Positively Dog Training - The Official Victoria Stilwell Podcast

Victoria and Daniel Shaw delve into the complexities of canine behavior, focusing on trauma-informed care, the impact of stress on dogs, and the importance of understanding the dog’s individual needs. Daniel shares insights from his background in psychology and neuroscience, discussing how these fields inform his approach to working with dogs and cats. They also touch on the challenges of assessing dog behavior in legal contexts and developing more appropriate risk assessment tools when evaluating behavior while emphasizing the importance of context, secure relationships, and realistic expectations in canine care.
Solve reactivity with Victoria's powerful course on Positively.com: Help! Stop Reactivity. Learn more & enroll here.
Create your free Positively account here.
Launch or level up your career as a professional dog trainer with the Victoria Stilwell Academy. Learn more here.

In this conversation, Kamal Fernandez and Victoria take a trip down memory lane discussing their rich and varied history together on TV shows like The Dog Academy and Dogs Might Fly, while exploring the complexities of living in a multi-dog household, the challenges that arise, and the importance of truly understanding dog behavior in dynamic situations. Kamal shares some key insights about the keys to living successfully in multi-dog households and his upcoming presentation about the topic at the 2026 Dog Behavior Conference. The discussion also delves into the concept of drive in dogs, highlighting the difference between arousal and purposeful drive, and the implications for training and behavior management.
An finally, Victoria and Kamal reflect on the legacy of the beloved Sarah Fisher, a true guiding light in the world of dog training and beyond. 
Solve reactivity with Victoria's powerful course on Positively.com: Help! Stop Reactivity. Learn more & enroll here.
Create your free Positively account here.
Launch or level up your career as a professional dog trainer with the Victoria Stilwell Academy. Learn more here.

What is separation anxiety and why do so many dogs suffer with this condition? How can you tell the difference between separation anxiety and boredom? Why is it so difficult to treat and what therapies are out there that can help?
Victoria chats with VSPDT trainer Nicola Cook from the Poochie People about her work with dogs that have separation anxiety and what experts like Nicola can do to help families navigate the tricky waters of this common, but complex, issue.
Victoria also introduces VSA’s brand new course for professional dog trainers: Reactivity for Dog Training and Behavior Professionals. This is a new and comprehensive approach to working with reactive behavior inside and outside the home, that will be available worldwide to all dog trainers and behavior professionals in the Autumn. 
The Reactivity for Dog Training and Behavior Professionals course incorporates The Reactivity Zones Approach, an innovative and effective method of helping dogs and guardians tackle reactive behavior without having to adopt tricky, long-winded DS/CC protocols. This course is a game changer for trainers, guardians and dogs that work and live with reactive behaviors.

Victoria chats with Dr. Callie Harris about her experiences in veterinary medicine, including what it’s like to work in emergency vet med as well as being cast as a judge on the creative grooming TV show, Pooch Perfect with Rebel Wilson and as a veterinary expert for DogTV’s brand new show, The Experts.
A graduate of the prestigious College of Veterinary Medicine at Tuskegee University, Dr. Harris shares her tips on keeping pets safe during the summer months as well as her expertise regarding our senior pets and how to recognize and help elderly dogs with cognitive decline and ‘old dog’ vestibular disease.

What do pet dogs, invasive insects, and a ragtag group of behavior cases have in common? 
In this wildly inspiring and often hilarious episode, Victoria talks with longtime VSA faculty advisor Melissa McCue-McGrath about her groundbreaking work in a national study training pet dogs to detect spotted lanternfly eggs—an invasive species threatening agriculture across the U.S. From snowy deliveries of fly eggs in a Pokémon lunchbox to solving odor puzzles during heatwaves and blizzards, 
Melissa shares the extraordinary journey her students and their reactive, anxious, or aging dogs took to prove that even the “underdogs” can contribute to science. You'll hear how scent theory, behavior consulting, and teamwork came together in a study that saw pugs outperform German shepherds, pet dogs locate hidden satchels in fields, and one handler dodge a school resource officer while explaining, “It’s for science!” 
Melissa also reflects on her role as a VSA faculty advisor, her passion for teaching, and the power of accessibility in modern dog training education. This episode is a heartfelt reminder that training is for everyone—and every dog.
To learn more about Melissa visit https://melissamccuemcgrath.com/, or follow on Instagram.