The Posts of the Year 2020: Dogs, Cats, Science, and Training
The most popular posts of 2020 on Companion Animal Psychology.
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| Photo: David Pastyka/Shutterstock |
By Zazie Todd, PhD
This has been a tough year for everyone, and one in which our relationship with pets has often been in the news. I hope that you are ending the year safe and sound, and wish you all the best for 2021. While we continue to wear masks, keep our distance, and stay home as much as possible, hopefully 2021 will be better.
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Against the backdrop of everything else, 2020 was the year my book, Wag: The Science of Making Your Dog Happy
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| Aldo and Aela with Wag. Photo: Emily Tronetti. |
For me, the highlight was seeing photos of people’s dogs with their copy of Wag (you can see collections of those photos in part 1 and part 2). And here we are now, with Wag a finalist in two categories in the Dog Writer’s Association of America awards. I feel very honoured and am grateful to everyone who has helped me along the way!
This year I’ve been lucky to interview some more very talented people:
- Prof. Clive Wynne about his book Dog is Love
- Dr. Lauren Finka about her book The Cat Personality Test
- Dr. Kristof Dhont and Prof. Gordon Hodson on their book Why We Love and Exploit Animals
- Dr. Patricia McConnell on her book The Education of Will
- Oluademi James-Daniel on inclusivity in dog training
- Lili Chin on her book Doggie Language
- Sassafras Lowrey on her book Chew This Journal
- Malena DeMartini on her book Separation Anxiety in Dogs
- Kristi Benson on the making of the canine fairy tale, The Prince and the Pea
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| The most commented-on photo of 2020 was this doll face Persion cat. Photo: chrisdorney/Shutterstock. |
As well, I’ve published some fantastic guest posts, some of which feature in my top 10 of the year (see below). Nickala Squire wrote about why you should never train a dog to come when called using a shock collar. Sienna Taylor and John Binks wrote about beating the boredom blues by providing sniffing opportunities for dogs. Veterinarian Dr. Gurpal Chahal wrote about canine cognitive dysfunction. Dr. Christy Hoffman wrote about covid-19's impacts on the human-dog relationship. And Kristi Benson wrote about the first citizen scientists: Dinjii Zhuh knowledge and the advantage of uncertainty.
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| Photo: Smit/Shutterstock |
In the autumn, I started The Writer’s Pet, a new series about contemporary writers and how their pets influence their writing process. Check out these interviews with Aislinn Hunter, Grant Hayter-Menzies, Eva Holland, Jen Gilroy, Philippa East, Roz Watkins, Nicole Blades, Jenni Keer, and Maureen Fergus.
This year the book club read 9 books. There are some new merch designs, and the Companion Animal Psychology logo tee remains very popular. A portion of all proceeds goes to the BC SPCA Maple Ridge. You can get 10% off with promo code SNOWYOWL10 until midnight Pacific time on 30th December.
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| Get 10% off all merch with promo code SNOWYOWL10 until midnight PT Dec 30th |
I am incredibly grateful to everyone who has bought me a coffee on Ko-fi. Thank you so much for your support!
Ko-fi supporters get a special discount on merch. Check out my Ko-fi page for your promo code.
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| Photo: Lenkadan/Shutterstock |
Of course, the hardest thing this year was losing my beautiful Bodger, who I still miss very much. He would have been very happy to have had a year in which we hardly left the house! Our cats, Harley and Melina, have certainly enjoyed the extra company from us.
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| Lovely Bodger, very much missed. Photo: Bad Monkey Photography. |
Thanks to all of you for your support, encouragement, likes, comments, and shares this year. I hope that 2021 brings you good health and happiness. Stay safe!
The posts of the year
This year, my top post on Psychology Today was why dogs’ happiness, not obedience, is what counts.
There were the top 10 posts here on Companion Animal Psychology.
10. Dog dementia: What is canine cognitive dysfunction, by Dr. Gurpal Chahal.
9. The pet people to follow in 2020.
8. Covid-19's impacts on the human-dog relationship, by Dr. Christy Hoffman.
7. Why you should never train a dog to come when called using a shock collar, by Nickala Squire.
6. Survey shows which treatments are effective for fireworks fears in dogs.
5. The factors involved in dogs' fear of strangers and unfamiliar dogs.
4. Dog training methods affect attachment to the owner.
3. Flat collars risk damage to dogs' necks if they pull or you jerk the leash.
2. If your dog is afraid, avoid these two mistakes.
1. Positive reinforcement is more effective at training dogs than an electronic collar, study shows.
Wishing you all the best for 2021,
Zazie.
