Companion Animal Psychology

“Individuals who’ve been traumatized have to have a safe space.” Dr. Patricia McConnell speaks about her memoir, The Education of Will. Dr. Patricia McConnell with Skip. Photo: Steve Dahlgren By Zazie Todd, PhD This page contains affiliate links which means I may earn a commission on qualifying purchases at no cost to you. In June, the Animal Book Club read Dr. Patricia McConnell’s book, The Education of Will: Healing a Dog, Facing My Fears, Reclaiming My Life . This is a powerful memoir of trauma and healing that recounts how she came to terms with her own trauma and in the process was able to heal her beloved dog, Willie. Of course, Dr. McConnell is also the author of many long-time favourite dog training books, including The Other End of the Leash and For the Love of a Dog . I had the honour of speaking to Dr. Patricia McConnell about The Education of Will . Zazie: Why did you decide to write this book? Patricia: Oh my! It was originally not going to be a book, actua

Four current initiatives to promote diversity and inclusion that you might like to know about. Photo: wavebreakmedia/Shutterstock By Zazie Todd, PhD There are some encouraging moves to promote diversity at the moment. Here are four current or upcoming initiatives from the fields of dog training, veterinary medicine, and animal behaviour. This page contains affiliate links which means I may earn a commission on qualifying purchases at no cost to you. Black in Animal Behavior Week Black in Animal Behavior Week started 23rd July as a prelude to the Animal Behavior Society’s 2020 virtual meeting. Follow the hashtag #BlackinAnimalBehavior on Twitter (note the American spelling) and get to know Black animal behavior scientists and what they do, complete with photos and videos of the species they study in the wild or in the lab.  Petition to the AVMA to address systemic racism in veterinary medicine Ten groups have come together to create this petition which lists a set of specific demands

New research got professional dog trainers to train dogs who had issues with off-leash disobedience. Positive reinforcement worked better than an electronic collar, without the risks.  Photo: Raven Imagery/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. We’ve known for a while that training dogs with aversive methods, including electronic collars, has risks for animal welfare . Positive reinforcement training is effective and does not have those risks.  New research from the University of Lincoln, published today in Frontiers in Veterinary Science, finds that in a typical situation where proponents of electronic collars often recommend them, positive reinforcement training by trainers who specialize in reward-based training works better than training with or without a shock collar by trainers who would normally use a shock collar.  The scientists say, “These findings refute the suggesti

Dogs learning to detect COVID-19, cats' whiskers, and fostering in lockdown... this month's CAP news. By Zazie Todd, PhD This page contains affiliate links which means I may earn a commission on qualifying purchases at no cost to you. My Favourites This Month “The news that dogs such as Asher could be deployed to detect Covid-19 might have an “and finally…” ring to it. But there is serious science behind the idea.”  Winning by a nose: the dogs being trained to detect COVID-19 by Tim Lewis.  “The question that emerges from this controversy is whether or not whisker stress is real, or just a made up marketing ploy to sell everyone new food dishes for their cats. Finally, science comes to the rescue!” Whisker stress: Science asks if it is real . Great write-up by Dr. Mikel Delgado of some new research on cats’ preferences for eating bowls. The results might not be what you think, but what does your kitty prefer?    “In fact, many trainers are finding that holding classes and priv

Even when the miniature pigs have been raised just like pet dogs. Is this why dogs are so special? Video included. A pig called Borso takes part in the experiment. Photo: Paula Pérez By Zazie Todd, PhD This page contains affiliate links which means I may earn a commission on qualifying purchases at no cost to you. Every dog owner has probably had a situation where their dog has looked to them for help, perhaps when a coveted ball or treat has ended up out of reach under the sofa. Is this something special about dogs and their relationship with us? Research already shows that wolves (not domesticated) don’t do this, and nor do cats (domesticated, but not a social species in the same way as dogs). So what about pigs?  Pigs are both domesticated and social as a species. And individual pigs are especially friendly if they have been reared just like pet dogs are. This is the case for the miniature pigs at the Family Pig Project at Eötvös Lor á nd University in Hungary. New research from the

Less socialization, less exercise, fewer activities with the owner, less training, and breed differences are all linked to social fear in dogs, survey shows. The Pembroke Welsh Corgi was one of the breeds least likely to be fearful of strangers. Photo: Vellicos/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. Large numbers of pet dogs are affected by fear and anxiety. 72.5% of pet dogs have at least one form of canine anxiety , according to a survey of over 13,000 Finnish dog owners, with sound sensitivity the most common type. Research by Dr. Jenni Puurunen et al (University of Helsinki), published in Scientific Reports , looks at a subset of these dogs to find out the possible causes of social fears (i.e. fear of unknown people and fear of unfamiliar dogs). 6,000 pet dogs were included in the analysis of fear of strangers and/or a fear of dogs they did not know. The results show some expe

The average lifespan of American pet dogs, and the effects of spay/neuter surgery, breed, and size, according to research. Photo: InBetweentheBlinks/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. All dog guardians can agree on one thing: dogs don’t live long enough. But how long does the average dog live? New research by Dr. Silvan Urfer and colleagues at the Dog Aging Project (University of Washington) and published in Canine Medicine and Genetics looks at the lifespan of pet dogs in the US. The dog aging project is investigating factors that contribute to longevity and health in pet dogs - something we would all like to know more about. Three private veterinary hospitals took part in the study, including one large urban clinic, a mid-size surburban one, and a small rural clinic. Data was obtained for every dog that visited one of the hospitals at least once in the space of a

A virtual event with Zazie Todd about how to make your dog happy, hosted by the Hub City Writer's Project. On July 21st at 7pm (Eastern time), the Hub City Writer's Project in Spartanburg, SC, is hosting a virtual event: I will be giving a talk about how to make your dog happy. The ticket price includes a copy of my book, Wag: The Science of Making Your Dog Happy, mailed to your door. I am sending some signed bookplates to the store to go with the books. You can find more information and get a ticket here .