Companion Animal Psychology Turns Eight

-
Some photos for those who need a distraction from the news cycle, as Companion Animal Psychology reaches 8 years of blogging.

Companion Animal Psychology turns 8
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.


Companion Animal Psychology turns 8; terrier sniffs lilac flowers
Photo: Heirloom Portrait/Shutterstock


Companion Animal Psychology turns 8; kitten and purple primulas
Photo: Pasichnyk Anna/Shutterstock


Companion Animal Psychology turns 8; cat looks up from wash
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.


Companion Animal Psychology turns 8; lace curtains with dogs
Photo: Elena Dijour/Shutterstock


Companion Animal Psychology turns 8; two cats look out of a window
Photo: Derek Harris Photography/Shutterstock


Companion Animal Psychology turns 8; a dog and cat nuzzle each other
Photo: Kastaprav/Shutterstock


Companion animal Psychology turns 8; happy border collie in tree
Photo: Ekaterina Brusnika/Shutterstock


Companion Animal Psychology turns 8; cat sniffing vase of flowers
Photo: Jelena Yukka/Shutterstock


Companion Animal Psychology turns 8; calico cat relaxes indoors
Photo: Kristen Prahl/Shutterstock

Thank you for your support over the years, and a special thank you to my Ko-fi supporters who help to keep this blog going.

I hope that you and yours are staying safe and well in these troubling times.

Companion Animal Psychology turns 8; sleeping puppy toe beans
Photo: Smit/Shutterstock


As always, if there are topics you'd like to see me cover at Companion Animal Psychology, just let me know.

Which photo is your favourite?


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:
This page contains affiliate links.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. As an Etsy affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. https://paidforadvertising.com/

Comments

Post a comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Ultimate Dog Training Tip

-
Image
The one thing every dog owner should know about how to train a dog.



By Zazie Todd, PhD

There’s a lot of incorrect dog training advice on the internet, which makes it hard for people with dogs to sort out which advice is good and which is not.

Does it matter? Some of the time, despite using methods that aren’t recommended by professional organizations, you can get away with it. Maybe you will have a well-trained dog or maybe you will muddle along. Maybe your dog will actually be a bit afraid but you won’t notice (people aren’t very good at recognizing fear).

But unfortunately, for some dogs, there will be issues. And perhaps, instead of blaming the method, you'll blame the dog.

Here’s what one scientist concluded after reviewing the evidence on dog training methods (Ziv, 2017):
“it appears that aversive training methods have undesirable unintended outcomes and that using them puts dogs’ welfare at risk” Dog training is not regulated and so trainers do not have to be transparent abou…
Read more

Survey Shows Which Treatments Are Effective for Fireworks Fears in Dogs

-
Image
Ad-hoc counter-conditioning and relaxation training work, say owners, but many other treatments don’t.


By Zazie Todd, PhD

Many dogs are afraid of the bangs and whistles from fireworks, up to half according to one study. A new, large survey by Dr. Stefanie Riemer (University of Bern) shows that treatments involving food and play are effective – but many other popular treatments are not rated as successful, according to people using them.

The standard recommended treatment for fireworks fears is desensitization and counter-conditioning (DSCC) using recordings of fireworks noises. The sounds are initially played very quietly at a level the dog is happy with, and over time the volume is gradually increased (the desensitization part). In addition, while the sounds are playing, the dog is offered very nice treats (the counter-conditioning part). In some cases, vets may also prescribe medication.


Outside of training sessions, of course, fireworks and other loud bangs will still happen, especi…
Read more

Dog Training Methods Affect Attachment to the Owner

-
Image
Dogs trained with aversive methods are less likely to show a ‘secure base’ effect, study shows.


By Zazie Todd, PhD

When people use aversive methods to train dogs, it is associated with risks to the dog’s welfare,  including fear, stress, and aggression (Ziv 2017; Guilherme-Fernandes et al 2017). Research published last year in Applied Animal Behaviour Science by Dr. Ana Vieira de Castro (Universidade do Porto) suggests it also affects the dog’s relationship with their owner.

Aversive dog training methods are those based on positive punishment and negative reinforcement.  The schools in this study that were classed as using aversive methods often used jerks on the leash, yelling at the dog, hitting the dog (all examples of positive punishment), or pulling the dog’s leash to choke their collar until they sat down (negative reinforcement).

This page contains affiliate links

Reward-based methods (positive reinforcement and negative punishment) are recommended by many dog training and veterin…
Read more