Fear Free Pets Fear Free Pets

Celebrity trainer Nicole Ellis shares her top tips to lower stress for dogs, cats and yes, even horses!


Nicole Ellis
CPDT-KA, APDT, Fear Free Certified, AKC evaluator
Nicole Ellis, a certified professional dog trainer and esteemed pet lifestyle expert, is the co-author of Working Like a Dog and has been featured on Amazon’s The Pack, as well as The Today Show, among other platforms. Through her positive reinforcement training approach, Nicole emphasizes building strong bonds between pets and their owners. Her expertise spans puppy training, teaching tricks, dog sports, movie work, and more, all with the overarching goal of integrating pets more seamlessly into our lives. She has her own loved pets, Maggie and Rossi, as well as her horse Cali.

World renown dog trainer Victoria Stilwell from It's Me or the Dog and host Steve Dale discuss why Fear Free is so essential for all animals and stands as the gold standard of care. The duo also discuss ways to reduce canine aggression that include consent tests that ensure the dog’s kept comfortable throughout the entire interaction.

Be sure to checkout the Dog Behavior Conference put on by Victoria Stilwell that's taking place April 19-21, 2024. Special guests include The Fear Free Podcast's own host, Steve Dale, and Fear Free’s own father/ daughter team, Marty and Mikkel Becker. Signup here- https://www.vsdogtrainingacademy.com/dog-behavior-conference/.

More on our special guest, Victoria Stilwell:
Victoria Stilwell is a world-renowned dog trainer best known as the star of the international hit TV series and social media sensation It's Me or the Dog as well as The Dog Academy (Channel 4), Greatest American Dog (CBS), Dogs Might Fly (Sky TV), Dogs with Extraordinary Jobs (Smithsonian Channel), Help My Dog is Out of Control (BBC One), and various featured web series including Arson Dogs, Guardians of the Night and Unsung Heroes. Having filmed over 150 episodes of It’s Me or the Dog since 2005, Stilwell reaches TV audiences with her philosophy of positive training methods in over 135 countries, while the show’s popular YouTube, Facebook and TikTok channels inspire new generations of dog lovers. A best-selling author of 5 books including her latest, The Ultimate Guide to Raising A Puppy, Stilwell appears frequently in the media and is widely recognized as a leader in the field of animal behavior.

A passionate advocate for positive dog training methods, Stilwell is the Editor-in-Chief of Positively.com, the founder of the Victoria Stilwell Academy for Dog Training & Behavior, and the CEO of Victoria Stilwell Positively Dog Training – the world’s premier global network of positive dog trainers. Stilwell is the recipient of multiple awards and is committed to helping the cause of animal rescue and rehabilitation and is heavily involved with organizations around the world to increase awareness of puppy mills, dogfighting, animal abuse, pet overpopulation, dog bite prevention and other animal-related causes, but she is best known as a champion for humane positive reinforcement dog training methods. She is an Ambassador for the RSPCA, International Ambassador for the Soi Dog Foundation and serves on the Advisory Boards of RedRover, The Georgia Pet Coalition, The Grey Muzzle Foundation, DogTV and Canine Assistants.

Since the onset of canine parvovirus in the 1970s, we’ve made great strides with vaccination. That being said, unfortunately, we still see canine parvovirus cases. Join Dr. Meghan Herron, DVM, DACVB, to learn about an exciting treatment option that is available!

Brought to you by our friends at Elanco: https://www.elanco.com/en-us

Feline diabetes is becoming much more prevalent in today's world. Dr. Cindi Ward, VMD, PhD, DACVIM SAIM, FFCP, joins Dr. Natalie Marks, DVM, CVJ, Elite FFCP, for a deeper dive into the world of feline diabetes to discuss case selection, monitoring, and how communication can remove fear, anxiety, and stress from treatment.

Brought to you by our friends at Elanco: https://www.elanco.com/en-us

Dietary supplements have shown promise in treating a wide variety of canine and feline conditions such as diarrhea, dehydration, age-related cognitive decline, and anxiety, particularly when used as part of a comprehensive treatment plan. Join Dr. Julia Albright MA DVM DACVB, to discuss the underlying actions of several supplements and how their use can improve clinical signs, compliance, and the human-animal bond.

Brought to you by our friends at Purina: https://www.purinaforprofessionals.com

Join Dr. Jessica Pritchard VMD, MS, DACVIM (SAIM) to discuss what’s new in feline infectious disease and prevention strategies. She will go into details about feline leukemia, feline calicivirus, vaccination strategies for prevention and how they align with Fear Free principles.