Companion Animal Psychology

Some photos for those who need a distraction from the news cycle, as Companion Animal Psychology reaches 8 years of blogging. Photo: Dora Zett/Shutterstock By Zazie Todd, PhD Today is exactly 8 years since I started Companion Animal Psychology blog. It's something I'm very proud of, especially my book, Wag: The  Science of Making Your Dog Happy . But this feels like a strange time to be celebrating, when we are all so anxious and the world is upside down. So here are some photos of dogs and cats to help provide some respite from the breaking news cycle. Photo: Heirloom Portrait/Shutterstock Photo: Pasichnyk Anna/Shutterstock Photo: Evdoha_spb/Shutterstock Symbols of an 8th anniversary include bronze, pottery, lilac, clematis, and lace, so they loosely form the basis of the cat and dog photos I've chosen. Photo: Elena Dijour/Shutterstock Photo: Derek Harris Photography/Shutterstock Photo: Kastaprav/Shutterstock Photo: Ekater...

A Finnish study finds that 72.5% of pet dogs show at least one form of canine anxiety, and better breeding practices could help. Photo:  Lindsay Helms/Shutterstock By Zazie Todd, PhD Fear and anxiety in pet dogs is a serious welfare issue, according to new research published in Scientific Reports by Milla Salonen (University of Helsinki) and colleagues. The results suggest that those who breed dogs should pay more attention to breeding from non-fearful animals. This page contains affiliate links which means I may earn a commission on qualifying purchases at no cost to you. The study is a survey of the owners of 13,700 pet dogs in Finland. Given the large sample size, the scientists were able to get data from over 200 dogs of each of 14 breeds plus mixed-breed dogs, allowing comparisons between breeds. The most common form of canine anxiety is noise sensitivity (32%). Of these, the most common is fear of fireworks, reported as affecting 26% of dogs. This is similar to...

Resources on COVID-19 and your pet, dogs in gilded cages, playing with your cat, plus other animal news this month. By Zazie Todd, PhD COVID-19 is an unprecedented emergency, and this month’s newsletter includes several related posts. Bear in the mind that the situation changes often, and is different in different places, so always check local advice. But our pets still need us, so there are some non-COVID-19 stories in my favourites list too. Wherever you are, I hope you and yours are staying safe and keeping well, and send my gratitude to all the health professionals, key workers, grocery store staff, and everyone else on the front-line in this pandemic. My favourites this month This page contains affiliate links which means I may earn a commission on qualifying purchases at no cost to you. The WSAVA has a set of resources for both veterinarians and pet owners  which they are updating regularly. Dr. Sam Gaines of the RSPCA has some guidelines on how to care for yo...

If you’re staying home as much as possible, your pet is probably pleased – but here are some ways to cope with any issues that may arise. Photo: VP Photo Studio/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. The COVID-19 pandemic is an unprecedented situation. As people are increasingly needing to spend more time at home, that means spending more time with pets. Your pets are probably very happy about this, but as we all know, extra time in a small space can always lead to issues. Here are some tips to help. Stick to your routine Dogs, cats, and other pets like routine. If possible, stick to your routine with them and do the things that you normally do at the normal times: feed them at the same time of day, take your dog for bathroom breaks and walks at the usual time, and anything else that is part of your normal routine with them. Let pets have safe spaces While it’s tr...

I have a new post on my Psych Today blog,  Fellow Creatures , about the COVID-19 pandemic and what it means for pet owners. By Zazie Todd, PhD COVID-19 is now a pandemic, and the situation is changing rapidly around the world. Pet owners should always have an emergency kit for their pet, but in the current situation it's especially important to check you have enough supplies (or know where you could get them delivered from) if you had to self-isolate at home. As well, there are some tips on helping those most at risk. I've drawn only on reliable sources, and I will update the post as needed, but you should always follow the local advice where you are. You can read the post here: COVID-19 and planning for your pet . Photo:  Stocksnap/Pixabay

Today's the day my book, Wag: The Science of Making Your Dog Happy, is published. This page contains affiliate links which means I may earn a commission on qualifying purchases at no cost to you. Here's what people are saying about Wag: The Science of Making Your Dog Happy :  “Zazie Todd does dogs the immeasurably good favor of taking their happiness seriously. Todd is dialed in to the science of dogs and a thoughtful trainer of dogs. Everything she writes about, you want to know. Wag is a welcome addition to the books geared to helping you help your dog.” Alexandra Horowitz , author of Our Dogs, Ourselves: The Story of a Singular Bond , and Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know (a NYT bestseller) “If you care about your dog, you need this book. It's packed with insights from the latest canine science, and loads of advice on how you can give your dog the happiest possible life.” Dr John Bradshaw , author of Dog Sense [In Defence of Dogs] . ...

The canine and feline scientists, pet professionals, bloggers, and organizations to follow on social media in 2020. By Zazie Todd, PhD Are you looking for some new pet-related accounts to follow in 2020? I’ve updated my list of some of the best people and organizations to follow on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram if you’re interested in companion animals, science, and the human-animal bond. These are people or groups who produce great content of their own and also have a varied feed that shares news, research and interesting snippets from around the web. And while the focus is mainly on pets, this year I've included a few people who study or write about wildlife too. I’ve given links to Twitter, Facebook and Instagram accounts so you can follow however you choose. The first link is always to Twitter so this is like a giant #FF. The list is in no particular order, so read through and see who you would like to follow. And if you love dogs, cats and science, please ...