Companion Animal Psychology

Animal lovers and blog readers share their favourite animal book that they read in 2019.


By Zazie Todd, PhD

I asked Companion Animal Psychology readers and other animal lovers to tell me about the book about animals they most loved in 2019. The book did not have to be published this year, just that they read it during this year. Here are their picks! You can find these books (and other reading recommendations) in my Amazon store: https://www.amazon.com/shop/animalbookclub.

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Bonnie Hartney, Ocean Park Dog Training
A Wolf Called Romeo by Nick Jans

“What makes this book so intriguing is the uncharacteristic behaviour of a black wolf in Juno, Alaska.  Drawn out of the wild expanse, Romeo becomes a local celebrity with his reported love of playing with pet dogs and lack of concern for people.

It is a story of ethical questions and conflict.  Is it right to befriend a wild animal? At what point does safety of community and small animals take precedence over t…

The environment in which puppies are raised makes a difference to their behaviour, new study shows.


By Zazie Todd, PhD

Anyone getting a puppy is urged to check carefully where they come from. Puppies have a sensitive period for socialization during which a wide range of positive experiences help to set them up for later life. Since puppies begin the sensitive period at 3 weeks, but typically go home at 8 weeks, the breeder is responsible for the early stages of socialization. New research in press in Applied Animal Behaviour Science looks at the effects of raising puppies in the house compared to in an outdoor kennel.

The results show that puppies raised in a house are more self-confident and less likely to show aggression due to fear. In short, they are likely to make better pets and be friendlier dogs.

The scientists say this is because puppies raised in the home experience more socialization with people and are habituated to a greater number of noises, household objects, and other e…

"The astonishing true story of one of the first wolves to roam Yellowstone in more than 60 years."


By Zazie Todd, PhD

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In December, the Animal Book Club is reading The Rise of Wolf 8: Witnessing the Triumph of Yellowstone's Underdog by Rick McIntyre with a foreword by Robert Redford.

From the book's description,
"Yellowstone National Park was once home to an abundance of wild wolves―but park rangers killed the last of their kind in the 1920s. Decades later, the rangers brought them back, with the first wolves arriving from Canada in 1995.  This is the incredible true story of one of those wolves.  Wolf 8 struggles at first―he is smaller than the other pups, and often bullied―but soon he bonds with an alpha female whose mate was shot. An unusually young alpha male, barely a teenager in human years, Wolf 8 rises to the occasion, hunting skillfully, and even defending his family from the wolf who killed his father. But soon he face…