Look up positive in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Positive is a property of positivity and may refer to:

Mathematics and science[link]

• Converging lens or positive lens, in optics
• Plus sign, the sign "+" used to indicate a positive number
• Positive (electricity), a polarity of electrical charge
• Positive element of a C*-algebra (such as a bounded linear operator) whose spectrum consists of positive real numbers
• Positive formula, a logical formula not containing negation
• Positive number, a number that is greater than 0
• Positive (photography), a positive image, in which the color and luminance correlates directly with that in the depicted scene
• Positive result, a result that has been found significant in statistical hypothesis testing
• Positive sense, said of an RNA sequence that codes for a protein
• Positive test, a diagnostic test result that indicates some parameter being evaluated was present

Philosophy and humanities[link]

• Affirmative, in linguistics, is a non-negated expression, as opposed to negative. See grammatical polarity
• Affirmative (policy debate), the team which affirms the resolution
• A positive image, in photography, is one in which the value (lightness–darkness) correlates positively with that in the scene depicted
• Negative and positive rights, concerning the moral obligation of a person to do something for/to someone
• Positive economics, in economics, about predictions of behavior of economic actors, as opposed to the normative aspect
• Positive law is man-made law (statutes) in contrast with natural law (derived from deities or morality)
• Positive liberty, the opportunity and ability to act to fulfill one's own potential
• Positive (linguistics), the form of an adjective or adverb on which comparative and superlative are formed with suffixes or the use of more or less
• Positive psychology, a branch of psychology
• Positive science, for a general usage in humanities and social sciences referring to either
  • something being value-free, the opposite of normative
  • the act of something being described in terms of facts alone
• Positive statement, in economics, a (possibly incorrect) factual statement
• Positivism, in philosophy, the name for theories which aim to be based on facts alone, eschewing metaphysics and religion

In popular culture[link]

• Positive (film), a short film in Hindi on HIV and AIDS
• "(Gotta Be) Positive", a song by Eddy Grant from Reparation
• Positive hardcore, a sub genre of hardcore punk.

Other uses[link]

• Positive sign - in western astrology, the supposedly extroverted personalities of the fire and air signs
• Positive affectivity - the psychological capability to respond positively
• Beneficial - see wiktionary

See also[link]

• HIV positive people
• Negative (disambiguation)
• Negative (photography), as opposed to positive images used in such applications as slide projection or photo emulsion stencil-making
• Normative
• Optimism
• Positif
• Positive action (disambiguation)
• Positive (2008 film), a 2008 Malayalam language film directed by V. K. Prakash
• Positive organ

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

Napoleon Hill
Portrait of a young Napoleon Hill
Born	(1883-10-26)October 26, 1883 Pound, Virginia
Died	November 8, 1970(1970-11-08) (aged 87)
Occupation	author, journalist, attorney, lecturer
Nationality	United States
Period	1928–1970
Genres	non-fiction, how-to, treatise
Subjects	personal development, self-help, motivation, finance, investment
Literary movement	personal development, self-help
Notable work(s)	Think and Grow Rich The Law of Success Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude
Influences Andrew Carnegie, W. Clement Stone, Thomas Edison, John D. Rockefeller
Influenced W. Clement Stone Og Mandino
Signature
The Napoleon Hill Foundation naphill.org the napoleon hill foundation
Literature portal

Napoleon Hill (October 26, 1883 – November 8, 1970) was an American author who was one of the earliest producers of the modern genre of personal-success literature. He is widely considered to be one of the great writers on success.^[1] His most famous work, Think and Grow Rich (1937), is one of the best-selling books of all time (at the time of Hill's death in 1970, Think and Grow Rich had sold 20 million copies).^[2] Hill's works examined the power of personal beliefs, and the role they play in personal success. He became an advisor to President Franklin D. Roosevelt from 1933 to 1936. "What the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve" is one of Hill's hallmark expressions.^[3][4] How achievement actually occurs, and a formula for it that puts success in reach of the average person, were the focal points of Hill's books.

