Nicole Wilde

Nicole Wilde is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT-KA) who specializes in behavior issues. She is a professional member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT), the recipient of the prestigious Ian Dunbar Member of the Year Award for 2006, and a popular speaker at the organization’s national and international conferences. Nicole is also an Instructor and on the Advisory Board for the Companion Animal Sciences Institute, the educational branch for the International Institute for Applied Companion Animal Behavior.

Nicole is an internationally recognized author and lecturer. Her 11 books include So You Want to be a Dog Trainer, Help for Your Fearful Dog, and Don't Leave Me!. She has presented seminars both domestically and internationally for APDT conferences, training clubs, and other groups.

Nicole writes training and behavior articles for various newspapers and magazines, including an ongoing training column for Modern Dog Magazine. She co-stars in the DVD “Train Your Dog: The Positive Gentle Method,” co-hosted the “Dog Talk” radio show, and was featured in the Paul Owens DVD “The Dog Whisperer.”

Nicole’s experience includes a position as Volunteer Coordinator for the City of Los Angeles’ Animal Services, where she instructed volunteers in canine handling and behavior, handled hundreds of dogs, and served as adoption counselor. She served as Executive Director for Villalobos Rescue Center, a sanctuary for rescued wolves/wolf hybrids, pit bulls and exotic animals. Nicole’s specialty was socializing fearful wolves who were to live out their lives at the center. She also trained wolves and other canines at the center, and presented seminars for animal control officers, schools and specialty groups. Nicole’s experience is rounded out by having worked at a doggy daycare (supervising 40-50 off-leash dogs daily!), a veterinarian’s office, as Editor/Chief Writer for a Get-A-Pet magazine, and teaching group classes as well as private instruction.

Nicole owns and operates Gentle Guidance Dog Training in Southern California. With warmth, humor and positive techniques, she trains owner to train their dogs. Nicole continues to teach seminars for professional dog trainers, rescue and shelter workers, veterinary groups and others, and to educate the public on canine behavior issues.

Nicole's books and DVDs can be purchased through Phantom Publishing

You can find Nicole on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/NicoleWildeAuthor

and follow Nicole on Twitter at https://twitter.com/NicoleWilde

Nicole's Upcoming Seminars & Appearances

Products from Nicole Wilde

Blog posts by Nicole Wilde

A Eulogy for Heyoka


Heyoka, a mostly-wolf mixed with malamute, came to live with us ten years ago. He had been one of forty-something wolves/wolfdogs at the rescue center I worked with, having been given up by a private home at the age of two to three years old. At the center, he had been pen-mate to a female wolf/Samoyed mix named Sequoia. As much time as I spent socializing with the rescue’s permanent residents, there were still so many wolves and wolfdogs that it was impossible for any of them to get enough individual attention.

 

Early Education--for the Two-Leggeds

My husband and I were watching a television show recently called “Are you Smarter than a Fifth Grader?” (It should really be called “Can you Still Remember A Dang Thing from Fifth Grade?” but that’s another story.) We got into a discussion of subjects that are taught in schools but never used in real life, in all but a few cases. I mean, really, when’s the last time you employed calculus to solve a problem? Or found yourself shouting the elemental name for salt as you grabbed it off the shelf at the market? That got me to thinking about the subjects that should be taught, things that would actually prepare kids for life and, heck, maybe even create better adults in the process. There ought to be classes on how to balance a checkbook, how to change a flat tire, and, without a doubt, how to care for a pet.

 

Alpha Roll or Alpha Role?

If you’re a dog owner, you might have seen television shows or read books that recommend a technique called the “alpha roll.” This old-fashioned method for “showing the dog who’s boss” or punishing a dog for bad behavior consists of forcing the dog onto his back. Once there, variations include standing over the dog, staring at him, growling at him, or simply pinning him until he “submits” and stops struggling.

 

A Puppy For Christmas?

It’s that time of year again. The holidays have traditionally been a season of joy and good cheer. But “ho, ho, ho” has also turned into “buy, buy, buy” and “give, give, give.” Malls are full to overflowing, television commercials seem to broadcast nothing but sales, and everyone is feeling the pressure to purchase gifts for their loved ones. Inevitably, for many families with children, one of those gifts will be a puppy.

 

Emergency Preparedness

Most of us never think about what to do in an emergency until it happens. Some people put “grab it and run” kits together that contain passports and other important paperwork, as well as items of sentimental value. But what about emergency preparedness for our pets?

 

Training at the Taronga Zoo

On a recent trip to Australia, I had the privilege of taking part in a “behind the scenes” tour of Sydney’s Taronga Zoo. Trainers for various animals introduced us to their charges, and patiently explained how the animals had been trained for various husbandry tasks, and in some cases, tricks. We even had the chance to get up close and personal with a few of the residents.

 

A Beautiful Poem

I just got back from the Australian APDT (Association of Pet Dog Trainers) conference, at which I was keynote speaker, met lots of wonderful Aussies (the two-legged kind), and had a great time. Part of the speaker duties included judging a contest which consisted of a number of displays on the theme of senior dogs. Entries could include photos, text, and pretty much whatever the contestants wanted, so long as the entries were on topic. One included the following poem by an anonymous author. I found it very touching and thought some of you might enjoy it as well.

We Have a Secret

We have a secret, you and I
That no one else shall know,
For who but I can see you lie
Each night in fire glow?

And who but I can reach my hand
Before we go to bed
And feel the living warmth of you
And touch your silken head?

And only I walk woodland paths
And see ahead of me
Your small form racing with the wind
So young again, and free

And only I can see you swim

 

It's Magic! Or is it?

As a dog trainer and canine behavior specialist, I am well aware of how much work it takes to train a dog to reliability on certain behaviors, and the amount of time and effort involved in modifying serious behavior problems. The average dog owner, understandably, is not. It’s easy to see how pet owners could easily be dazzled by a well-crafted television show or in-person demonstration of training prowess without realizing all that goes into that seemingly effortless display.

 

"They'll Turn on You!"

“I’d never own a (insert breed here), they’ll turn on you!” If I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard that sentiment, I’d be blogging from a beach in Tahiti. Breeds commonly mentioned in that dismissive, breedist phrase include dobermans, pit bulls, rottweilers, wolf hybrids (okay, not an actual “breed,” but still), German shepherds, and others.

 

You Can't Always Get What You Want

I love Trader Joe’s fire-roasted red peppers. Why am I telling you this, and what the heck does it have to do with dogs? Bear with me. The other day, after applying my usual level of culinary finesse, I had assembled the greater part of a simple sandwich. The only thing lacking was a handful of those delicious peppers. I fished the brand new jar out of the fridge, grabbed the lid, twisted, and…nothing. I applied some muscle. Still nothing. The lid was apparently unimpressed by my history as a former bodybuilder. Salivating like Pavlov’s dog, I ran the jar under hot water. Tapped on it. Danced a jig. Nothing, nothing, nothing! Turns out the Stones were right—you can’t always get what you want. I wonder what my reaction would have been, had I not been prepared by life experiences to deal with frustration. Perhaps, in a pepperless fit, I would have smashed the jar into bits, splattering the white kitchen tiles with angry streaks of fire-roasted red.

 

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