Companion Animal Psychology

I was interviewed about how to help anxious dogs for The Observer. By Zazie Todd PhD I was interviewed by The Observer about how to help anxious and fearful dogs. You can read the piece in the print copy of The Observer Magazine from 5th January, or online on The Guardian website: Paw things: How to help your anxious dog . The piece includes lots of tips on how to help an anxious dog, including why aversive methods only make things worse, and training that people can do to help. I'm really pleased with the article and hope you enjoy it. Bark! The Science of Helping Your Anxious, Fearful, or Reactive Dog is available wherever books are sold. That includes Bookshop (which supports independent bookstores) and my Amazon store . Disclosure: If you buy books linked to our site, we may earn a commission from Bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

 There's a new podcast interview with me about how to help anxious and fearful dogs. By Zazie Todd PhD I chatted to Si Wooler about how to help anxious and fearful dogs and my new book, Bark!: The Science of Helping Your Anxious, Fearful, or Reactive Dog . You can listen wherever you get your podcasts or here . Si and I are both graduates of The Academy for Dog Trainers and we put the world to rights for fearful dogs. Happy listening! Bark! The Science of Helping Your Anxious, Fearful, or Reactive Dog is available wherever books are sold. That includes Bookshop (which supports independent bookstores) and my Amazon store . Disclosure: If you buy books linked to our site, we may earn a commission from Bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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...