Companion Animal Psychology

The top posts of the year and a couple of things to look forward to in 2022 Photo: Ivanova N/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. It’s been another tough year and as we all wish for a brighter year in 2022, there’s still too much going on. But I’ve kept on writing through the year, and as is tradition I’m going to share some of the highlights and, at the end, a few things to look forward to next year. I was lucky to publish two interviews with amazing people this year. Photographer Jesse Freidin and Dr. Robert Garofalo spoke to me about their beautiful book, When Dogs Heal: Powerful Stories of People Living with HIV and the Dogs That Saved Them , which uses photographs and stories to teach us about the difference dogs can make to people with HIV.  And recently I spoke with Canadian animal lawyer Victoria Shroff about her book, Canadian Animal Law, which is aimed at anyone who w

 Season's Greetings from Companion Animal Psychology Photo: Roman Valyaev/Shutterstock By Zazie Todd PhD It’s been quite the year again, hasn’t it?! But wherever you are, I hope you’re winding down to a wonderful festive season.  Thank you for reading Companion Animal Psychology this year and for all of your lovely comments and shares. Special thanks to my Ko-Fi peeps and Pawsitive Post subscribers —your support helps me to keep writing pieces about good training and welfare for our pets. I look forward to writing more in 2022!  In a few days you’ll see my usual end-of-year round-up posts, and after that I’ll be taking the first part of January off from Companion Animal Psychology in order to have a bit of a break. Subscribers to the Pawsitive Post will still get their issues on time, of course!  Happy Holidays! Wishing joy, love, peace, and happiness to you and yours, Zazie

Pets aren't little people, so if you're going to apply labels like that, ask yourself these questions first. They're often the first step in solving behaviour issues in dogs and cats. New Africa/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.   When it comes to understanding dogs , cats , and other pets, there’s a common pitfall that applies to many of us: thinking of them like people. Don’t get me wrong: many of the ways that we talk about pets, share a constant stream of photos of them, and baby them are delightful and show just how central they are to our family life.  But if it means that we treat them like people when in fact—because they are a different species—they need something else, then that can be a problem.  There’s a wonderful quote from Dr. Sam Gaines near the beginning of my book, Wag: The Science of Making Your Dog Happy . She says we need to, “Think Dog! D

"This book is an evolutionary thought experiment--untestable, informative and great fun."--David P. Barash.  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 A Dog's World: Imagining the Lives of Dogs in a World without Humans by Jessica Pierce and Marc Bekoff. From the back cover, "What would happen to dogs if humans simply disappeared? Would dogs be able to survive on their own without us? A Dog’s World imagines a posthuman future for dogs, revealing how dogs would survive―and possibly even thrive―and explaining how this new and revolutionary perspective can guide how we interact with dogs now. "Drawing on biology, ecology, and the latest findings on the lives and behavior of dogs and their wild relatives, Jessica Pierce and Marc Bekoff―two of today’s most innovative thinkers about dogs―explore who dogs might become without direct h

"Wow, this used to be theory and now we’re actually seeing it in practice.” Pioneering Canadian lawyer Victoria Shroff on her book, Canadian Animal Law. By Zazie Todd, PhD This page contains affiliate links which means I may earn a commission on qualifying purchases at no cost to you. Vancouver lawyer Victoria Shroff is a pioneer of animal law in Canada. Her new book, Canadian Animal Law , is an accessible introduction to animal law that will be of interest to SPCAs, humane societies, and anyone who cares about animals, as well as lawyers and law students. I spoke to Shroff about the book, and why there’s grounds for optimism when it comes to the law and animals.  At the end, you'll find a discount code and competition to win a copy. Zazie: First of all, what is animal law? Victoria: The definition of animal law is any time when an animal and the law intersect. That’s the simple definition. It can be anything related to, for example, a dog barking in a back yard and disturbi