Companion Animal Psychology

When fearful and reactive dogs are admitted to shelters, it’s best to start desensitization and counterconditioning right away, study finds. Photo: Irina Shatilova/Shutterstock By Zazie Todd, PhD This post contains affiliate links which means I may earn commission on qualifying purchases at no cost to you. When fearful dogs come in to a shelter, is it better to start behaviour modification early or should the dogs have a few weeks to settle in first? New research from the ASPCA finds that it’s best to start behaviour modification right away, if possible. The research, published in Applied Animal Behaviour Science , examined the question because arriving a shelter is stressful for a dog. They are in an unfamiliar environment with unfamiliar people, missing the family that has just had to surrender them, and missing home comforts like a settee to lounge on. As well, the kennel environment is often noisy and there are unfamiliar smells of other dogs and of the cleaning materials. Because ...

The harms of shock collars in dog training are emphasized in a USD 1.9 million dollar settlement in a class action lawsuit. Photo: Parilov/Shutterstock By Zazie Todd, PhD Californians who purchased a PetSafe brand shock collar can make a claim in a class action lawsuit against Radio Systems. The shocking risks of shock collars in dog training The scientific research on shock collars shows that they have risks for animal welfare that include the risks of aggression, anxiety, fear, and learned helplessness (Masson et al 2018). There is also the risk of the dog associating the shock with something other than what the trainer intended. Dogs taught recall with shock collars show increased signs of stress (Cooper et al 2014).  Meanwhile, positive reinforcement is more effective at teaching behaviours to dogs than a shock collar (China et al 2020). Dog owners who use a remote-activated or bark-activated shock collar to train their dog report that it is not as effective as they expected;...

Watch or listen to the Ask Me Anything about reactive, fearful, and anxious dogs with Zazie Todd, PhD, and Kristi Benson, CTC. By Zazie Todd, PhD This page contains affiliate links which means I may earn a commission on qualifying purchases at no cost to you. We recorded this Ask Me Anything to celebrate the launch in paperback of my book Bark! The Science of Helping Your Anxious, Fearful, or Reactive Dog , which is available wherever books are sold. Watch the conversation on Youtube or below, listen wherever you get your podcasts  ( Apple , Spotify ) or below, or scroll down to read a transcript. Reactive and fearful dogs: Your questions answered We hosted an Ask Me Anything on anxious, fearful, and reactive dogs. You asked some incredible questions, and this is the result. We talked about:     How to find the starting place for working with anxious dogs     Helping dogs who are afraid of elevators     Fear of strangers     Helping reac...

More people are choosing pedigree cats, according to a new report from Cats Protection, while others have to surrender their cat due to costs. Photo: 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. There are some changes in cat ownership in the UK, according to the CATS Report 2025 from Cats Protection. For the first time, 51% of newly-acquired cats in the UK are pedigrees rather than moggies (mixed-breed cats).  The report is based on a representative sample of cat guardians in the UK and sheds light on some interesting trends. Here are some of the highlights of the report. Changes in getting (and giving up) cats 24% of households in the UK have at least one cat. While most of these homes have just one cat, 34% have 2 or more. Whereas in 2020 there were more female than male cat guardians, in 2025 it’s a more equal picture. Cat ownership has risen amongst the 18-34 age group but gone...

Zazie Todd is presenting a webinar packed with tips on podcasting for The Pet Professional Guild. Photo: Nataliya Sdobnikova/Shutterstock By Zazie Todd, PhD If you're a pet professional, you know how important it is to keep on getting the word out about the best ways to train and care for pet dogs and cats. Podcasting is one way to reach people, and to raise your own profile in the process. But it can seem daunting, especially with the tech side of things--but also with the marketing. This webinar will share lots of tips and demystify the process, and give you the chance to have your questions answered. Come and find out all about podcasting, how to get started and how to make your podcast grow in 2026 with this webinar for the Pet Professional Guild. How to create and grow a successful pet podcast in 2026 by Zazie Todd PhD. It's on January 8th 2026 at 9am Pacific (12 noon Eastern time). Here's the outline: Podcasts are popular and still growing, so they are a great way to...

We talk about the real work of conservation dogs in Hawaii and how they inspired the latest FBI K-9 novel by Sara Driscoll.  By Zazie Todd, PhD This page contains affiliate links which means I may earn a commission on qualifying purchases at no cost to you.  Watch the latest episode of The Pawsitive Post in Conversation on Youtube or below, listen wherever you get your podcasts ( Apple , Spotify ) or below, or scroll down to read a transcript. Conservation dogs and Deadly Trade, the latest FBI-K9 book by Sara Driscoll K-9 handler Meg Jennings can never walk away from her job, even amid her Hawaiian Islands honeymoon, where she and her search-and-rescue black Lab encounter a double threat from wildlife poachers and Mother Nature. Deadly Trade is the latest FBI-K9 book by Sara Driscoll and it is hot off the press, having just been published yesterday. We caught up with Sara--real name Jen J. Danna--to find out about the real-life conservation canines in Hawaii who inspire...