Got a devil dog? Try the Russian Dog Wizard — he speaks ‘Doglish'

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Posted on Mon, Apr. 13, 2009

By JEFF OVERLEY
Nobody could tame the naughty, unpredictable, flat-out ferocious pooch known as Oliver the Welsh corgi. Nobody except Vladae the Russian Dog Wizard.

"Nothing ever changed his behavior," Pat Clements says of her formerly stubborn pup. "He was like the Tasmanian Devil when he'd see other dogs."

Then Clement and Oliver found Vladae. "He's ... like a psychologist for dogs."

Oliver is now a model canine, joining the well-populated ranks of furry and previously out-of-control hounds reformed by Vladislav Roytapel's trademark sweet-talk, better known as Doglish.

Before explaining what Doglish is - suffice to say, it involves a lot of howling and growling - there's even more pressing news about Vladae.

After training in the Soviet Union and earning legions of fans in Michigan, Vladae has put down roots in Newport Beach, Calif., in pursuit of dog-training fame, ala Cesar "The Dog Whisperer" Milan or Victoria "It's Me or the Dog" Stilwell.

Asked why he moved to Orange County, Vladae, 46, notes the proximity to Los Angeles and Hollywood and says he's pursuing his own TV show.

With familiar Russian sentence construction, he declares his ambitions very plainly:

"To fulfill goal of becoming top dog trainer in entire world."

LEARNING DOGLISH

Vladae was 12 when he got his first dog, a German Shepherd. Two years later he won a top training championship in his native Azerbaijan.

Ensuing years, beginning in his late teens, would see Vladae training dogs for Soviet intelligence, working customs on the Russia-China border and teaching canines to leap from airplanes for paratrooper missions (30 percent of the pups refused to jump, he says). Vladae, now a married father of two, eventually opened a dog obedience school before coming to the United States about a decade ago.

In some respects, the knack for controlling unruly beasts runs in the family, Vladae says, noting that his biologist grandfather did "Pavlov-style" behavioral research on coyotes, foxes and wolves.

But the "most dramatic turning point" in his career came when he met a "legendary deaf-mute dog trainer" who taught him "how to teach the dog without words."

"I broke the code of the dog language," he says, "and I named that language 'Doglish.'"

There are three basic components to Doglish - a high-pitched voice that mimics a howl and signifies approval, an abrupt bark-like tone used for commands and a deep, growling intonation for discipline.

Vladae provides an example: "Let's say you have a stupid Lab that grabs a shoe." Don't whack the dog or yank the footwear away. Instead, gently retrieve the shoe and use your best howl-speak to say, "Good girrrllllllll!" or "Good boooyyyyy!"

"You can't say 'no'" to the dog, Vladae explains. "He doesn't even understand your 'no.' He might even like your 'no.' He might think 'no' is his nickname."

Sounds good in theory - does it work?

PIT BULL PROBLEMS

Works like a charm, says Huntington Beach, Calif., resident Robyn Segal. She relied on Vladae to civilize a young pit bull after her family's other pit nipped a young boy and was euthanized by county officials.

The young pit bull, named "Dex" after the title serial killer on Showtime's "Dexter," had "a little aggression" but became a little angel after one session with Vladae, Segal says.

"I'm not kidding you, within 45 minutes ... that dog had already changed," Segal recalls.

"Now we can take him out and literally walk him with no leash at all," she says.

So, yeah, if Vladae can subdue a potentially savage pit bull, he can probably domesticate most any dog. But he's dreaming of the spotlight, and that raises a question:

Is he ready for prime time?

LIVE ON LETTERMAN

Judging by his appearance on CBS' "Late Show with David Letterman," the answer is once again yes.

Right off the bat, Vladae drew chuckles, answering a question about whether all dogs are trainable by saying they are just like humans.

"Some of them came in this world smart, some stupid, and some between," he said. "It has nothing to do with race, sex, breed, whatever - it's just what it is."

Later, Vladae wrapped a leash around Letterman's wrist and declared: "You will be pretend dog. Your name will be Max, if you don't mind. You will be Labrador retriever."

The crowd giggled.

"So please relax, don't get nervous," he said to Letterman. "So how was your day today?"

"I had a very nice day today," Letterman answered.

"You think I care? I just want to relax you," Vladae replied.

The crowd erupted in hoots and hollers, and did so again when a rambunctious chocolate Labrador ran onstage and Vladae announced he would calm him "with speed of Russian satellite-guided missile."

He did just that. The dog wizard had made it big.

THE GREATEST?

Back in Newport Beach, at the home of Oliver the Welsh corgi and human companion Pat Clements, Vladae is showing off one of his success stories.

With no leash and no fence, Oliver cheerfully lays on the front steps, right next to a German Shepherd twice his size. He's a brand-new dog after just a handful of $100-or-so sessions with Vladae.

"Once you go Russian, the dog will stop fussin'," Vladae boasts. "The dog isn't bad, it just needs Vlad."

Clements chimes in: "If he had a decent owner, he could be Lassie."

That is important, Vladae notes - it's essential to establish authority, and training never stops, even for good dogs. In a sign of that, Oliver just can't resist a couple small yelps when a car pulls up.

In response, Vladae pinches beneath Oliver's chin, and the dog falls limp onto its side. The technique, Vladae explains, is just what a mother dog would do with her jaw to quell her young.

"He disciplines them like a dog would discipline them," Clements observes.

Truth be told, Vladae has had a couple wild woofers he just couldn't break - fewer than a half-dozen out of "thousands," he says.

None of that, Vladae hopes, counts against his goal of "becoming top dog trainer in entire world," for one simple reason:

"If I am unable, nobody is able."

MORE VLADAE

Vladae hosts a segment on the syndicated "Animal Radio" show, which airs at 9 a.m. Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays on XM 158. For more information, call 949-244-0615 or go to www.socaldogtraining.com.