Companion Animal Psychology

The year in review at Companion Animal Psychology and the most popular dog and cat posts of 2022.  Photo: vubaz/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 always fun to look back on the year and see which posts were the most popular. For me, the highlight of the year was the publication of my second book Purr: The Science of Making Your Cat Happy . Thank you to everyone who has supported the book including everyone in the Purr Party. It’s been especially nice to receive notes of thanks from readers for the tips included in Purr and to see photos of people’s cats with the book.  Melina with a copy of Purr This year I was lucky to publish some wonderful guest posts by  Dr. Katherine Cronin ;  Koltan Nelson ;  and  Izzy Swanston, Sienna Taylor, and Ben Brilot . I’m delighted that two of these have made it into the year’s top 10. A copy of Purr (and look closely, Wag too!) on Keit

I've got a new post over on my Psychology Today blog, Fellow Creatures .  Photo: Mathieu Gervais/Pexels By Zazie Todd PhD It looks at the fact that our pets--dogs and cats--are always learning. Of course we know we're training our dog in an official training session, but actually they're learning all the time. And so are cats, despite their reputation. Which sometimes means we teach our pets to do things we would really rather they didn't. Read the post here: Every interaction with your pet is a training opportunity . 

Season's Greetings from Companion Animal Psychology. Photo: woodHunt/Shutterstock, text Zazie Todd Thank you for all of your support this year. Wishing you and your family a wonderful festive season and all the best for 2023. Zazie Zazie Todd PhD

I've got a new post on my Fellow Creatures blog that looks at happy dog walks for you and the dog.  Skyler Ewing/Pexels By Zazie Todd PhD Do you hate it when people say "Who's walking who?" The post looks at why it's best if dog walks are good for both the person and the dog, and has some tips on keeping both of you happy. Read it here: "Who's walking who?" Happy walks with your dog . 

The books I enjoyed the most this year include books about dogs and cats, plus non-fiction, some great novels, and poetry.  Photo: Irina Kozorog/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. Which books are you giving as gifts this year—and which ones are you hoping to receive? These are some of the books I have enjoyed this year (not necessarily published this year). I'm also sharing the books I’m looking forward to digging into over the holidays.  I’ll start with the animal books before including my selections of poetry, nonfiction, and novels.  The Year of the Puppy: How Dogs Become Themselves chronicles the first year in the life of Alexandra Horowitz’s puppy Quiddity. All of Horowitz's dog books are essential reading, and this one is no exception. Absolutely delightful. Wonderdog: The Science of Dogs and Their Unique Friendship with Humans by Jules Howard is a fantastic rea

I've got a new post on my Fellow Creatures blog at Psych Today . Cong H/Pexels By Zazie Todd PhD People often think of cats as easy pets, but is it really true? My new post looks at this idea, and at how it's better for our kitties if we actually do a bit more for them. You can read the post here: Why it doesn't help to think of cats as easy pets . 

"Will cause readers to think deeply about big questions...and to laugh out loud."--Hal Herzog, author of Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat. 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 If Nietzsche Were a Narwhal: What Animal Intelligence Reveals About Human Stupidity by Justin Gregg. From the publisher, "If Nietzsche Were a Narwhal overturns everything we thought we knew about human intelligence, and asks the question: would humans be better off as narwhals? Or some other, less brainy species? There’s a good argument to be made that humans might be a less successful animal species precisely because of our amazing, complex intelligence. "All our unique gifts like language, math, and science do not make us happier or more “successful” (evolutionarily speaking) than other species. Our intelligence allowed us to split the atom, b