Read (or listen to) Victoria's best-selling books to get her powerful advice for how to live your best life alongside your best friend - all using her Positively philosophy.
The Ultimate Guide to Raising a Puppy: How to Train and Care for Your New Dog
This informative guide is packed with the latest information to help owners choose a pup, integrate it into the home, and negotiate each stage of growth, from toilet training to teaching valuable life skills like resilience, play, and walking on leash.
Chapters include:
- Chapter 1: Before the Beginning
- Chapter 2: Everything’s a First
- Chapter 3: Teaching Life Skills
- Chapter 4: Empowering Your Puppy
- Chapter 5: The Ups and Downs of Adolescence
Order from the Positively store here.
Released October 1, 2019
The Secret Language of Dogs: Unlock the Canine Mind for a Happier Pet
Recent studies into the minds of canines show that they have a rich social intelligence and a physical and vocal language as complex and subtle as our own. In The Secret Language of Dogs, world-renowned trainer and star of Animal Planet’s It’s Me or the Dog Victoria Stilwell reveals how to both interpret and “speak” the hidden language of dogs. This book is your guide to understanding your pooch, communicating effectively, strengthening your bond, and helping dogs learn in the most effective way possible so they feel confident navigating the human world with success.
Along the way, you’ll learn the answers to questions such as:
• What do different tail wags mean?
• What does being right-pawed say about my dog’s personality?
• How can I tell the difference between boredom barking and warning barking?
• What does it mean when my dog spins around, arches his back, or gives me the whale eye?
• Do dogs feel guilt?
• How do dogs perceive human faces?
• Why do some scientists think dogs’ emotional experience is even greater than ours?
Filled with adorable full-color photographs and instructive illustrations, this insightful “dog decoder” will soon make you dog’s best friend.
Order from the Positively store here.
Released October 11, 2016
Train Your Dog Positively
Understand Your Dog and Solve Common Behavior Problems Including Separation Anxiety, Excessive Barking, Aggression, Housetraining, Leash Pulling and More!
In her third book, renowned dog behavior expert Victoria Stilwell provides a comprehensive toolbox designed to help dog owners overcome the most persistent, annoying and dangerous behavior problems in their dogs.
Far from being merely another dog training manual, however, it also serves as an easily accessible yet scientifically sound roadmap for understanding where our dogs come from, how they experience the world and what we need to teach them most effectively.
Train Your Dog Positively is the definitive must-read book for all dog lovers who are committed to giving their canine companion the best chance to succeed by harnessing the power of force-free training techniques. Using her time-tested and scientifically-backed brand of positive reinforcement training methodology, Stilwell not only helps us understand once and for all why outdated and dangerous punishment-based methods are so flawed, but also how and why to replace them with more effective and long-lasting positive solutions that create a bond between man and dog based on mutual trust, respect and love.
Chapters include:
Part I. The Relationship: The Way Dogs Developed, How They Learn, and What We Need to Understand Them
- Chapter 1. Dominance and Pack Theory: Are Dogs on a Quest for World Domination?
- Chapter 2. The Power of Positive Reinforcement
- Chapter 3. Leading Without Force: The Future of Dog Training
- Chapter 4. Building the Bond: Understanding Canine Language
Part II. Behavioral Training Solutions
- Chapter 5. The Positive Puppy: Building a Solid Training Foundation
- Chapter 6. Housetraining Hell: Solving Toileting Issues
- Chapter 7. Home-Alone Blues: Easing Separation Distress and Anxiety
- Chapter 8. Stress, Anxiety, and Fear: From Thunderstorm Phobia to Compulsive Behavior
- Chapter 9. Canine Aggression: From Resource Guarding to Leash Aggression
- Chapter 10. Solving Common Behavior Problems: Stealing, Running Away, Jumping Up, Barking, Leash Pulling, Poop Eating, and Mouthing
Read what some of the biggest names in the animal behavior world have to say about Train Your Dog Positively:
- “Love your dog? Then there’s no better way to show it than by reading Victoria Stilwell’s new book, Train Your Dog Positively. Full of insights into both dog and human behavior, Victoria convincingly argues against using force and dominance, and lights the way to the relationship we all want with our best friends.”
--Patricia B. McConnell, PhD, certified applied animal behaviorist, adjunct professor at University of Wisconsin-Madison, and author of The Other End of the Leash - “Positive training is simply the only way - the humane way - to build a healthy relationship with our beloved four-legged family members. Victoria’s remarkable book is a must read for pet owners!”