Life and works[link]

According to his official biographer, Tom Butler-Bowdon, Napoleon Hill was born in a one-room cabin near the Appalachian town of Pound, in Southwest Virginia.^[5] Hill's mother died when he was eight years old, and his father remarried two years later. At the age of 13, Hill began writing as a "mountain reporter" for small-town newspapers in the area of Wise County, Virginia. He later used his earnings as a reporter to enter law school, but soon he had to withdraw for financial reasons.^[6]

Influence of Andrew Carnegie (1835–1919)[link]

Andrew Carnegie

Hill considered the turning point in his life to have occurred in the year 1908 with his assignment, as part of a series of articles about famous and successful men, to interview the industrialist Andrew Carnegie. At the time, Carnegie was one of the most powerful men in the world. Hill discovered that Carnegie believed that the process of success could be outlined in a simple formula that anyone would be able to understand and achieve. Impressed with Hill, Carnegie asked him if he was up to the task of putting together this information, to interview or analyze over 500 successful men and women, many of them millionaires, in order to discover and publish this formula for success.^[7]

As part of his research, Hill interviewed many of the most famous people of the time, including Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell, George Eastman, Henry Ford, Elmer Gates, John D. Rockefeller, Sr., Charles M. Schwab, F.W. Woolworth, William Wrigley Jr., John Wanamaker, William Jennings Bryan, Theodore Roosevelt, William H. Taft and Jennings Randolph. Hill was also an advisor to two presidents of the United States of America, Woodrow Wilson and Franklin Delano Roosevelt.^[8]

The Philosophy of Achievement[link]

Napoleon Hill holding his book Think and Grow Rich

As a result of Hill's studies via Carnegie's introductions, the Philosophy of Achievement was offered as a formula for rags-to-riches success by Hill and Carnegie, published initially in 1925 as a multi-volume study course called The Law of Success, later re-released in 1928 in an abridged version under the same title. The Achievement formula was detailed further and published in home-study courses, including the seventeen-volume "Mental Dynamite" series until 1941.

Hill later called his personal success teachings "The Philosophy of Achievement", and he considered freedom, democracy, capitalism, and harmony to be important contributing elements to this philosophy. Hill claimed throughout his writings that without these foundations upon which to build, successful personal achievements were not possible. He contrasted his philosophy with others' and thought that the Achievement Philosophy was superior. He felt that it was responsible for the success Americans enjoyed for the better part of two centuries. Negative emotions such as fear, selfishness, etc., had no part to play in his philosophy. Hill considered those emotions to be the source of failure for unsuccessful people.^[9]

The secret of achievement was tantalizingly offered to readers of Think and Grow Rich, but Hill felt readers would benefit most if they discovered it for themselves. Although most readers feel that he never explicitly identified this secret, he offers these words about 20 pages into the book: If you truly desire money so keenly that your desire is an obsession, you will have no difficulty in convincing yourself that you will acquire it. The object is to want money, and to be so determined to have it that you convince yourself that you will have it. . . You may as well know, right here, that you can never have riches in great quantities unless you work yourself into a white heat of desire for money, and actually believe you will possess it.

He presented the idea of a "Definite Major Purpose" as a challenge to his readers in order to make them ask themselves, "In what do I truly believe?" According to Hill, 98% of people had few or no firm beliefs, and this alone put true success firmly out of their reach.^[10]

One of Hill's most moving stories was about his own son, Blair. He tells how his son was an inspiration to him, because although Blair was born without ears, without any normal hearing organs at all, even though his doctor told Hill that his son would neither be able to hear nor speak, Blair grew up to be able to hear and speak almost normally. Hill tells how his son, in his last year of college, picked up the manuscript of chapter two of Think and Grow Rich, discovered Hill's secret for himself and went on to be an inspiration for hundreds and thousands of people who could not hear or speak.^[11]

From 1952 to 1962, Hill taught his Philosophy of Personal Achievement – Lectures on "Science of Success" in association with W. Clement Stone.^[12] In 1960, Hill and Stone co-authored the book, Success Through A Positive Mental Attitude. Norman Vincent Peale stated "These two men [Hill and Stone] have the rare gift of inspiring and helping people...In fact, I owe them both a personal debt of gratitude for the helpful guidance I have received from their writings." ^[13]

