Joel Silverman (born December 21, 1958) is a celebrity animal trainer who hosted ''
Good Dog U'' on
Animal Planet
Animal Planet (stylized in all lowercase since 2018) is an American multinational pay television channel owned by the Warner Bros. Discovery Networks unit of Warner Bros. Discovery. First established on June 1, 1996, the network is primarily ...
from 1999–2009.
Early life
Joel Silverman grew up in
Southern California
Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most populous urban a ...
and at the age of 13, the first animal he ever trained was the family dog, Shadow. At about the same time, he and his family spent their summer vacations in
San Diego
San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United State ...
and would go to
SeaWorld
SeaWorld is an American theme park chain with headquarters in Orlando, Florida. It is a proprietor of marine mammal parks, oceanariums, animal theme parks, and rehabilitation centers owned by SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment (one park will be ...
every year, and after a number of summers watching the trainers riding the
killer whales
The orca or killer whale (''Orcinus orca'') is a toothed whale belonging to the oceanic dolphin family, of which it is the largest member. It is the only extant species in the genus ''Orcinus'' and is recognizable by its black-and-white pat ...
, Silverman developed a fascination with the whales and trainers. At the age of 16, he got hired to pick up trash at
SeaWorld
SeaWorld is an American theme park chain with headquarters in Orlando, Florida. It is a proprietor of marine mammal parks, oceanariums, animal theme parks, and rehabilitation centers owned by SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment (one park will be ...
, and after helping out the trainers and years of hard work, Silverman was hired as a trainer.
He started off with Pacific and Atlantic
bottle-nosed dolphins,
California sea lion
The California sea lion (''Zalophus californianus'') is a coastal eared seal native to western North America. It is one of six species of sea lions. Its natural habitat ranges from southeast Alaska to central Mexico, including the Gulf of C ...
s, and eventually
killer whales
The orca or killer whale (''Orcinus orca'') is a toothed whale belonging to the oceanic dolphin family, of which it is the largest member. It is the only extant species in the genus ''Orcinus'' and is recognizable by its black-and-white pat ...
.
* In 1983 Silverman shifted his focus into training
animals
Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms in the biological kingdom Animalia. With few exceptions, animals consume organic material, breathe oxygen, are able to move, can reproduce sexually, and go through an ontogenetic stage in ...
for
movies
A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...
TV shows
A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed bet ...
and commercials, and currently training animals for
film and
TV.
*
* From 1988 to 1992 Joel was the trainer of Dreyfuss from the TV series ''
Empty Nest
''Empty Nest'' is an American television sitcom that aired for seven seasons on NBC from October 8, 1988, to April 29, 1995. The series, which was created as a spin-off of ''The Golden Girls'' by creator and producer Susan Harris, starred Ri ...
''.
*
* In 1989, Joel wrote and hosted his first
dog training
Dog training is the application of behavior analysis which uses the environmental events of antecedents (trigger for a behavior) and consequences to modify the dog behavior, either for it to assist in specific activities or undertake particular ...
video called, Joel Silverman's Hollywood Dog Training Program. It was sold as an
infomercial and had sold over 300,000 videos at that time.
*
* In 1999, Joel hosted his first TV series called,
"GOOD DOG U" which aired on
Animal Planet
Animal Planet (stylized in all lowercase since 2018) is an American multinational pay television channel owned by the Warner Bros. Discovery Networks unit of Warner Bros. Discovery. First established on June 1, 1996, the network is primarily ...
from 1999–2009.
Dog Training Style
Although there are a variety of styles and methods to train dogs, Joel Silverman's style is what he calls a "hybrid"
dog training
Dog training is the application of behavior analysis which uses the environmental events of antecedents (trigger for a behavior) and consequences to modify the dog behavior, either for it to assist in specific activities or undertake particular ...
method. This method combines parts of
dog training
Dog training is the application of behavior analysis which uses the environmental events of antecedents (trigger for a behavior) and consequences to modify the dog behavior, either for it to assist in specific activities or undertake particular ...
he learned from training
dolphins
A dolphin is an aquatic mammal within the infraorder Cetacea. Dolphin species belong to the families Delphinidae (the oceanic dolphins), Platanistidae (the Indian river dolphins), Iniidae (the New World river dolphins), Pontoporiidae (t ...
,
sea lions
Sea lions are pinnipeds characterized by external ear flaps, long foreflippers, the ability to walk on all fours, short and thick hair, and a big chest and belly. Together with the fur seals, they make up the family Otariidae, eared seals. ...
, and
killer whales
The orca or killer whale (''Orcinus orca'') is a toothed whale belonging to the oceanic dolphin family, of which it is the largest member. It is the only extant species in the genus ''Orcinus'' and is recognizable by its black-and-white pat ...
