Joel Silverman
Encyclopedia
Joel Silverman is an animal trainer who hosts Good Dog U
on Animal Planet
. He was raised in the San Fernando Valley
by his parents, who were both teachers.
every year. After watching the trainers riding the killer whales every year, Silverman developed an incredible fascination watching the whales and trainers. At the age of 16, he eventually got hired to pick up trash at SeaWorld and lived out of their travel trailer.
After helping out the trainers and a lot of hard work, Silverman was hired as a trainer. He started off with Pacific and Atlantic bottle-nosed dolphins, California sea lion
s, and eventually killer whales.
In 1983 Silverman shifted his focus into training animals for movies TV shows and commercials, and to this day, has been training animals for film and TV. From 1988 to 1992 Joel was the trainer of Dreyfuss from the TV series Empty Nest
. At about that time, Joel got a chance to host his first dog training video called, Joel Silverman's Hollywood Dog Training Program.
In 1999, Joel got a chance to host his first TV series called, "GOOD DOG U" which aired on Animal Planet
.
For the past 13 years, Joel has been closely involved in the animal training and coordination in nearly every national IAMS
commercial and print ad. For the past 5 years, Joel had also coordinated and trained the animals in the Purina Pro Plan commercials.
Joel's passion rests in his desire to drastically reduce the number of animals returned to animal shelters, humane societies, and rescue groups through educating the public through his books, DVDs, and TV series.
Good Dog U
Good Dog U is an American television program about training and caring for dogs. It was hosted by Joel Silverman and dog trainer Jay Stutz. It is shown on the channel Animal Planet....
on Animal Planet
Animal Planet
Animal Planet is an American cable tv specialty channel that launched on October 1, 1996. It is distributed by Discovery Communications. A high-definition simulcast of the channel launched on September 1, 2007.-History:...
. He was raised in the San Fernando Valley
San Fernando Valley
The San Fernando Valley is an urbanized valley located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area of southern California, United States, defined by the dramatic mountains of the Transverse Ranges circling it...
by his parents, who were both teachers.
Early life
The first animal Silverman ever trained was the family dog, Shadow, a wire-haired mutt. As a teenager, he and his family spent their summer vacations in San Diego and would go to SeaWorldSeaWorld
SeaWorld is a United States chain of marine mammal parks, oceanariums, and animal theme parks owned by SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment. The parks feature captive orca, sea lion, and dolphin shows and zoological displays featuring various other marine animals. There are operations in Orlando,...
every year. After watching the trainers riding the killer whales every year, Silverman developed an incredible fascination watching the whales and trainers. At the age of 16, he eventually got hired to pick up trash at SeaWorld and lived out of their travel trailer.
After helping out the trainers and a lot of hard work, Silverman was hired as a trainer. He started off with Pacific and Atlantic bottle-nosed dolphins, California sea lion
California Sea Lion
The California sea lion is a coastal sea lion of western North America. Their numbers are abundant , and the population continues to expand about 5% annually. They are quite intelligent and can adapt to man-made environments...
s, and eventually killer whales.
In 1983 Silverman shifted his focus into training animals for movies TV shows and commercials, and to this day, has been training animals for film and TV. From 1988 to 1992 Joel was the trainer of Dreyfuss from the TV series Empty Nest
Empty Nest
Empty Nest is an American sitcom that originally aired on NBC from 1988 to 1995. The series was created as a spin-off of The Golden Girls by creator and producer Susan Harris. For its first three seasons, Empty Nest was one of the year's top 10 most-watched programs...
. At about that time, Joel got a chance to host his first dog training video called, Joel Silverman's Hollywood Dog Training Program.
In 1999, Joel got a chance to host his first TV series called, "GOOD DOG U" which aired on Animal Planet
Animal Planet
Animal Planet is an American cable tv specialty channel that launched on October 1, 1996. It is distributed by Discovery Communications. A high-definition simulcast of the channel launched on September 1, 2007.-History:...
.
For the past 13 years, Joel has been closely involved in the animal training and coordination in nearly every national IAMS
Iams
Iams is a brand name for dog food and cat food manufactured by Procter & Gamble . The company sells pet food for cats and dogs formulated for puppy/kitten, adult and mature. Its products are developed by nutritionists and veterinarians and can be found in three main formulas: ProActive Health,...
commercial and print ad. For the past 5 years, Joel had also coordinated and trained the animals in the Purina Pro Plan commercials.
Joel's passion rests in his desire to drastically reduce the number of animals returned to animal shelters, humane societies, and rescue groups through educating the public through his books, DVDs, and TV series.
Videos
- 1989 - The Hollywood Dog Training Program
- 1999 - A series of videos for the PETCOPETCOPETCO is a chain of retail stores that offers pet supplies and services such as grooming and dog training. Founded in 1965 and incorporated in Delaware, it is headquartered in San Diego, California...
pet store chain - 2009–Present - Joel Silverman's Companions for Life Dog Training DVD Series
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.
Television series
- Hosted Good Dog U on Animal Planet - 1999 to 2010