Think and Grow Rich remains the top seller of Napoleon Hill's books – a perennial best-seller after 70 years (Business Week Magazine's Best-Seller List ranked Think and Grow Rich as the sixth best-selling paperback business book 70 years after it was first published).^[14] Think and Grow Rich is listed in John C. Maxwell's A Lifetime "Must Read" Books List. ^[15]

Hill's numerous books have sold millions of copies, showing that the secret of achievement is still highly sought-after by many today. Hill dealt with many controversial subjects through his writings including racism, slavery, oppression, failure, revolution, war and poverty. Persevering and then succeeding in spite of these obstacles using the Philosophy of Achievement, Hill stated, was the responsibility of every human.^[10]

Today's philosophy-of-success teachers still use the research formulas taught by Hill to expand their students' knowledge of personal development.^[15]

Bibliography[link]

• The Law of Success (1928)
• The Magic Ladder To Success (1930)
• Think and Grow Rich (1937)
• How to Sell Your Way through Life (1939)
• Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude (1960)
• You Can Work Your Own Miracles (1971)
• Napoleon Hill's Keys to Success: The 17 Principles of Personal Achievement
• Grow Rich!: With Peace of Mind
• The Master-Key to Riches
• Succeed and Grow Rich Through Persuasion
• Outwitting the Devil (2011) ISBN 978-1-4027-8453-8

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Napoleon Hill

• Napoleon Hill Quotes
• Article on Hill's life from Success magazine
• Napoleon Hill (1883–1970) – Find A Grave Memorial

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (May 2011)

Darryl Gibson, better known by his stage name Positive K (sometimes stylized as +K), is an American emcee from the Bronx, New York City, New York, and is one of the original artists of the First Priority Music camp. He is best known for his hits "I'm Not Havin' It" (a duet with MC Lyte) and his 1992 hit "I Got a Man",^[1] which borrows its male/female dialogue format from the aforementioned "I'm Not Havin' It".

Music career[link]

Positive K started his career in 1986, making his debut on a Hip-Hop showcase album Fast Money for a small, short-lived independent label called Star Maker. Aside from featuring a track by Hip-Hop legend Disco Dave, Fast Money also featured the debut recording of Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock. Later on, he was picked up by Nat Robinson's First Priority Music under the management of Lumumba Carson (the son of activist Sonny Carson) before Carson would become better known as X-Clan founding member Professor X The Overseer.

Positive K scored a major hit with 1992's "I Got a Man." The song peaked at #14 on the Billboard Hot 100 in early 1993. Leading up to that, he made appearances in underground compilations including one called "I'm Not Havin' It," a duet with MC Lyte—that raised his profile. A guest spot on Brand Nubian’s One for All and another on Grand Puba's Reel to Reel, along with a self-released, Big Daddy Kane-produced single, "Nightshift", set the stage for The Skills Dat Pay Da Bills, his full-length debut, released on Island Records. The album balanced themes of Nation of Gods and Earths with gangsta-isms and more pop-based moments. Meanwhile, he kept his Creative Control label in operation, signing and cultivating new talent. He was featured on WYBE's Old School Show, where he was awarded the #3 slot on the list of early hip-hop pioneers.

In 1993, Positive K appeared with Beavis and Butt-head on The Beavis and Butt-head Experience in a remix of "Come to Butt-head." The song is hidden at the end of the album on the same CD track as "I Got You Babe," which Beavis & Butt-head performed with Cher. The same year, Positive K briefly appeared in the Robert De Niro film A Bronx Tale as one of the angry protesters.

In 2006, Positive K appeared on Nas' "Where Are They Now" '90s remix.