, as well as the training of
dogs. Joel also adds a personality based
dog training
Dog training is the application of behavior analysis which uses the environmental events of antecedents (trigger for a behavior) and consequences to modify the dog behavior, either for it to assist in specific activities or undertake particular ...
style called What Color is Your Dog? This method teaches people that there is no "one size fits all" approach to
dog training
Dog training is the application of behavior analysis which uses the environmental events of antecedents (trigger for a behavior) and consequences to modify the dog behavior, either for it to assist in specific activities or undertake particular ...
. He believes dogs should be trained based solely on their personalities.
Partial TV & Film Credits
* 1988-1992 -
Empty Nest
''Empty Nest'' is an American television sitcom that aired for seven seasons on NBC from October 8, 1988, to April 29, 1995. The series, which was created as a spin-off of ''The Golden Girls'' by creator and producer Susan Harris, starred Ri ...
- Dog Trainer
* 1997-2014 -
IAMS
Iams () is an American brand of dog food and cat food manufactured by Spectrum Brands in Europe and Mars, Incorporated worldwide. The food is formulated for the puppy/kitten, adult and mature stages of life. Iams products are developed by nutr ...
National print and commercials - Dog & Cat Trainer/Animal coordinator
* 2005 -
A Good Year
''A Good Year'' is a 2006 romantic comedy film directed and produced by Ridley Scott. The film stars Russell Crowe, Marion Cotillard, Didier Bourdon, Abbie Cornish, Tom Hollander, Freddie Highmore and Albert Finney. The film is loosely based ...
- Dog Trainer
* Full List
IMDb
Videos
* 1989
The Hollywood Dog Training Program* 1999 - "Unleashed" - A series of videos for the
PETCO
Petco Health and Wellness Company, Inc. is an American pet retailer with corporate offices in San Diego and San Antonio. Petco sells pet food, products, and services, as well as certain types of live small animals.
Founded in 1965 as a mail-ord ...
pet store chain
* 2009–Present
Joel Silverman's Dog Training DVD Series
Authored Books
*
What Color is Your Dog?' (2009)
- Explains how to train a dog based on the dog's personality.
*
Take 2 - Training Solutions to Rescued Dogs' (2010) - Explains how to find the right dog to adopt, as well helps the reader with problem solving issues.
*
''Bond with Your Heart, Train with Your Brain' (2012) - A self-help book for parents, teachers, managers, and supervisors for building a better relationship.. all animal based.
*
More What Color is Your Dog?' (2015) - Follow up book to Joel's first book What Color is Your Dog? Explains how to train a dog based on the dog's personality.
Playing Self in Commercials
In October 2014,
Chase bank
JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., doing business as Chase Bank or often as Chase, is an American national bank headquartered in New York City, that constitutes the consumer and commercial banking subsidiary of the U.S. multinational banking and fin ...
was looking for people that they thought had mastered their careers, and contacted Joel Silverman and asked him to be involved with their new Chase Mastery Campaign. This campaign involved Joel Silverman.
Serena Williams
Serena Jameka Williams (born September 26, 1981) is an American inactive professional tennis player. Considered among the greatest tennis players of all time, she was ranked world No. 1 in singles by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) for ...
,
Tim Morehouse, and
The Rockettes
The Rockettes are an American precision dance company. Founded 1925 in St. Louis, they have, since , performed at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. Until 2015, they also had a touring company. They are best known for starring in the ...
. Joel's pictures were in most of the Chase banks for a good portion of 2015, and Joel's dog Duchess starred with him in the commercial and was seen in the banks, taking the receipt, and holding it in her mouth. From August 2015 to April 2016, this commercial aired nearly 4,000 times nationally.
https://www.ispot.tv/ad/7U7g/jpmorgan-chase-chase-mastery-dog-trainer-feat-joel-silverman
Joel Silverman's Dog Trainer Certification Course
In January, 2017, Joel Silverman launched his "hands on
Dog Trainer Certification Course This course is for individuals looking for a career in dog training. Silverman selects four to five dogs from a local humane society somewhere in the U.S., and over a five-day period, the students train the dogs to sit, stay, come, heel, lie down, and "go to a place".
Television series
* Hosted
Good Dog U on
Animal Planet
Animal Planet (stylized in all lowercase since 2018) is an American multinational pay television channel owned by the Warner Bros. Discovery Networks unit of Warner Bros. Discovery. First established on June 1, 1996, the network is primarily ...
- 1999 to 2010
* Hosted, wrote and directe
What Color is Your Dog?2011–Present
Awards
* 2008 "Dog Trainer of the Year" Purina Pro Plan 54th Annual Show Dogs Dinner
* 1986 (IMATA) International Marine Animal Trainers Association "Behavior of the Year Award"
"THE TRIPLE BOW"on two Atlantic bottle-nosed dolphins
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Silverman, Joel
Living people
1958 births
American television personalities
Animal trainers
Dog trainers