Meet Uncle Matty Dog Trainer

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Meet Uncle Matty

"Come to Uncle Matty," verbalized in high-pitched dogeese by Matthew Margolis, is a phrase known to thousands of dogs all over the United States, who have been befriended and trained by this renowned author and trainer. Also a dog behavior expert, authority on aggressive dogs, syndicated columnist, and popular radio and television guest, Margolis (Uncle Matty) is the host of the PBS television series, WOOF! It's a Dog's Life.

Matthew Margolis began his dog-training career in 1968 and established The National Institute of Dog Training which became one of the largest dog training facilities in the United States. Matthew works with dogs and their owners all over the United States and beyond through his personal training, phone consultations and self help programs all featuring training and problem solving with love, praise and affection. He has a network of experienced professional trainers.

Among the 30,000 plus dogs trained by Margolis and his staff are those belonging to numerous celebrities including Renee Russo, Merv Griffin, Goldie Hawn, Drew Carey, Madonna, Elizabeth Taylor and Shannon Doherty. Those who have seen Margolis at work have witnessed his uncanny ability to transform problem dogs into loving, curious, and responsive animals, often in minutes.

"Get rid of the problem, not the dog," says Matthew, who believes on-going problems can usually be attributed to dog owners, not their pets. The pioneer of "love, praise and affection" training, Matthew emphasizes that there is never a good reason to hit, yell at, or punish a dog.

In addition to the series, Woof! It's a Dog's Life!, his expertise and winning personality are well know to television viewers throughout the United States, in Canada and parts of Europe. Margolis was the resident dog expert on ABC's Good Morning America. He is also a popular guest of news and talk shows and has appeared on ABC's 20/20 as an aggressive dog expert, The Oprah Winfrey Show, CNN and E! Entertainment Television, to name a few.

Public Television audiences became acquainted with Uncle Matty's unique style when he hosted two popular and successful pledge specials, "Woof! It's a Dog's Life" (1995-96) and "Woof! Woof! Uncle Matty's Guide to Dog Training" (1996-97).

As host of the PBS series "Woof! It's a Dog's Life," Uncle Matty has taken his fans on canine adventures throughout the United States and abroad, visiting film and television celebrities and their dogs, watching dogs go through their paces at a canine gym, checking out gourmet fare for dogs, revealing his special training techniques, providing tips on selecting the best breed to suit your personality and a whole lot more.

For those who love dogs, Uncle Matty says, "Take your passion and make it your profession," and he makes this possible with The BUSINESS of Dog Training, the only home study program of its kind for those who want to become professional dog trainers. The program evolved from his successful Southern California Classroom School for Dog Trainers.

Margolis is the co-author of 18 books on dog training and behavior including his best selling and acclaimed "I Just Got a Puppy What Do I Do? " and "Grrrrr," his authoritative volume on aggressive dogs, published by Little Brown & Company. "Good Dog, Bad Dog," written with Mordecai Siegal, was one of the first dog training books to be published and recently celebrated it's 25th successful year. It remains a standard in the field. Among his other best-selling volumes is "When good Dogs Do Bad Things." Another recent book and companion to the PBS series is "Uncle Matty's Ultimate Guide to Dog Training," also published by Simon & Schuster. "The Good Life, Your Dog's First Year" and "Solutions!", a quick reference for some of the most pressing health and behavior problems your dog may encounter.

"I love what I do every day of my life. I help dogs, help people, and know that I make a difference in their lives. They help me as well. It's not an exaggeration to say that dogs have saved my life."

Matthew Margolis
from the preface of his autobiography,
WOOF! My Twenty-Five Years of Training Dogs

Uncle Matty Speaks || Calendar || Vita