Discography[link]

References[link]

This hip hop music/culture article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

Martin Seligman
Born	(1942-08-12) August 12, 1942 (age 69) Albany, New York
Nationality	American
Education	Ph.D. in Psychology at University of Pennsylvania
Alma mater	Princeton University
Occupation	Psychologist, educator, and author
Employer	University of Pennsylvania
Organization	Department of Psychology
Title	Zellerbach Family Professor of Psychology

Martin E. P. "Marty" Seligman (born August 12, 1942) is an American psychologist, educator, and author of self-help books. His theory of learned helplessness is popular among scientific and clinical psychologists.^[1]

According to Haggbloom et al.'s study of the most eminent psychologists of the 20th century, Seligman was the 13th most frequently cited psychologist in introductory psychology textbooks throughout the century, as well as the 31st most eminent overall.^[2]

Seligman is the Zellerbach Family Professor of Psychology in the University of Pennsylvania's Department of Psychology. He was previously the Director of the Clinical Training Program in the department. He is the director of the university's Positive Psychology Center.^[3] Seligman was elected President of the American Psychological Association for 1998.^[4] He is the founding editor-in-chief of Prevention and Treatment Magazine (the APA electronic journal) and is on the board of advisers of Parents magazine.

Seligman has written about positive psychology topics such as The Optimistic Child, Child's Play, Learned Optimism, Authentic Happiness, and Flourish.

Early life and education[link]

Seligman was born in Albany, New York. He earned a bachelors degree at Princeton University in 1964, graduating Summa Cum Laude (Philosophy). He earned his Ph.D. in Psychology at University of Pennsylvania in 1967.

Learned helplessness[link]

Seligman's foundational experiments and theory of "learned helplessness" began at University of Pennsylvania in 1967, as an extension of his interest in depression. Quite by accident, Seligman and colleagues discovered that the conditioning of dogs led to outcomes that were opposite to the predictions of B.F. Skinner's behaviorism, then a leading psychological theory.^[5]

Seligman developed the theory further, finding learned helplessness to be a psychological condition in which a human being or an animal has learned to act or behave helplessly in a particular situation — usually after experiencing some inability to avoid an adverse situation — even when it actually has the power to change its unpleasant or even harmful circumstance. Seligman saw a similarity with severely depressed patients, and argued that clinical depression and related mental illnesses result in part from a perceived absence of control over the outcome of a situation.^[6] In later years, alongside Abramson, Seligman reformulated his theory of learned helplessness to include attributional style.^[7]

According to author Jane Mayer,^[8] Seligman gave a talk at the Navy SERE school in San Diego in 2002, which he said was a three-hour talk on helping US soldiers to resist torture, based on his understanding of learned helplessness.

Positive psychology[link]

Seligman worked with Christopher Peterson to create what they describe as a 'positive' counterpart to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). While the DSM focuses on what can go wrong, Character Strengths and Virtues is designed to look at what can go right. In their research they looked across cultures and across millennia to attempt to distill a manageable list of virtues that have been highly valued from ancient China and India, through Greece and Rome, to contemporary Western cultures. Their list includes six character strengths: wisdom/knowledge, courage, humanity, justice, temperance, and transcendence. Each of these has perhaps a half-dozen sub-entries; for instance, temperance includes forgiveness, humility, prudence, and self-regulation.^[9] One of their key points is that they do not believe that there is a hierarchy for the six virtues; no one is more fundamental than or a precursor to the others.

Quite recently at the time of typing (July 2011), Martin Seligman has encouraged David Cameron to look into well-being as well as financial wealth in ways of assessing the prosperity of a nation. On July 6, 2011, he appeared on Newsnight and was interviewed by Jeremy Paxman about his ideas and his interest in the concept of well-being.

While presenting "Flourish" to the Royal Society of Arts,^[10] Seligman articulated an account of the good life, which consisted of five elements:

• P(ositive) emotion - tunable by writing down, every day at bed time, three things that went well, and why
• E(ngagement) - tunable by preferentially using one's highest strengths to perform the tasks which one would perform anyway
• R(elationships) - tunable, but not in a way that can be explained briefly; listen to timestamp 15:12 and following of the audio
• M(eaning) - belonging to and serving something bigger than one's self
• A(chievement) - determination is known to count for more than IQ

MAPP program[link]

The Master of Applied Positive Psychology (MAPP) program at the University of Pennsylvania was established under the leadership of Seligman as the first educational initiative of the Positive Psychology Center in 2003.