--Robin R. Ganzert, PhD, President and CEO, American Humane Association - “As a thirty-plus-year veterinarian and lifetime pet lover, I was totally engrossed with Train Your Dog Positively. I dog-eared page after page for reference and highlighted tip after tip. Read this book and you're guaranteed to have fewer problems, more fun, and a richer relationship with your dog.”
--Dr. Marty Becker, veterinary contributor on Good Morning America and member of the Dr. Oz Medical Advisory Panel - “This great contribution from Victoria Stilwell will help dog owners everywhere more accurately understand their pets’ psyche and positively shape their behavior for the better. Two paws up!"
--Dr. Nicholas Dodman, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, Tufts University - "Forget all you've heard about being the boss; Victoria's methods work better. Follow her clear and sensible advice. Your dog will be a joy to live with--and your dog will think YOU are a joy to live with too."
--Karen Pryor, author, Reaching the Animal Mind - “Train Your Dog Positively is a great resource to help people understand why positive training makes sense and works! Victoria Stilwell has eloquently presented the scientific basis and the practical know-how (with real life examples) to build that positive relationship with your dog!”
--Cindy Otto, DVM, PhD and Director, Penn Vet Working Dog Center - "Victoria Stilwell is a priceless gift to dogs...her book a treasure for those of us who love them."
--Jennifer Arnold, author, Through A Dog’s Eyes and founder, Canine Assistants - “Victoria Stilwell once again demonstrates that she truly recognizes and appreciates the most effective and humane ways to train dogs so that they will be the happy, lifelong companions that we all need so much today. She understands that dogs, as with people, may behave as we want them to by using negative types of punishment but to truly have them be a willing and contented part of our lives positive reassuring methods make it happen.”
--Bob Vetere, CEO, American Pet Products Association
Released March 19, 2013
It’s Me or the Dog: How to Have the Perfect Pet
Victoria’s first book, It’s Me or the Dog: How to Have the Perfect Pet is the ultimate guide to understanding your dog and building a balanced relationship based on trust and respect. By clearly and concisely laying out her general philosophies on dog training and then delving into more detail on some of the most common dog behavior issues, Victoria effectively provides a roadmap readers can follow to emulate her world-renowned, wildly successful dog training techniques and tame even the most problematic dog.
Simple, intuitive instructions and stunning color photography help dog owners not merely train their pets, but understand them -- so when a new issue arises, they’ll be able to adjust their approach and nip it in the bud before it gets out of hand. Throughout, she reminds owners that training isn’t about imposing their will on a dog; it’s about giving him the tools he needs to live in the human world.
Central to her philosophy is that in order to fully understand and effectively communicate with your dog, you must first learn to talk and think dog and see the world from the dog’s point of view – only then can the bond between dog and owner truly be based on constructive discipline, mutual respect and love.
Chapters include:
- Think Dog: understanding your pup
- Talk Dog: canine communication
- Dog School: basic obedience training
- Dog’s Dinner: the right diet
- Accidents Will Happen: house-training
- You’ll Never Walk Alone: exercise
- Worker’s Playtime: having fun with your dog
Released September 5th, 2005
Fat Dog Slim: How to Have a Healthy, Happy Pet
“You are what you eat” is as true for dogs as it is for humans, so it's no wonder that so many dogs have behavioral problems when you look at what really goes into a typical can of dog food. Or why dog obesity is increasing exponentially when you look at the sedentary lifestyles so many owners lead. In her second book, Victoria tackles the hottest canine subject of the day and shows how you can have a happy, fit, healthy dog by giving them the right food and the right exercise. Along the way she deals with all sorts of related behavioral problems - from food stealing to managing exercise - in her typically feisty and highly effective way.
Chapters Include:
- Dogs’ Dinners: good food/bad food; what/how much should puppies and dogs eat? How to make simple dog food yourself; food for puppies/older dogs/particular conditions.
- Fat Dog to Slim Dog: what is overweight? Eating plans for overweight dogs; top tips for sticking to it.
- Problems, Problems: behavioral problems around food and Victoria's solutions to them including stealing food, constant begging, etc.
- Walkies and Workouts: How exercise is crucial to well-being; how much exercise different breeds need; motivating reluctant exercisers; dealing with problems when exercising such as running off, pulling on lead etc.
Released January 3, 2007
