her two best-selling books, It's Me or the Dog: How to Have the Perfect Pet and Fat Dog Slim: How to Have a Healthy, Happy Pet, have been widely praised, and they detail her core reward-based training philosophy: "There's a better way to train...Positively."
In 2010, she launched Victoria Stilwell Positively Dog Training, the world's first global network of hand-picked, world-class positive reinforcement dog trainers dedicated to providing the public a brand name they can trust in humane, force-free training.
Her Positively Podcast series is available globally, while her popular website, Positively.com, serves as the online home of positive reinforcement dog training and features the world's leading veterinary behaviorists, dog trainers and behavioral scientists on her Positively Expert Blog.
Stilwell remains deeply committed to helping the cause of animal rescue and is heavily involved with rescue groups around the world including Paws Atlanta, Atlanta Pet Rescue, Stray from the Heart (NYC), Hong Kong Dog Rescue and Greyhound Rescue of West England. She works closely with the Wisconsin Puppy Mill Project, the HSUS, Puppy Mill Awareness Day and the Waterside Action Group to increase awareness of the horrific practice of puppy mills globally. She serves as the lead trainer for the official Rin Tin Tin, and she has worked as a volunteer adoption counselor for the ASPCA.
Victoria is a National Ambassador for the American Humane Association in its efforts to promote animal welfare and responsible pet ownership and she serves as the Behavioral Consultant on RedRover's Advisory Board, in addition to being a proud supporter of Yoursphere. Victoria is a member of the US Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT) and the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC).
Victoria currently resides in Atlanta with her husband, daughter and Chocolate Lab, Sadie and Chihuahua mix Jasmine.
Visit Victoria's website here: https://positively.com/