On "conversion/reparative" therapy for changing homosexuality[link]

In 1966, Martin E.P. Seligman reported that, while using aversion therapy to try to change gay men's sexual orientation to heterosexual was controversial, in some instances, the process "worked surprisingly well", with up to 50% of men subjected to such therapy not acting on their homosexual urges. These results produced what Seligman described as "a great burst of enthusiasm about changing homosexuality that swept over the therapeutic community" after the results were reported in 1966. However, Seligman notes that the findings were later demonstrated to be flawed: most of the men treated with aversion therapy who did in fact stop homosexual behavior were actually bisexual. Among men with an exclusive or near-exclusive homosexual orientation, aversion therapy was far less successful.^[11]

Personal life[link]

According to an interview for his electronic journal Prevention and Treatment Seligman said magenta was his favorite color because of the amazing calming effects of the color on the human body. He plays bridge, and finished second in one of the three major North American pair championships, the Blue Ribbon Pairs (1998), and has won over 50 regional championships^[12] He has seven children, four grandchildren and three dogs.

Seligman was inspired by the work of the psychiatrist Aaron T. Beck at the University of Pennsylvania in refining his own cognitive techniques and exercises.^[13]

Publications[link]

• Seligman, Martin E. P. (1975). Helplessness: On Depression, Development, and Death. San Francisco: W.H. Freeman. ISBN 0-7167-0752-7 (Paperback reprint edition, W.H. Freeman, 1992, ISBN 0-7167-2328-X)
• Seligman, Martin E. P. (1991). Learned Optimism: How to Change Your Mind and Your Life. New York: Knopf. ISBN 0-671-01911-2 (Paperback reprint edition, Penguin Books, 1998; reissue edition, Free Press, 1998)
• Seligman, Martin E. P. (1993). What You Can Change and What You Can't: The Complete Guide to Successful Self-Improvement. New York: Knopf. ISBN 0-679-41024-4 (Paperback reprint edition, Ballantine Books, 1995, ISBN 0-449-90971-9
• Seligman, Martin E. P. (1996). The Optimistic Child: Proven Program to Safeguard Children from Depression & Build Lifelong Resilience. New York: Houghton Mifflin. (Paperback edition, Harper Paperbacks, 1996, ISBN 0-06-097709-4
• Seligman, Martin E. P. (2002). Authentic Happiness: Using the New Positive Psychology to Realize Your Potential for Lasting Fulfillment. New York: Free Press. ISBN 0-7432-2297-0 (Paperback edition, Free Press, 2004, ISBN 0-7432-2298-9)
• Seligman, Martin E. P. (2004). '"Can Happiness be Taught?". Daedalus, Spring 2004.
• Peterson, Christopher, & Seligman, Martin E. P. (2004). Character Strengths and Virtues. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 9870195167016
• Seligman, Martin E. P. (2011). Flourish: A Visionary New Understanding of Happiness and Well-being. New York: Free Press. ISBN 978-1-4391-9075-3

References[link]

University of Pennsylvania. (2012). Master of Applied Positive Psychology (MAPP) Program. Retrieved April 8, 2012, from sas.upenn.edu: http://www.sas.upenn.edu/lps/graduate/mapp

External links[link]

• Authentic Happiness, Seligman's homepage at University of Pennsylvania
• "Eudaemonia, the Good Life: A Talk with Martin Seligman", an article wherein Seligman speaks extensively on the topic of eudaemonia
• "The Positive Psychology Center", a website devoted to positive psychology. Martin Seligman is director of the Positive Psychology Center of the University of Pennsylvania.
• Program description for Master of Applied Positive Psychology degree established by Seligman
• Martin E. P. Seligman's curriculum vitae at the University of Pennsylvania
• TED Talk: Why is psychology good?
• [1], University of Pennsylvania's page on MAPP program

This biographical article is written like a résumé. Please help improve it by revising it to be neutral and encyclopedic. (March 2011)

Victoria Stilwell
Born	(1969-07-20) July 20, 1969 (age 42) Wimbledon, England
Residence	Atlanta, Georgia Notting Hill, London
Nationality	British
Occupation	Dog trainer, Television presenter, Author, Actress
Years active	1995–present
Employer	Animal Planet, Channel 4, CBS
Known for	It's Me or the Dog Greatest American Dog
Website
Official Website

Victoria Stilwell (born July 20, 1969 in Wimbledon, England) is widely known as a dog trainer, author, and television presenter. Stilwell served as a judge on the CBS show Greatest American Dog and presents the Animal Planet dog training TV show It's Me or the Dog, counselling families with problem pets and solving their dogs’ behaviour problems.

