Companion Animal Psychology

Two new posts on dog training and pet behavior problems over at my Psychology Today blog Fellow Creatures . By Zazie Todd, PhD The first, Does owner personality affect dog training methods? , looks at intriguing findings from a recent study of personality, punishment in dog training, and dog behavior. Photo: Wyatt Ryan/Unsplash Meanwhile, Pet behaviour problems: In the eye of the beholder? looks at the factors that influence whether we consider a pet's behaviour issue to be a problem. Photo: Shannon Richards/Unsplash Have a great weekend. And Happy Canada Day!  

Make sure you haven't missed a thing with the latest round-up about dogs and cats from Companion Animal Psychology. By Zazie Todd, PhD   Some of my favourites from around the web this month This page contains affiliate links which means I may earn a commission on qualifying purchases at no cost to you. Homeless people and their pets: ‘She saved me as much as I saved her.’ First-hand accounts in The Guardian of how much pets mean to homeless people in the US. “She wakes up so excited every morning and gets so happy about the littlest thing, like rolling around in the grass or even just the weather being nice. Seeing her like that reminds me to stay happy for simple things too.” Dogs and humans have similar social and emotional brains . Dr. Carlo Siracusa of the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists says dogs struggle in a society they don’t always understand. “They are attached to humans and willing to share their lives, but they want to feel safe in an environme...

A review of the scientific research finds there are risks to using electronic collars in dog training and says it's time for a ban on their use. Photo: Parilov/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. Last year, a position statement from the European College of Veterinary Clinical Ethology argued against the use of electronic shock collars in dog training and for a Europe-wide ban on their sale and use.  Now an article in the Journal of Veterinary Behaviour by Dr. Sylvia Masson et al explains the reasons behind their position that shock collars should not be used. When people use electronic collars, it is typically as positive punishment to punish a dog for an unwanted behaviour. They are also sometimes used as negative reinforcement by applying the shock until the dog does the behaviour that is wanted. These days many electronic collars have a time limit on the applicat...

What are the best treats to use when training your dog, and how does it depend on what you are training?  Photo: Rattanawan Thubthed / 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. Whether you’re new to training or a seasoned pro, using the right treats is an important part of dog training because you have to be able to motivate your dog . From the right size and nutritional composition to what dogs love best, this is a user-friendly guide to the best dog training treats. Food is a commonly-used reward in dog training for a reason – it works. We often use food in operant conditioning, when we’re training a dog to do a behaviour. This is positive reinforcement (for more on why food makes a great reward, see the ultimate dog training tip ). The best training treat in one situation is not always right for another dog in another training scenario. This article looks at wha...

"..a recognition that they have emotions and we have an obligation to look at both their physical and emotional well-being." By Zazie Todd, PhD An interview with Dr. Marty Becker about the  Fear Free  movement,  Fear Free Happy Homes , and his new book, From Fearful to Fear Free: A Positive Program to Free Your Dog from Anxiety, Fears, and Phobias , co-authored by Dr. Lisa Radosta, Dr. Wailani Sung, Mikkel Becker, and edited by Kim Campbell Thornton. This page contains affiliate links which means I may earn a commission on qualifying purchases at no cost to you. Zazie: I am absolutely thrilled to speak to you. I love your book, which is the choice for May for the Companion Animal Psychology Book Club and everyone’s been very excited to read it. So I’m going to ask you in a moment why you decided to write this particular book, but I wanted to ask you first of all how did the Fear Free™ movement come about? Dr. Becker: I’ll give you the unvarnished, strip...

"...an illuminating exploration of the fierce moral conundrums we face every day regarding the creatures with whom we share our world." By Zazie Todd, PhD This page contains affiliate links which means I may earn a commission on qualifying purchases at no cost to you. The Companion Animal Psychology Book Club choice for June 2018 is Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat: Why It's So Hard to Think Straight About Animals (P.S.) by Hal Herzog. From the back cover, "Does living with a pet really make people happier and healthier? What can we learn from biomedical research with mice? Who enjoys a better quality of life—–the chicken destined for your dinner plate or the rooster in a Saturday night cockfight? Why is it wrong to eat the family dog?  Drawing on more than two decades of research into the emerging field of anthrozoology, the science of human–animal relations, Hal Herzog offers an illuminating exploration of the fierce moral conundrums we face e...