Barbara Woodhouse

Barbara Kathleen Vera Woodhouse (née Blackburn; 9 May 1910 Rathfarnham, Ireland – 9 July 1988, Buckinghamshire, England[1]) was a dog trainer, author, horse trainer and television personality. Her 1980 television series Training Dogs the Woodhouse Way made her a household name in the UK. Among her catch-phrases were "walkies" and "sit!", the latter parodied in the 1983 James Bond film Octopussy. She was also known for her "no bad dogs" philosophy.[2]

Barbara Woodhouse
Barbara Woodhouse on the cover of her book No Bad Dogs The Woodhouse Way. The book title reflects her no bad dogs motto
Born
Barbara Kathleen Vera Blackburn

(1910-05-09)May 9, 1910
Rathfarnham, Ireland
DiedJuly 9, 1988(1988-07-09) (aged 78)
Buckinghamshire, England
Alma materHarper Adams University
OccupationDog trainer
Years active1951–1988
Spouse(s)
Allan George Hill
​
​
(m. 1934⁠–⁠1937)​

Dr Michael Woodhouse
​
​
(m. 1940⁠–⁠1988)​
Children3

Life

Barbara Blackburn was born 9 May 1910 in St Columba's College in Rathfarnham, County Dublin, Ireland, to an Irish family. She grew up there until her father, the Warden (headmaster) of the school, died suddenly in 1919. As described in her autobiography, the family moved to Brighton a few weeks later, and afterwards to Headington in Oxford, where Woodhouse attended Headington School. She later became the only female student at the Harper Adams Agricultural College in Shropshire.

After returning to Oxford to start Headington Riding School and Boarding Kennels, she married her first husband, Allan George Hill, in August 1934 and moved with him to spend more than three years in Argentina training horses. The marriage ended in divorce and she returned to Headington.

In the 1930s, Barbara became a dog breeder and ran kennels until about 1960. Meanwhile she married a second husband, Dr Michael Woodhouse, in 1940 and moved to Wiltshire. They had three children, Pamela, Patrick and Judith. She first appeared on television as a contestant on What's My Line, where panellists failed to identify her occupation. She also appeared on CBS 60 Minutes. Her 1980 BBC series made her a television personality at the age of 70. She continued to appear regularly on British TV until her death on 9 July 1988, at the age of 78.

Barbara Woodhouse's many books included her autobiography, Talking to Animals, and No Bad Dogs.

Television series

Publications
  • Almost Human (1976) ISBN 0417027303
  • Barbara's World of Horses and Ponies: Their Care and Training the Woodhouse Way (1984) ISBN 0671461419
  • Barbara Woodhouse on How to Train Your Puppy ISBN 094895552X
  • Barbara Woodhouse on How Your Dog Thinks ISBN 0948955627
  • Barbara Woodhouse on Training Your Dog ISBN 0948955570
  • Book of Ponies (1981) ISBN 0722657668
  • Difficult Dogs (1957)
  • Dog Training My Way (1954) ISBN 0900819081
  • Encyclopedia of Dogs and Puppies (1978) ISBN 0812860136
  • Just Barbara: My Story (1986) ISBN 0671462482
  • No Bad Dogs: The Woodhouse Way (1982) ISBN 0671449621
  • No bad dogs and know your dog (1978) ISBN 090081912X
  • Talking to Animals (autobiography, 1954)[4] ISBN 0812816609
  • The A-To-Z of Dogs and Puppies (1972) ISBN 0812815157
  • Walkies: Dog Training and Care the Woodhouse Way (1983) ISBN 0671468928

Notes
  1. Barbara Woodhouse at IMDb
  2. Crazy for CrittersIn 1996, I interviewed Brian Kilcommons, dog trainer to the stars and the American protege of the late British trainer Barbara Woodhouse, known for her "no bad dogs" philosophy and "Walkies!" rallying cry.
  3. Trove – National Library of Australia
  4. Stephen Follows, "Woodhouse , Barbara Kathleen Vera (1910–1988)", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (Oxford, UK: OUP, 2004) Retrieved 9 May 2017.

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