Background[link]

Stilwell originally trained as an actress, playing roles in Bram Stoker's Dracula in 1992, ITV1's The Bill in 1994, and onstage in London's West End theatre, as well as several commercials and voiceovers. She received a BA honours degree in Theatre from Middlesex University.^[1] In order to supplement her income as an actress, Stilwell's veterinary nurse sister suggested Victoria start a dog walking agency. Within a month Victoria was walking 20 dogs per day - 10 in the morning, 10 in the afternoon - and immediately recognized the need for qualified professionals to help her clients with the training process. She then expanded her focus to dog training by learning from some of Britain's most respected positive-reinforcement dog trainers and behaviorists. After moving to the U.S. with her husband in 1999, Stilwell co-founded several successful dog training companies up and down the East Coast. Born and raised in Wimbledon, England, Victoria Stilwell is one of the worlds most recognized and respected dog trainers, reaching fans in over 50 countries. She is best known for her role as the star of Animal Planet's hit TV series “It's Me or the Dog”, through which she is able to share her understanding and desire for positive reinforcement dog training by taming some of the world’s most uncontrollable pets as she counsels families on their pet problems.

Dog trainer[link]

Stilwell has become an influential advocate of science-based, humane and effective dog training movement. Stilwell rejects dominance-based, traditional training techniques, instead, promoting positive reinforcement techniques. These techniques, she says, increases the dog's confidence and happiness, and allows a healthy, co-operative and kind relationship to be maintained between owner and dog. Stilwell believes that positive training results in a dog who follows an owner because it wants to rather than following out of fear, while traditional training uses punitive methods to force a dog to behave, often resulting short term solutions which never truly identifies the root cause of the misbehavior while promoting insecurity and negative behavior.^[2][3][4]

In 2010, Stilwell created Victoria Stilwell Positively Dog Training - a global network of positive reinforcement dog trainers dedicated to spreading the word about positive reinforcement techniques^[5] Born and raised in Wimbledon, England, Victoria Stilwell is one of the worlds most recognized and respected dog trainers, reaching fans in over 50 countries. She is best known for her role as the star of Animal Planet's hit TV series “It's Me or the Dog”, through which she is able to share her understanding and desire for positive reinforcement dog training by taming some of the world’s most uncontrollable pets as she counsels families on their pet problems.In the early 1990s, Victoria began her career in pet training when she created her own successful dog-walking company and instantly recognized the need for capable professionals to help her customers with the training process. While pursuing a successful acting career (working in London's West End as well as in numerous films, TV series, commercials and voiceovers), she expanded her focus to dog training by learning from some of Britain's most respected positive-reinforcement dog trainers and behaviorists.

Charity[link]

Stilwell created the Victoria Stilwell Foundation, whose mission is "to provide financial support and canine behavior expertise to assistance dog organizations and small animal rescue shelters while promoting the concept of reward-based, positive reinforcement dog training philosophies in organizations and households throughout the United States."^[6]

With a particular fondness for rescue animals in need of behaviour rehabilitation, Stilwell devotes much of her time and energy to a number of animal rescue organisations around the world, serving as a behaviour advisor for shelters in Atlanta, New York, the UK, and Hong Kong while giving regular seminars on the subject of dog rescue, training and rehabilitation. She worked as a volunteer adoption counsellor for the ASPCA, and has been featured in numerous magazines and journals including The New York Times,^[7] USA Today,^[8] Cosmopolitan, the Daily Mail, MSNBC.com,^[9] Psychology Today and The Sun^[10]. Stilwell is a regular columnist for The Bark, Dog World, American Dog and Dogs Today magazines, and she has appeared on numerous talk shows, news broadcasts and radio shows in the US, Europe and Asia as a dog training expert.

