Fellow Creatures: Dogs' Happiness is What Counts

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Although we've traditionally thought about dogs' obedience, we should really be thinking about happiness.

Fellow Creatures: dogs' happiness is what counts; two happy dogs
By Zazie Todd, PhD

In a new post over at my Psychology Today blog Fellow Creatures, I look at the reasons why there is a shift to thinking about dog's happiness instead of simply expecting them to obey. When behaviour issues stem from a failure to meet a dog's needs, thinking about obedience is missing the point. And focusing on happy dogs is better for us, as well as them. Take a look, in why dog's happiness, not obedience, is what counts.


Photo: Studio 7042/Stocksnap.

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.

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