For all the  “Greatest American Dog” fans out there,  if you’ve ever wondered what Victoria Stilwell is thinking take a look at this this great interview by Christine Keith.

August 18, 2008

I spoke with trainer Victoria Stilwell about her experiences as a judge on CBS’ reality competition program, “Greatest American Dog.” My article based on this and other interviews is here.

Christie Keith: … I really like things I’ve seen you say in your writing and in your other interviews about the concept of “thinking dog.” Can you tell our readers a little bit of what that’s about?

Victoria Stilwell: Well, as a trainer I always like to get my clients, before they start training, to try and think what the world is like from a dog’s point of view.

I find so many people don’t even think about that. How is the environment that you have created around your dog affecting your dog both psychologically and physically?

I think when people take time to start thinking what must this be like from the point of view of the dog, I think they begin to understand their dogs. That’s the first key to understanding why your dog does things, why it responds to certain stimuli in certain way and what it’s thinking. We know so much more about our dogs now than we used to, from study and scientific research.

That’s why I always say it’s important to think dog. I think it makes you a better dog owner.

To read the full scoop on her thoughts on the photography competition, doggie dancing, the “infamous” snarl bands, and more hop on over to Pet Connection.

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