Companion Animal Psychology

A round-up of the year's most popular content on dogs, cats, and the human-animal bond. Photo: Daykiney/Shutterstock By Zazie Todd PhD It's time for my annual round-up of the most popular posts and podcasts of the year, this year with videos too. In this list you'll find some great tips and some absolutely amazing guests. The posts of the year on Companion Animal Psychology 10. I Am Bunny: An Interview with Alexis Devine 9. New guidelines say don't use imagery of dogs with extreme conformation: The infographic 8. Body size and face shape predict the lifespan of dogs, study shows 7. Companion Animal Psychology turns 12 6. Three important uses for classical conditioning in dog training 5. The average cat lives 11.74 years, according to new research 4. Freddie the rescue dog and how dogs save us with Grant Hayter-Menzies 3. Learn how to make your dog even happier with the checklist for a happy dog from Wag 2. What age should dogs be spayed/neutered to avoid increased healt...

Wishing you all the best for the festive season. Photo: Anna Averianova/Shutterstock Thank you for your support during this past year. I wish you a wonderful and peaceful holiday season and a happy and healthy 2025. Zazie

The result is great news for dogs and their guardians who can access modern, scientific dog training—but people still need to ask questions to avoid trainers who use aversives. Photo: kackaborovska/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. Deciding how to train a dog is an important decision. Scientists and animal welfare organizations are united in the understanding that it’s best to use reward-based methods because aversive methods (such as leash “corrections”, yelling, shock and prong collars) have risks , including the risks of increased fear, anxiety, stress and aggression. But awareness of this by the general public lags behind the scientific community—and some dog trainers still use aversives. A new study by Dr. Camila Cavalli (UBC) et al, in press in the Journal of Veterinary Behavior , finds that the majority (72%) of dog training businesses in British Columbia, Canada, use...

I chatted with Chris Blazina PhD about dog behaviour on the Dog Save the People podcast. By Zazie Todd PhD I've got a new podcast to share with you! I was a guest on the Dog Save the People podcast, where I chatted about dogs with host Chris Blazina PhD. Blazina is also a psychologist and so we had a really fun chat about dog behaviour. You can listen here: Website - https://www.dogsavethepeople.com/episodes/zazie-todd-2024   Apple - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/positive-consistency-w-zazie-todd-phd/id1448576464?i=1000680670652 Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/episode/6r2WbIm37nKTXArywgWsLK   Here's the official show description: John Bradshaw was one of the first people to write about “how the new science of dog behavior can make you a better friend to your pet.” His work inspired psychologist and academic professor Zazie Todd, who decided to start a website called Companion Animal Psychology to further explore translating these ideas for a larger population beyond...

You can now watch or listen to the recording of this sold-out panel at Bark! Fest, the book festival for animal lovers, with Marc Bekoff, Cat Warren, and Zazie Todd. By Zazie Todd, PhD   This page contains affiliate links which means I may earn a commission on qualifying purchases at no cost to you.  Bark!  Fest with Marc Bekoff, Zazie Todd, and Cat Warren Bark! Fest, the book festival for animal lovers, took place in September 2024 with 11 author panels (and one tricks class from the amazing Erica Beckwith of A Matter of Manners Dog Training) . It was organized to celebrate the launch of my new book, Bark! The Science of Helping Your Anxious, Fearful, or Reactive Dog , which is out now and available wherever books are sold. This is the recording of the sold-out panel on Canine Emotions and Perception with Marc Bekoff, Zazie Todd, and Cat Warren, chaired by Kristi Benson. This event was full and many people who were unable to sign up because it was already at capacity ...

I've got two new posts on my Psych Today blog, one about some research on what life is like for seniors with pets, and one with the facts on fearful dogs. Photo: Elmer L. Geissler/Pixabay By Zazie Todd PhD This page contains affiliate links which means I may earn a commission on qualifying purchases at no cost to you. Seniors with pets There’s a general societal discourse that pets are good for our mental and physical health, although the research does not match up to this. Instead, things are much more mixed, as having a pet can sometimes have its downsides. And that’s the case for seniors too. My new post looks at a study of the role that pets play in the lives of seniors. Read it here: Pets bring benefits and challenges for seniors, study shows .  The facts on fearful dogs "Myths and outdated (but still common) narratives about fearful dogs, and dogs in general, can lead you astray. We can dispel these myths, but repeating myths can make them more salient. I’ll stick to the...

The second episode of this popular podcast special on pets using buttons to talk is out now. By Zazie Todd, PhD This page contains affiliate links which means I may earn commission on qualifying purchases at no cost to you. I've got another interview to share with you today. So many people have told me how much they enjoyed the episode Lexicat 1 from The Allusionist podcast, which I was interviewed for. The episode focuses on Mary Robinette Kowal and her cat Elsie who uses 120 talking buttons. Well now the second episode out--and it includes dogs! You can listen here or wherever you get your podcasts. Here's the official description: "In Lexicat part 1, we met the author Mary Robinette Kowal and her cat Elsie, and learned about how they communicate via a set of buttons programmed with words.  "In part 2, two talking dogs, Bastian and Parker - and their humans, Joelle Andres and Sascha Crasnow - join us too, and explain how they discovered some very unexpected things...

Listen to the interview with Zazie Todd, PhD, talking about what we can do to help fearful and anxious dogs on Radio New Zealand's Sunday Morning. By Zazie Todd, PhD I spoke to Jim Mora on Radio New Zealand's Sunday Morning this Sunday. You can listen to the interview here . The topic was mainly anxious and fearful dogs, with tips from my new book Bark! The Science of Helping Your Anxious, Fearful, or Reactive Dog. But we also talked about caring for your dog more generally, discussing the fact that some common ideas about dogs--like dominance--are outdated and you can let your dog on the sofa if you would like to, about letting dogs sniff on walks, and the best behaviours to train your dog to do. We also chatted about some recent canine science research. And if you liked that, you might also like some of my previous conversations with Jim Mora: How pets benefit our brains Are we pathologizing normal pooch behaviour? More ways to make your cat happy Happy listening!