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Showing posts from July, 2017

The Sensitive Period for Socialization in Puppies and Kittens

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Important building blocks for a behaviourally-healthy cat or dog at the time when it matters most. Let shy puppies hide if they want to. Photo: Anna Hoychuk (Shutterstock) By Zazie Todd, PhD This page contains affiliate links which means I may earn a commission on qualifying purchases at no cost to you     Get Companion Animal Psychology in your inbox. The sensitive period for socialization is a very important time in the lives of kittens and puppies. This is when their brains are especially receptive to learning about the kind of social world they will live in as they get older. For both kittens and puppies, the sensitive period for socialization is a time when they need lots of positive experiences with all kinds of people and other animals. During this time they will also habituate to anything they might meet in later life (different sounds, surfaces, etc). If they are well socialized during the sensitive period, they are likely to develop into friendly, confident adult do

Companion Animal Psychology News July 2017

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July’s round-up of the latest news on cats and dogs. By Zazie Todd, PhD Some of my favourites from around the web  This page contains affiliate links which means I may earn a commission on qualifying purchases at no cost to you. Dr. Rebecca Ledger uses the Five Domains model for forensic animal behaviour analysis by Kat Littlewood and David Mellor PhD. How the mental experiences of animals can be inferred for animal cruelty prosecutions in Canada. Remember to play. Trumping animals and their homes: Seeing light in dark times by Marc Bekoff PhD. Some advice on how to maintain hope in the face of depressing news. What determines a cat’s coat? Brandon Baker speaks to Dr. Margret Casal, associate professor of medical genetics, to find out. An intriguing introduction to the genetics of coat colours. “What about dogs who are scared of toys that make noise or big/novel objects?” Enrichment for fearful dogs by Erica Beckwith CTC. Never force your cat when training . Pam J

What Your Cat's Nose Knows

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There’s a lot more to your cat’s nose than you think. The importance of pheromones and scent for cats and kittens - and the implications for cat owners. By Zazie Todd, PhD This page contains affiliate links which means I may earn a commission on qualifying purchases at no cost to you. Do you ever pay much attention to that cute little nose your cat has? We’re used to thinking of dogs as being all about smells – but it turns out cats are very much into scent too. A literature review by Kristyn Vitale Shreve and Monique Udell (Oregon State University) explains what we know about the importance of olfaction and chemical detection to cats, from what it means for indoor cats to the possibility of trained scent detection cats. Vitale Shreve and Udell say, “Importantly, a better understanding of cat chemical signals has critical applied implications, as scent (and marking) plays an important role in many species-typical cat behaviors, problem behaviors, and can also serve as enr

Rewards, Welfare and the Animal's Perspective in Training

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Taking the animal’s perspective, and other highlights from the Train for Rewards blog party. By Zazie Todd, PhD This page contains affiliate links which means I may earn a commission on qualifying purchases at no cost to you. Recently, 28 other blogs joined me in the Train for Rewards blog party to celebrate what we can do with reward-based training of our companion animals, and to encourage people to give it a try. There were some truly brilliant posts. Thank you to everyone who took part and helped to make it such a success for the second year in a row. It’s no surprise that most posts were about dog training, but cat training and the training of a pet pig also featured this year. And there were some common themes. Animal welfare The benefits to animal welfare when we use reward-based training methods instead of aversive techniques was a common theme. Changes in how we think about animal welfare – to include positive experiences instead of just trying to reduce t

Happy Canada Day!

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A photo-essay of dogs and cats to celebrate Canada's 150 years. Happy Birthday, Canada! By Zazie Todd, PhD This page contains affiliate links which means I may earn a commission on qualifying purchases at no cost to you. Two dogs playing at Lake Louise. Photo: Ravensfoot (Shutterstock). Beautiful dog and red maple leaves in BC. Photo: Bad Monkey Photography . A border collie and expansive skies in Alberta. Photo: Hai Diec (Shutterstock). A cat enjoys the sunshine and views of Vancouver. Photo: Marianne Catafesta (Shutterstock) A dog looks out at the sea and a lighthouse in Nova Scotia. Photo: Greg and Jan Ritchie (Shutterstock) A Wire Fox Terrier on the Trans Canada Trail, PEI. Photo: VJ Matthew (Shutterstock) A woman and her dogs in David Balfour park, Toronto. Photo: Danilo Silveira (Shutterstock). A fluffy cat sits on a picnic table near a Canadian flag. Photo: Panksvatouny (Shutterstock). Zazie Todd, PhD, is

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