Companion Animal Psychology

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...

We discuss the differences in training a dog vs training a cat, the needs for exercise, enrichment, and other aspects of caring for dogs and cats. 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 50 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 show notes. Caring for dogs vs caring for cats How is caring for a dog different than caring for a cat, and what is the same? We talk about what dogs and cats need for a happy life with us. We talk about:     Training dogs and training cats (and why you should train your cat)     The importance of enrichment     Their sense of smell     Going places with your dog, but not your cat     House training     Vet care and husbandry     And the books we've been reading. Also...

The popular philosophy of memes, especially those dismantling the patriarchy, can be a useful window into thinking about dogs.  By Kristi Benson, PCBC-A, CTC, Special Correspondent I recently saw a meme that made me sit back in that delighted flavour of surprise that strikes upon the tidy resolution of something I’ve struggled, previously, to sketch the shape of in my mind. The meme, a screen shot of a Tumblr, said : “All women are beautiful” is a cute sentiment and all, but it’s ultimately the wrong one. All women are valuable, all women are people, whether you can be generous enough to find unconventional beauty in their appearance or not.  To this, someone had added—and I’ll paraphrase somewhat for propriety’s sake— “All women are forced to live under an arbitrary and unfair system which sorts us into the categories of ‘Bangable’ and ‘Worthless’. The solution to this is NOT to expand the definition of ‘Bangable’.” It is hard to exist comfortably in our world as a woman. We ...