oh well its only been on 5 minutes and it doesnt look good... they had the puppy at 5 weeks old it bites the woman owner constantly, even went for her face, shes scared of it because it constantly goes for her growls, doesnt listen to a word she says. her husband doesnt believe her as when he is around the dog behaves.... constantly humps her friends, poor woman and poor dog. lets see how it turns out...
I missed this one but I have to say that I havent been liking these older shows The other day she used a horn and an air can to claim the door back for the owners from their dom little dog who thought she was the pack leader she also had the owners eating first to show them who was boss The USA show was so good - I didnt realise how bad the old shows were - wish they were not showing them
shes doing the whole pack thing with this husky now, the old ones are quit bad, but i watch anything with dogs in i love them, even if i wouldnt follow the advice or offer it to anyone else. i love the american ones and also like the fact they are on for an hour.
I'm watching this episode atm! Very naughty husky! I don't mind the pack stuff cos she still does positive training with treats etc but I noticed the USA ones are much more positive training and less pack leader etc. I like that she makes them throw away shock and prong collars etc!
Yup I wouldnt mind the pack stuff - but at the moment she isnt positive training really - its mainly 'noise adversion training' which is her finding a loud enough noise to startle the dog Some if it is good but the later series dosent have all this 'ah-haa' and blasts of air at the dogs - she teaches a 'leave it' or a stay at the door
there was a thread on here about deisel (i went searching after i first saw the episode) he was a lovely looking dog, http://www.dogsey.com/showthread.php?t=20444 may be of some interest?
Tbh, ever since I saw the UK episode where she had a dog pts, I have been feeling disillusioned towards VS. I have not watched the Husky episode. The last episode I watched was with the 'inuits'.
She had a dog pts??!! Ok maybe I have the wrong impression of her I didn't think she was like that...
it was a spaniel that had bitten the family on 3 seperate occassions. they were advised by there vet and others aswell to pts a quick google search will give you her view of what happened
Here are VS's comments regading that particular episode. I think she explains quite well her reasons for encouraging the owners to PTS. Where young children are concerned, there is only so much that we can do as owners and the dog had bitten twice already. The third time was an unprovoked attack, not just a small nip or bite that could have been dealt with. I think the family were wrong to begin with. When the dog bit their daughter the first time he should have been rehomed to someone single or an older couple with grown up children with a full history given. Although from reading about "rage syndrome" (I'd never heard of it) maybe there really is no other option for such a dog. Very difficult decision to make. I certainly don't envy anyone involved in making such a decision. Victoria's Comment on the 'Benjy' Episode October 17, 2006 Following the airing of tonight�s (Oct. 17, 2006) episode of �It�s Me or the Dog� on Channel 4, I am aware of many viewers� sadness after watching the program, as it is a sentiment I share. In the episode, one of the family�s cocker spaniels, Benjy, unfortunately had to be put to sleep after having bitten their youngest daughter three times and then mauling their middle daughter unprovoked. We had worked very hard with the family and with Benjy during the filming of the program, but while real progress was made regarding his training, he ultimately had too strong a history of unprovoked attacks on children, and this was something that couldn�t be ignored. Six weeks after finishing the filming of the program, Benjy mauled the daughter, causing significant injuries. It is my firm belief as a dog trainer that once a dog has bitten, he can never be trusted 100% not to bite again. The sad fact is that while this behaviour can be modified and managed, there is always a possibility of a bite happening again if the dog�s bite threshold is reached. There is also a difference between a bite and a mauling. The attack on the little girl was a frenzied attack and was classed as a mauling. I was shocked when I heard Benjy had attacked again, and deeply saddened by the realization that this dog could never be successfully rehomed without significant threat of harm to its owners or others. Many have suggested that he could have been trained to become a �police dog� or a �drugs dog,� but this was unfortunately not an option, either. While dogs that work for police can be taught to direct what looks like aggressive behaviour towards specific targets, most of these dogs are trained to behave in a certain way without feeling it. They are trained that barking and then biting a suspect is a game for which they receive a reward such as a ball after their job has been completed. These dogs would not be any good if they felt aggression when they were doing their work. They are the most highly trained of all dogs, and represent 100% success, as they must be trusted with their behavior in all circumstances, all the time. Benjy, while a very intelligent, loving dog, was not to be trusted. With evidence of what occurred before, during and after the attack there was also suspicion of a neurological condition known as rage syndrome and this had been discussed with the vet. The mother had also been on the receiving end of a mauling where the dog exhibited the same kind of strange behaviour before, during and after the attack. Rage syndrome is a well-documented condition that has been linked with epilepsy, where the dog has no comprehension of what is has done, before, during and after an attack. The dog will have a glazed look in its eyes and will normally be very quiet after an attack, similar to a fit. While I agree that watching what Benjy and his owners went through was painful and very upsetting, I feel that the most responsible thing we could have done was illustrate how difficult the whole situation was for everyone involved. Too many dog owners take their dog�s problems too lightly, and as we have seen in recent news reports, the result of that irresponsibility can be truly tragic. As the mother of a 2-year old, I know how hard it can be to monitor the content our children watch on TV, and I feel that a program like tonight's, while difficult, was not improper. I feel terribly sad for Benjy and his owners � losing a pet under any circumstances is extremely difficult, and when the owners must make that decision themselves, it is unimaginably tragic. I am adamantly against putting pets to sleep when it is unwarranted, and unfortunately, far too many pets are lost that could be saved and rehomed. The vast majority of the work I�ve done over the years has been with rescue shelters in New York City, where the euthanasia problem is out of control. I have personally saved over 40 animals from being put to sleep and am constantly trying to think of ways to save more. That is not to say, however, that dogs should never be put to sleep. In rare cases, I feel that keeping dangerous dogs alive ultimately does more harm than good. Part of my responsibility as host of �It�s Me or the Dog� is to not shy away from the difficult decisions, and while I would rather that every episode end in success, the cold, hard truth is that sometimes there are unhappy endings. I think it would have been far more irresponsible for us to not air tonight�s program or temper the impact its conclusion had on everyone involved. I understand the anger and upset that many viewers felt watching tonight�s episode, and I share it. It was not lightly that I made the decision to encourage the owners to put Benjy to sleep, but I do believe it was the right decision. Victoria Stilwell
i have always trusted victoria stillwells judgement and believe she tries her hardest to get these dogs to be the best they can and the owners 2 do the best they can through positive rewards and unlike others she does not change her opinions just 2 suit i uphold my support for her as a trainer and alwayswilland its true sometimes inlife no matter how hard the decision sometimes its for the best
I found the episode with Benjy so sad... the dad seemed sooooo heartbroken but i do think it was the right thing to do in that situation.