TV programs[link]

[edit] It's Me or the Dog

Since 2005, Victoria Stilwell has worked with unruly dogs on her TV show, It's Me or the Dog, which airs in over forty countries. The show features Victoria as she counsels families with problem pets and uses positive reinforcement training techniques to help them learn how to correct their dogs’ behaviour. Originally produced for Channel 4 in the UK, the show premiered in the US on Animal Planet in April 2007, and over 90 episodes have been aired worldwide. A typical episode involves a family struggling to cope with their misbehaving dog(s). Victoria initially observes the problems in situ, then presents the family with her opinion regarding the causes of the issues. Victoria then works with the family and their dogs to restore balance. After a period of time alone to implement Victoria’s positive reinforcement training regime, the family reunites with Victoria to check progress, get a few tune-ups and encouragement. Special episodes of the programme have featured overweight dogs, Victoria’s public seminars at an outdoor dog festival, her work with the caretakers of a wild wolf rescue park, and her training of out-of-control pedigree dogs on their way to the world's largest dog show.

[edit] Greatest American Dog

Victoria was one of three judges on the CBS show Greatest American Dog, in which 12 dog-owner teams compete for the title 'Greatest American Dog' and a $250,000 prize. The series debuted on CBS July 10, 2008.

Awards[link]

Victoria was honored with the prestigious "Excellence in Journalism and Outstanding Contributions to the Pet Industry Award" at the 2011 Global Pet Expo^[11] and was named 'Dog Trainer of the Year' by DogWorld Magazine at the 55th Annual Purina Pro Plan Show Dogs Of The Year Awards Presented By Dogs In Review.^[12] She was named among 2009's '100 Best & Brightest' in the dog world in The Bark magazine.^[13] Victoria won a 2009 CableFax award as Best Host in the Animals & Nature category. In 2009, It's Me or the Dog was nominated for a People's Choice Award in the US, and after its first season in the UK, It's Me or the Dog was nominated in the 'Best Factual Entertainment' category in the UK's TV Quick Awards. Her first book, It's Me or the Dog: How to Have the Perfect Pet was voted one of the 50 greatest dog books ever written by Dogs Today magazine.

Campaigns[link]

She advocates animal rescue and supports Paws Atlanta, "Atlanta Pet Rescue", Stray from the Heart (NYC), Hong Kong Dog Rescue and Greyhound Rescue West of England (www.grwe.com), Wisconsin Puppy Mill Project, the Waterside Action Group, Deed Not Breed (campaigning to re-write the UK's Dangerous Dogs Act to remove breed-specific legislation) as well as Vets Get Scanning, promoting mandatory pet micro-chipping and scanning by vets.

Books[link]

• It’s Me or the Dog: How to Have the Perfect Pet (Hyperion)
• Fat Dog Slim: How to Have a Healthy, Happy Pet (Harper Collins UK), 2007

Personal life[link]

Stilwell met her actor husband, Van Zeiler, while starring opposite him in the West End production of Buddy - The Buddy Holly Story. The couple and their daughter live in Atlanta, Georgia.^[14]

After many years without a pet dog of her own (due to work commitments), Victoria adopted a rescued chocolate Labrador named Sadie. In early 2011, Stilwell fostered a Chihuahua/Miniature Pinscher mix named Jasmine and decided to adopt her in Late February/Early March 2011. Prior to that, she had spent her time since 2000 fostering dogs due to be euthanised by local municipal shelters. Stilwell and her husband then gave the dogs a home while rehabilitating them and eventually finding suitable homes for the animals. She has explained that, until recently, owning a dog would have been irresponsible and not fair to the dog, considering how much the whole family travels. The couple has re-homed over 50 dogs and cats.^[15]

Qualifications[link]

Victoria is currently certified by the Animal Behavior and Training Associates and is a longtime member of the US Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT).

Bibliography[link]

• It’s Me or the Dog: How to Have the Perfect Pet (2005)
• Fat Dog Slim: How to Have a Healthy, Happy Pet (2007)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official Website
• Animal Planet Website
• Victoria Stilwell on the Mother Nature Network
• Victoria Stilwell at the Internet Movie Database