Companion Animal Psychology

Jen Hirt on doing agility with her dog, Wesley, and her latest book, Hear Me Ohio. Jen Hirt's dog Wesley. Photo: Rich Knecht.

Here’s why you should pick a puppy class that includes play – and what that play should look like.  Photo: Iuliia Bondarenko/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. Puppies have a lot to learn. When you bring them home at about 8 weeks, the breeder will have already done some socialization (provided you picked a responsible breeder ). But it’s up to you to build on that early socialization, because the sensitive period continues until about 12-14 weeks.  Puppy class is a great way to get some socialization. But only around 70% of puppy classes include play (Cutler et al, 2017).   Here’s why puppy play is an important part of puppy class.     When do puppies start to play? Puppies learn a lot in those early weeks while they are still with their mom and littermates. In fact, from 3 weeks of age puppies spend a lot of time playing with their fellow pups. After around 8 or 9 weeks, t

Itchy dogs, cats and catnip, and pups eating peanut butter... This month's Companion Animal Psychology news. By Zazie Todd, PhD My favourites this month This page contains affiliate links which means I may earn a commission on qualifying purchases at no cost to you. Itchy dog or stressed dog? by Dr. Naomi Harvey, BARKS from the Guild Jan 2021 . A free subscription is needed to read it.   From domination to cooperation . Allison Wells shares the story of how a rescue dog changed her life   “The ecstatic rush might not be the only reason felines flock to these plants, new research suggests.“ Your cat isn’t just getting high off catnip  by Katherine J. Wu.  Lost in translation: has our selective breeding of cats limited their ability to communicate? Dr. Lauren Finka unpacks her latest research, via International Cat Care.   "Kids can learn a lot from their relationships with dogs; instead of teaching them to use force and fear to control other beings, we can use positive methods

Have dogs evolved to lurk in the kitchen? We can learn more about dog’s evolution, and our own evolution, through the words we pass from grandparent to grandchild as nursery rhymes.  Photo: Anna Badi/Shutterstoc By Kristi Benson, CTC, Special Correspondent .  I was splitting then tearing off the soft inner shell from some broad beans earlier today, and I found myself thinking of a nursery rhyme. Pease porridge hot! The broad beans emerged from their light and leathery skins the bright spring-green colour of new growth, a cheerful antidote to the scene out the kitchen window: polar vortex winds sculpting the snow over the gardens into threatening, glassy surfaces. Pease porridge cold. In those very gardens, now tucked away under several feet of granular, mature snow, we grew way too many broad beans last summer. That is, we grew way too many broad beans...again. They’re fussy to eat, with their doubled-up shell, especially when compared to their simpler—if not quite as delicious—legumin

I am thrilled and honoured that Wag: The Science of Making Your Dog Happy has won the Dog Writer's Association of America award for book - behavior, health, or general care. By Zazie Todd PhD Because of the pandemic, the ceremony was broadcast live on Facebook. I am so happy that Wag has won this award. Congratulations to all of the nominees and winners! Zazie This page contains affiliate links which means I may earn a commission on qualifying purchases at no cost to you. If  you want a copy of Wag, you'll find it in my Amazon store  and in all good bookstores.  As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

It’s worth learning to take care of your pet’s teeth, says veterinarian Dr. Rachel Szumel. Here are six reasons why. Photo: GerryP/Shutterstock By Dr. Rachel Szumel. The top six reasons tooth-brushing is important for your pet - and how you can teach your dog or cat to enjoy having their teeth brushed. 1. Their breath stinks!   Dog breath has the classic bad reputation, but cat breath can be foul, too. And it’s not just cosmetic - that stink is a clear indication of infection and inflammation in your best friend’s mouth. Consider it a pungent reminder that those teeth (and gums!) need attention, because their health depends on it... 2. It’s good for their health.   Chronic inflammation in the mouth is known to have adverse effects on the rest of the body. It’s true for humans, and it’s true for pets as well. Chronic oral inflammation and infection can contribute to kidney, liver, and even heart problems, potentially shortening your pet’s life.  Think of the last time you had a root

“A fascinating look at animal intelligence, Pepperberg’s tale is also a love story between beings who sometimes ‘squabble like an old married couple’ but whose bond broke only with Alex’s death at 31 in ‘07. Irresistible.”--People. By Zazie Todd, PhD This page contains affiliate links which means I may earn a commission on qualifying purchases at no cost to you. This month, the Animal Book Club  is reading Alex & Me: How a Scientist and a Parrot Discovered a Hidden World of Animal Intelligence--and Formed a Deep Bond in the Process by Irene Pepperberg. From the back cover, "On September 6, 2007, an African Grey parrot named Alex died prematurely at age thirty-one. His last words to his owner, Irene Pepperberg, were "You be good. I love you." What would normally be a quiet, very private event was, in Alex's case, headline news. Over the thirty years they had worked together, Alex and Irene had become famous—two pioneers who opened an unprecedented window into the

When dogs are trained with methods such as leash jerks, yelling, and shock collars, they have worse welfare than dogs trained solely with food rewards, according to new research. Photo: Lindaze/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. Although many dog trainers and guardians have already made the switch to using reward-based methods , some still use aversive methods such as leash jerks and prong collars. While previous research has shown that there are risks to using aversive methods , new research finds they affect a dog’s emotional welfare during the training session. As well, dogs trained with a high proportion of aversive methods are less optimistic than those trained only with rewards. The study, published in Plos One , involved people who took their dog to one of six different training schools in Porto, Portugal. The schools were classified into groups depending on whether th