Companion Animal Psychology

A handy list of all the links to sign you up for Bark! Fest, the book festival for animal lovers. Just a few of the books that we are celebrating at Bark! Fest By Zazie Todd, PhD Choose your favourite events or sign up for them all! Bark! Fest is free, but registration is required. Those who attend live have the chance to ask questions and win door prizes. Everyone who registers will get a link to the recording. Here are those links: Sep 14 10am PT (1pm ET): Rory Cellan-Jones OBE ( Sophie From Romania ) and Simon Wooler ( More Than Just a Dog ). Sign up or get the details   Sep 15 1pm PT (4pm ET): Patricia McConnell, PhD ( Away To Me ) and Cat Warren ( What The Dog Knows ). Sign up or get the details Sep 16 1pm PT (4pm ET): Lili Chin ( Dogs of the World ). Melissa McCue-McGrath ( Misadventures of the World's Okayest Dog Trainer ), and Kerry Nichols ( Puppy Brain ). Sign up or get the details Sep 17 1pm PT (4pm ET): Alexandra Howoritz, PhD ( Inside of a Dog , 2nd edition). Sign u...

Welcome to the corner of the internet where we love books about dogs and cats. Join us to celebrate these titles in September 2026! By Zazie Todd, PhD This page contains affiliate links which means I may earn a commission on qualifying purchases at no cost to you. If you love reading and you love animals, then I've got an amazing book festival to share with you--and it's free. We've got some superstar authors coming to tell us about their books, and you can join us with a cup of coffee and your dog or cat on your lap.  But make sure you sign up soon! You can see the full schedule here .  The books are available wherever books are sold, including my Amazon store , Bookshop , and most likely your local library too. The reading list for Bark! Fest 2026 In alphabetical order by author, these are the books we are celebrating at this year's Bark! Fest. Decoding Your Cat: The Ultimate Experts Explain Common Cat Behaviors and Reveal How to Prevent or ...

Celebrate books about dogs and cats with twenty-three authors talking about twenty-two books. Bark! Fest takes place Sep 14 to 25 2026. By Zazie Todd, PhD This page contains affiliate links which means I may earn a commission on qualifying purchases at no cost to you. I'm delighted to share the full schedule of events for Bark! Fest, the book festival for animal lovers that lets you cosy up at home with your dog or cat to hear famous authors talk about their books. Here's the full schedule of events. All events are free but registration is required. A recording will be available for those who register, and those who attend live will have the chance to win door prizes. The events are co-hosted by myself (Zazie Todd) and Kristi Benson. What is Bark! Fest? Bark! Fest is the book festival for animal lovers. It first came about in 2024 as a launch event for my book Bark! The Science of Helping Your Anxious, Fearful, or Reactive Dog . It was an incredible event that got the best fe...

Zazie and Kristi chat about the importance of using reward-based methods--and of how we frame conversations about dog training methods. By Zazie Todd, PhD This page contains affiliate links which means I may earn a commission on qualifying purchases at no cost to you. Listen to episode 65 of The Pawsitive Post in Conversation wherever you get your podcasts ( Apple , Spotify ) or below, watch on Youtube or below, or scroll down for the highlights and a transcript. Dog training methods: How to advocate for dogs (and why bothsidesism doesn't help) Zazie and Kristi chat about what we can do to better advocate for reward-based dog training methods, and some common things that people get wrong. We talk about:     The podcast Kristi heard by Rachel Gilmore and why it made her want to talk about this topic     Why reward-based dog training methods are better for dogs and their people     Bothsidesism, and how portraying the use of aversive methods as normal an...

Join these two authors to learn about the history of little dogs and of veterinary medicine at Bark! Fest, the book festival for animal lovers. By Zazie Todd, PhD This page contains affiliate links which means I may earn a commission on qualifying purchases at no cost to you.  Come and explore the history of our special relationship with pets.  Stephanie Howard-Smith’s Yap! A Short History of Small Dogs , is an entertaining history of our small canine companions, told in tender, engaging stories and featuring charming illustrations. Philipp Schott’s Heal the Beasts: A Jaunt Through the Curious History of the Veterinary Arts chronicles the history of veterinary medicine with an abundance of bizarre, funny, surprising, and heartwarming anecdotes.  September 25 at 1 pm Pacific (4 pm Eastern / 9 pm UK time) Save your spot This event is co-hosted by Zazie Todd and Kristi Benson. Please support the authors by getting their books which are available wherever books are sold, in...

Join these three celebrated authors  for a charming panel that honours the ways in which animals can give Cupid a helping hand.  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 pawesome and delightful panel celebrates romance. In Julie Haworth’s New Beginnings at the Cosy Cat Café , Tori has been dumped and left stranded in Asia by her long-time boyfriend, but back home, can a hunky fireman and a clowder of rescue cats help her find happiness? In Washed Up by Nicola Knight, a drunken stranger is stranded on Frankie’s island during a storm. With the ferries cancelled she can’t escape him, but she soon realizes she doesn’t actually want to. In Farrah Rochon’s Pugs and Kisses , veterinarian Evie appears to have the perfect but boring life, when her college crush returns to town and the animal shelter where they volunteered in student days is under threat.  September 24 at 11 am Pacific ...

Learn about the rich inner lives of animals and how amazing dogs' noses are with Marc Bekoff ( Love In Their Hearts ) and Alison Pearce Stevens ( Detective Dogs ) join Bark! Fest. By Zazie Todd PhD This page contains affiliate links which means I may earn a commission on qualifying purchases at no cost to you. Join these two authors to learn more about the amazing abilities of animals and how books can inspire readers young and old.  Marc Bekoff's Love In Their Hearts: A Celebration of Animal Emotions and a Guide to Compassionate Action invites young and adult readers to explore the inner world of animals, blending cutting-edge research with calls to action. Detective Dogs: How Working Dogs Sniff Out Invasive Species by Alison Pearce Stevens tells the fascinating story of how dogs are using their noses to help three ongoing conservation projects. Readers young and old will enjoy this fascinating panel. Weds September 23rd at 2 pm Pacific (5 pm Eastern / 10 pm UK time) Save y...

Come and join us to discuss these suspenseful novels in which dogs help to solve the murder. By Zazie Todd, PhD This page contains affiliate links which means I may earn a commission on qualifying purchases at no cost to you. If you love crime and mystery novels, you will love this event that celebrates books in which dogs help to solve crimes.  In Antony Johnston’s witty cosy The Dog Sitter Detective Plays Dead , Gwinny Tuffel has a small part in Draculania and is filming in the Yorkshire Dales when a fellow cast member is found dead in their locked trailer. In Blake Mara’s twisty whodunnit The Dog Park Detectives Paw and Order , a group of people who walk their dogs in the park step in to investigate after a young homeless man is found dead in the playground. And in Louisa Scarr’s thrilling police procedural Broken House , PC Lucy Halliday and her dog Moss are called in to search for a woman who went missing 10 years ago.  In this suspenseful panel, we catch up with some old...