Dog trainer helps puppy love return
Published: January 29, 2006
A frustrated couple kept apart by a jealous puppy from hell have told how a television dog trainer had dramatically improved the pet’s behaviour - and their love life.
Phil Woodlock and Jacqui Mallin were driven to despair by the barking tantrums of her attention-seeking dog, Bailey the Yorkshire terrier.
Despite being a mere six inches tall, the pint-sized pooch laid down the law to Mr Woodlock, a prison governor, preventing him sharing a bed, or even the sofa, with his partner of six years.
The situation became so bad that the couple, from Bellshill, North Lanarkshire, resorted to staying in hotels in order to spend an evening together.
They finally called in Channel 4’s dog training expert, Victoria Stilwell, presenter of It’s Me Or The Dog! and were amazed by the results. Ms Stilwell visited the couple in November and January and quickly got to the root of the problem.
She was astonished to find the pampered pooch, who refused to eat dog food from a bowl, was allowed by Ms Mallin and her daughter Holly, 18, to eat from their forks and plates at the dinner table.
Ms Stilwell said: “It was obvious that Bailey belonged in a dog bed, not Jacqui’s bed. There were three in this relationship - and Bailey was the top man.”
The expert dog trainer immediately introduced a number of simple techniques which brought about an immediate change in one-year-old Bailey’s behaviour. She taught Mr Woodlock to turn his back on the puppy, a pacifying gesture, which now allows him to sit on the sofa without fear of being savaged.
She also prepared Bailey’s food with garlic, making his meal smell enticing and for the first time he began eating from a dog bowl on the floor. Giving rewards and squealing to signal the end of playtime were other simple tricks Ms Stilwell introduced to improve Mr Woodlock’s communication with his rival.
Ms Mallin said: “Victoria has completely transformed Bailey from a devil dog into an angelic little beastie. It’s now a lot less stressful in this household. He used to get away with murder but now Phil and I can spend quality time together. It’s saved us a small fortune on hotel bills!”
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