Victoria Stilwell is a world-renowned dog trainer and behavior expert best known as the star of the international megahit series It's Me or the Dog.
Since 2005, Stilwell has filmed over 150 episodes of It’s Me or the Dog for Animal Planet, Channel 4 and the Really Channel which are now available both on TV and as a social media sensation, reaching audiences in over 200 countries with her philosophy of positive training methods. She also serves as both a dog trainer and the training consultant for the hit series The Dog Academy on Channel 4, as a judge for Greatest American Dog on CBS, as the behavior specialist for Dogs Might Fly on Sky TV, and as the resident dog behavior expert on the One Show on BBC1. She also produced and narrated the Smithsonian channel’s Dogs With Extraordinary Jobs.
A passionate advocate for positive reinforcement dog training methods, Stilwell is the Editor-in-Chief of Positively.com: the ultimate destination for dog lovers online with online courses, podcast and video content, training tips and information, and state-of-the-art guidance tools for dog guardians around the world as well as a roster of Positively Contributors comprised of the world’s leading veterinary behaviorists, dog trainers and behavioral scientists. 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, and focuses her training philosophy on a progressive understanding of the dog’s unique life experience.
Stilwell is the CEO of Victoria Stilwell Positively Dog Training (VSPDT) – a global network of world-class positive reinforcement dog trainers. Since its launch in 2010, VSPDT has become the industry leader in the field of professional dog training by attracting world-class positive reinforcement dog trainers who share Victoria's dedication to providing the public a name they can trust in humane, positive training.
Victoria is also the Founder and President of the Victoria Stilwell Academy for Dog Training and Behavior – the world's premier professional dog trainer educational institution, creating new generations of positive dog trainers and enhancing "The Future of Dog Training."
Stilwell is the author of five best-selling books: It’s Me or the Dog – How to have the Perfect Pet, Fat Dog Slim, Train Your Dog Positively, The Secret Language of Dogs and The Ultimate Guide to Raising a Puppy.
A regular guest on talk shows, news broadcasts and radio programs in the US, Europe and Asia, Stilwell has been the recipient of multiple international awards and honors including Dog Trainer of the Year at the Purina ProPlan Dog awards and the prestigious Excellence in Journalism and Outstanding Contributions to the Pet Industry Award.
She is the resident pet expert on CNN's HLN and the BBC’s One Show, and she has been a longtime columnist for several magazines including The Bark, American Dog, Dogster and Dogs Today. She is regularly featured in numerous journals, magazines and newspapers including The New York Times, USA Today, Cosmopolitan, Time Magazine, Oprah Magazine, Rachael Ray Everyday, MSNBC.com, Self Magazine, Shape Magazine, The Daily Mail, the Sunday Times, The Mirror and The Sun.
Victoria is the host of the popular Positively Podcast series, and she serves as the Executive Producer of various ongoing television projects in addition to her own popular informative dog training videos and the critically acclaimed Arson Dogs, Guardians of the Night and Unsung Heroes web series. Victoria is able to share these and other premium video content through her custom subscription-video-on-demand service, Positively TV.
Stilwell is committed to helping the cause of animal rescue and rehabilitation and is heavily involved in organizations around the world to increase awareness of puppy mills, dog fighting, animal abuse, pet overpopulation, dog bite prevention and other animal-related causes. She is the Executive Director of the Victoria Stilwell Foundation - a non-profit charitable organization committed to providing financial assistance and dog training expertise to small rescue shelters and assistance dog organizations that practice positive training methods.
A co-founder of the national Dog Behavior Conference series (initially called the Dog Bite Conference), Stilwell has served as a National Ambassador for the American Humane Association and as a member of its ‘No Animals Were Harmed’ Committee. She also serves on the Advisory Boards for DogTV, Dognition, The Grey Muzzle Organization, RedRover, W-Underdogs and Canine Assistants, and she is a member of the US Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT) and the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC). She is honored to be an ambassador for the RSPCA and the Soi Dog Foundation.
Early Career
Born and raised in Wimbledon, England, Stilwell began her career in pet training in the early 1990s when she created her own successful dog-walking company and immediately recognized the need for qualified professionals to help her clients with the training process. While pursuing a successful acting career (working in London's West End as well as in numerous films, TV series, commercials and voiceovers), she expanded her focus to dog training by learning from some of Britain's most respected positive-reinforcement dog trainers and behaviorists.
After moving to the U.S. with her actor husband, Stilwell co-founded several successful dog training companies up and down the East Coast, quickly establishing herself as one of New York's most sought-after dog trainers. With a particular fondness for rescue animals in need of behavior rehabilitation, Stilwell devoted much of her time and energy to a number of animal rescue organizations in New York and Atlanta, serving as a behavior advisor and giving regular seminars on the subject of dog rescue, training and rehabilitation while becoming one of the leading voices in the field of dog training and behavior.
Personal Life
Victoria currently resides in Atlanta with her husband, daughter and two rescue dogs, Jasmine and Bella.
