Companion Animal Psychology

Bark! Fest celebrated 24 books about animals. Here are the people who won copies of some of the books.  By Zazie Todd, PhD Bark! Fest, the book festival for animal lovers, took place in September 2024.  This page contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a commission on qualifying purchases at no cost to you.  The  Bark!  Fest Books Winners At every event at Bark! Fest, we were able to give a set of books away to someone who attended live. This was really fun and I am grateful to all of the authors, publishers, and publicists who helped make this happen, including my own publisher, Greystone Books.  All of the winners have been contacted and the books are on their way. These were the winners: Culture Clash and Beyond: Paula, NY, USA Canine Blockbusters: Sara, NC, USA Caring for Cats: Lisa, WA, USA Caring for Dogs: Rebecca, KY, USA; and Debbie, Devon, UK Dogs, Trauma, and Both Ends of the Leash: Michele, GA, USA Canine Emotions and Perception: Chri...

Zazie and Kristi sat down to chat about Border Collies and other herding dogs with Emily Priestley, author of Urban Sheepdog. By Zazie Todd PhD Watch episode 20 of The Pawsitive Post in Conversation below or on Youtube , listen below or wherever you get your podcasts ( Apple , Spotify ) or scroll down to read a transcript of the highlights. About this episode This page contains affiliate links which means I may earn a commission on qualifying purchases at no cost to you.  We start by discussing which breeds count as herding breeds and what they were bred to do, and ask Emily how a herding dog first came into her life. Then we talked about the kinds of herding dog behaviours that dog guardians can sometimes struggle with, and the extent to which we consider these normal or pathological. We also talk about the importance of exercise and enrichment, and Emily's main takeaway from the book.  Finally, we talk about the books we're reading. This episode, we recommend: Find Mo...

Zazie Todd was a guest on CBC Radio's The Signal answering listener questions about dogs. Photo: Anetapics/Shutterstock By Zazie Todd PhD The CBC radio show The Signal with Adam Walsh recently went to the dogs--and I was a guest on the show, answering listener questions alongside guest Rose Browne of Dynamic Canines. People called or emailed in with some really great questions and the hour just flew by. Thanks to everyone who called in! You can listen to the show here . We answered a wide range of questions about topics such as marking dogs, barking dogs, and how to help nervous dogs. I also talked a bit about my book and website. This show was hosted by Heather Barrett. I hope you enjoy the show!

I'm speaking at the Dog Behavior Conference 2025. Will I see you there? By Zazie Todd, PhD For the twelfth consecutive year, the Victoria Stilwell Academy’s online Dog Behavior Conference will offer dog trainers, guardians, pet professionals and other behavior enthusiasts a chance to connect virtually and share knowledge, insights and inspiration with dog lovers around the world. And I'm thrilled to share that I will be one of the speakers. Here's what Positively.com has to say about the conference: From April 4-6, 2025, a glittering lineup of influential animal behavior thought leaders will connect with a huge audience uniquely dedicated to improving the lives of pet dogs and the people who love them. The conference will feature 12 presentations, live Q&A events with speakers, and other interactive elements which allow audience members to network, interact, and inspire one another. “The Dog Behavior Conference is hands-down my favorite event of the year,” said VSA fou...

I had the pleasure of chatting to Steve and Corrin Goodall on the Barks from the Bookshelf podcast, and they review my new book Bark! The Science of Helping Your Anxious, Fearful, or Reactive Dog . By Zazie Todd PhD If you love books about dogs, then Barks from the Bookshelf is the podcast for you. It's a unique format where they first review a book and then interview the author about it. They know all about dogs and dog training so they have a great perspective and their chats are always great fun.  I was very lucky because it was my turn to have another chat with Steve and Corrin Goodall for the podcast, this time about my new book Bark! The Science of Helping Your Anxious, Fearful, or Reactive Dog . Thanks to Steve and Corrin for the lovely feedback on my book! You can listen wherever you get your podcasts or here . Here's their description of the episode: We hope this podcast finds you warm and snuggly by a fire with a dog on your lap. This week Corrin and Steve are joined ...

I spoke to Erin Scott about how to be a safe person and create a safe space for your dog in the latest episode of the Believe in Dog podcast. By Zazie Todd PhD I chatted to Erin Scott of Believe In Dog Podcast about how to be a safe person and create a safe space for your anxious, fearful, or reactive dog.  I was delighted to be back on this podcast and we had a really fun chat in which we busted some myths about fearful dogs and discussed tips for dog guardians who are struggling with these issues.  Listen wherever you get your podcasts or here .  We talked about: The difference between fear, anxiety and reactivity in dogs; Did the pandemic increase the prevalence of anxiety in dogs? Outdated myths about dog training that won’t go away; What should you do to help your dog if they’re having an acute fear-based reaction?  Is it ok to comfort them? How to create a safe space for your dog; Reading your dog’s fearful body language; Helpful training skills for any d...

Anna Webb and I had an amazing conversation about fearful and anxious dogs on her podcast, A Dog's Life, and I appeared on BBC Radio's Late Night Jo with Jo Good and Anna Webb. 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've spoken to Anna Webb before and I absolutely love her podcast, A Dog's Life . So I was delighted to be invited back to talk about my new book, Bark! The Science of Helping Your Anxious, Fearful, or Reactive Dog , and what we can do to keep the nervous dogs in our lives feeling safe. The episode is out now and you can listen wherever you get your podcasts, listen here , or watch on Youtube . We talked about the difference between fear an anxiety, why Pavlov is always on your shoulder, sharing personal stories about pets, the fact that even experienced professionals can sometimes need a bit of help (which should make everyone else feel a bit better!), and what y...