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Showing posts from December, 2019

The Posts of the Year 2019

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The most popular posts about dogs and cats this year.


By Zazie Todd, PhD

It’s time to look back on what happened on the blog this year. Companion Animal Psychology has been going for over 7 and a half years now, with more than 500 posts. I love the community of like-minded people that has grown around this page!

This year, I was honoured to interview several authors about their wonderful books:
Dr. Alexandra Horowitz about her new book, Our Dogs, Ourselves (this was especially popular with email subscribers, being read by almost everyone)Dr. Mark Goldstein, about his book Lions and Tigers and Hamsters  Cat Warren, about her book What the Dog Knows (which now has a Young Reader’s Edition)   I was lucky to publish some amazing guest posts this year. There were two beautifully-written guest posts from Kristi Benson: making a living in the world: anthropology, the evolution of behaviour, and training dogs and into the middle of things: dog training lessons from the best fiction. Both posts …
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Season's Greetings

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Season's Greetings from Companion Animal Psychology.


Thank you for your support throughout the year, for reading and sharing my blog posts, and all your emails and messages. And to those of you in the book club, thank you for reading all the books with me!

Happy Holidays! And wishing you and yours a joyful, peaceful, and healthy 2020.

Zazie




Zazie Todd, PhD, is the author of Wag: The Science of Making Your Dog Happy. She is the founder of the popular blog Companion Animal Psychology, where she writes about everything from training methods to the human-canine relationship. She also writes a column for Psychology Today and has received the prestigious Captain Haggerty Award for Best Training Article in 2017. Todd lives in Maple Ridge, BC, with her husband and two cats.

Useful links:
Check out what the Animal Book Club is reading this monthGet Companion Animal Psychology merchSupport me on Ko-fiVisit my Amazon store
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Winter Reading: Animal Books

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The animal books I’m reading this Fall and Winter (non-fiction and fiction).



By Zazie Todd, PhD

 If you're looking for something to read, or a last-minute gift idea for an animal lover, check out these books about dogs, cats, wolves, and animals in general that I've been reading lately.

This page contains affiliate links.

What the Dog Knows Young Readers Edition: Scent, Science, and the Amazing Ways Dogs Perceive the World by Cat Warren
Like the NYT-bestselling original version, this book tells the story of Cat Warren’s dog Solo, how she trained him to be a cadaver dog, and the searches they went on together to find the bodies of the missing. Along the way we learn how cadaver dogs are trained, the importance of accuracy, and the many kinds of searches working dogs can do – for missing people, in criminal cases, to find lost military personnel, and even to find historical graves. The book is suitable for young readers but does not shy away from difficult topics. The narrative is e…
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Fellow Creatures: New Post on Everyday Dog Training

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Dogs are learning all the time, not just in formal dog training classes. Over at my Psychology Today blog Fellow Creatures, I have a new post with 10 tips to integrate dog training into everyday life.  Check it out, and let me know your tips for everyday dog training.





Zazie Todd, PhD, is the author of Wag: The Science of Making Your Dog Happy. She is the founder of the popular blog Companion Animal Psychology, where she writes about everything from training methods to the human-canine relationship. She also writes a column for Psychology Today and has received the prestigious Captain Haggerty Award for Best Training Article in 2017. Todd lives in Maple Ridge, BC, with her husband and two cats.

Useful links:
Check out what the Animal Book Club is reading this monthGet Companion Animal Psychology merchSupport me on Ko-fiVisit my Amazon store
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Companion Animal Psychology News December 2019

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Ancient art, ‘aha’ moments in dogs, and caring for indoors-only cats…



By Zazie Todd, PhD
My Favourites This Month “In the story told in the scene, eight figures approach wild pigs and anoas (dwarf buffaloes native to Sulawesi). For whoever painted these figures, they represented much more than ordinary human hunters.“ Indonesian cave’s mythical beings may be oldest imaginative art by humans, by Becky Ferreira.

“Here are some stories that raise interesting questions about why dogs do what they do and what they're thinking about and feeling.” As dogs have ‘Aha’ moments, what’s happening in their brains? by Dr. Marc Bekoff.

“Shockingly, nearly half of the subjects (41%) did not believe that fish were made of meat.” The vegetarian’s dilemma: Do fish qualify as meat? by Dr. Hal Herzog.

“If only there were some way to really talk to our pets, to know what they really want, and for them to know just how much you love them.“ Can that dog on Instagram really talk? by Jane Hu.

“We know that …
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You Can Now Pre-Order My Book, Wag: The Science of Making Your Dog Happy

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I am so excited to share the news that my book is available for pre-order now.



By Zazie Todd, PhD

Want to make your dog even happier? Excited to learn more about dogs? Looking for practical tips to build a better relationship with your dog? Then Wag is for you!

I am thrilled to be able to share with you that my book, Wag: The Science of Making Your Dog Happy, with a foreword by Dr. Marty Becker, is now available for pre-order.

It will be published on 10th March 2020 in the US and Canada, and on 12th March 2020 in the UK.

Today is exactly three months until publication day! I've been working on this book for years, and I am so excited that soon I will be able to share it with you.

If you would like to pre-order Wag, you can do so via these links:

From Amazon
From Indiebound (your local independent book store)
From Indigo
From Barnes and Noble
From Black Bond Books
From Blackwells (UK)

If you prefer to read books via your local library, you can ask them to pre-order a copy.

If you are a jou…
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Christmas Gifts for Dogs, Cats, and People Who Love Their Pets

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A guide to artisan Christmas gifts with a pet-related theme.



Looking for Christmas gifts for your dog, cat, or a friend who loves animals? Here are my picks for the best handmade artisan gifts from Etsy.

By Zazie Todd, PhD

This page contains affilliate links.

Top photo, clockwise from top left:
Christmas Lights dog collar from Goober Dog Collars
Limited edition gold metallic dog bed from Lion and Wolf
Cat bed with ears from Agnes Felt
Catnip Snowman cat toy from Small  Wonders Art



Above, clockwise from top left:
Fluffy pet bed from My Fur Baby Designs
Christmas dog and cat bandana from Maddies Dog Boutique
Catnip kicker toy from Janery Pet Beds
Natural rope tug toy from Betty Woof




Above, clockwise from top left:
Sterling silver cat necklace from The Wren and Rabbit
Leaping bunny rabbit trinket dish from NeNe & Bop
Personalized dog paw necklace from Charm Philosophy
Cats tote bag from Doggie Drawings
Heart made of paws t-shirt for men and women


See more gifts for pets and pet lovers on Etsy.


Zazie…
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Animal Lovers’ Favourite Books of 2019

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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.

This page contains affiliate links.

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…
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