Companion Animal Psychology

New research investigates the ethics orientations to animals that are associated with higher or lower use of positive reinforcement in dog training.  Photo: Carina Svardal/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. Why are some people more drawn to one style of dog training over another? It’s an important question because we know that reward-based methods are better for dogs than methods like shock and prong collars, which have risks for dogs’ welfare. New research published in Anthrozoös looks at the relationship between dog training methods and wider ethical beliefs about animals amongst dog guardians in the US. For example, if you think that dogs are sentient beings, and that non-human animals are just as important as humans, does that mean you are less likely to use punishment-based training methods? According to this study, the answer is yes. But interestingly, it doesn’t ne...

We caught up with Patricia McConnell, PhD, to find out all about her first mystery novel, Away to Me, which is set in the dog world (of course). By Zazie Todd, PhD Watch Episode 51 of The Pawsitive Post in Conversation on Youtube or below, listen wherever you get your podcasts ( Apple , Spotify ) or below, or scroll down for the show notes. An interview with Patricia McConnell, PhD, about her new book Away to Me This page contains affiliate links which means I may earn a commission on qualifying purchases at no cost to you. Away to Me is Patricia McConnell PhD's first mystery novel, and it's gorgeous. I fell in love with the main character, Maddie, and all of the dogs in the book, and I know you will too. Kristi and I chatted with Patricia to learn more about the book and why she decided to write fiction set in the dog world. We talk about:     What made Patricia decide to write a mystery novel     The main character, Maddie McGowan     Whether it was...

Bark! is a winner and The Pawsitive Post in Conversation is a finalist in the DWAA 2025 contest. By Zazie Todd, PhD I am absolutely thrilled and very honoured that my book, Bark! The Science of Helping Your Anxious, Fearful, or Reactive Dog , has won two awards from the Dog Writers' Association of America in their 2025 contest. Bark! has won the Maxwell Medallion for best book in the behavior, training, or sport category. This is an actual medallion!  And Bark! has won the McFarland Best Book Award. I wrote Bark! to help fearful dogs and their people, and I am so grateful that it has been recognized in this way. I will share photos of the medallion and certificates with you when I get them. I am also very pleased that The Pawsitive Post in Conversation was a finalist in two categories of the spoken word. I share this honour with my amazing co-host, Kristi Benson, and for one episode, also with Kim Cooper and Cat Warren, who were the most incredible guests.  Congratulation...