Good Dog TV

It’s taken a number of years (and some significant missteps, in our opinion), but television producers are finally turning out programs that promote dog-friendly training and progressive dog care. For some time, I’ve been a fan of British trainer Victoria Stilwell’s show on Animal Planet, “It’s Me or the Dog!” In the course of each episode, Stilwell visits the home of some dog owner (or owners) who have a problem dog (or dogs). The dog/s are shown being unbelievably obnoxious and/or aggressive, and the owner/s are shown to be without a clue and at their wits’ end. Stilwell then explains how the situation has developed, demonstrates positive solutions (as the owner/s gape), and teaches the owner/s how to carry out the methods themselves.

It’s interesting to me to see the many ways that dog owners can inadvertently contribute to the development of serious and vexing behavior problems in their dogs; I also enjoy comparing Stilwell’s advice and suggested solutions to my own much-less-experienced ideas about how to fix the problems. The fact that I don’t always agree with her approaches doesn’t in any way diminish my appreciation for her promotion of dog-friendly training techniques – methods that are based on behavioral science, not force or intimidation.

I just found another show that I admire (again, not without some minor quibbles). “Underdog to Wonderdog,” also seen on the Animal Planet channel, had its debut in January. In the course of each episode, a team of dog lovers rescues and rehabilitates a needy, homeless dog. The dog’s physical, emotional, and training needs are addressed through veterinary care, grooming, positive training, and even some environmental enhancement in the form of custom-built dog beds, play structures, and designer dog-wear. Best of all, the team of experts finds a home for the dog and prepares the dog for his new family, and the family for the new dog.

Despite what one of my dog expert friends accurately described as “a sickening amount of gushing over the dog” in the first episode, I was pleased to see a major television production focus on the value of rescuing homeless dogs. The fact that they also addressed, albeit briefly, many of the issues that should be addressed to make sure that the dog recovers from the neglect or abuse in his past is icing on the cake, for me.

Mainstream TV shows are often shallow, sensational, repetitive, and fuzzy about the facts, in their effort to be entertaining. However, if you are at all interested in the content, they can be all those things – and riveting, at the same time! Maybe it’s just me; it’s possible that I’m just so grateful to see positive training techniques shown to a wide audience that I’m overly forgiving of the shows’ flaws. Nobody’s perfect!

Consult your local listings to determine when these shows are broadcast; I’m willing to bet you’ll get hooked, too.