Companion Animal Psychology

"This inspirational memoir is, above all, a book about redemption.”—Cat Warren 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 month, the Animal Book Club is reading The Education of Will: Healing a Dog, Facing My Fears, Reclaiming My Life , by Patricia B. McConnell. ( This page contains affiliate links ). From the back cover: “When a troubled and aggressive young border collie named Will enters Dr. Patricia McConnell’s life, she is confronted with a problem that she has never faced in her decades working as a world-renowned animal behaviourist. Her special connection with Will triggers memories of harrowing traumas in Patricia’s own life and unearths a secret she had long repressed. In order to save Will from his dangerous behaviour, Patricia must summon the courage to address her own buried emotional pain. On her journey to healing, with Will as her trusted companion, she transf

Photo: Maria Oswalt/Unsplash By Zazie Todd, PhD There seems to be only one thing to say this week: Black Lives Matter. The deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and many others are the result of systemic racism that has deep historical roots. It cannot be allowed to continue. We need to see justice for their families and we need changes in society to prevent it from ever happening again. I’m writing this from Canada, but racism exists in Canada too. If you want to donate, you can help the family of Regis Korchinski Paquet in Toronto.  The official fundraiser for George Floyd’s family is here . You can also support the civil rights work being done by the NAACP in the US. And there are many Black organizations and bail funds to which you can donate if you want to support people in your local community. The Georgia Straight has compiled a list of Black organizations and fundraisers in BC . There is also a COVID-19 Protest Relief Fund to help protestors w

International Cat Care wants to improve people’s understanding of cats’ mental health Photo: siekierski photo/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. Cats’ wellbeing isn’t just about physical health; mental health is important too. A new initiative from International Cat Care aims to improve cats’ wellbeing. They have set up the iCatCare Feline Wellbeing Panel, an international group of 26 experts who can work together on feline behaviour and welfare issues. Last year, a survey of experts published in Veterinary Record found that the biggest welfare concern for pet cats is behaviour issues because of a poor home environment . Cats have species-specific needs, such as what cats  need in their environment . When cats’ needs are not met, it is stressful for them. This in turn can lead to behavioural issues and also affect their physical health. Helping the public to unders

Ad-hoc counter-conditioning and relaxation training work, say owners, but many other treatments don’t. Photo: Elisa Emiliani/Pixabay By Zazie Todd, PhD This page contains affiliate links which means I may earn a commission on qualifying purchases at no cost to you. Many dogs are afraid of the bangs and whistles from fireworks, up to half according to one study . A new, large survey by Dr. Stefanie Riemer (University of Bern) shows that treatments involving food and play are effective – but many other popular treatments are not rated as successful, according to people using them. The standard recommended treatment for fireworks fears is desensitization and counter-conditioning (DSCC) using recordings of fireworks noises. The sounds are initially played very quietly at a level the dog is happy with, and over time the volume is gradually increased (the desensitization part). In addition, while the sounds are playing, the dog is offered very nice treats (the counter-conditioni

More gorgeous dogs pose with their copy of Wag: The Science of Making Your Dog Happy. Logan (right) and Maya. Photo: Jasmine Molloy By Zazie Todd PhD This page contains affiliate links which means I may earn a commission on qualifying purchases at no cost to you. On Wednesday, I shared some beautiful photos of dogs posing with their copies of Wag . The photos were taken by members of the Wag Team, and they are one of the lovely things about my book launch. So here is a second set of gorgeous photos. If you don’t yet have your copy of Wag, you can  find your local Canadian indie here , order via your local US indie on  Indiebound , support independent stores by buying on  Bookshop  (US only), or order via  my Amazon store  (affiliate link). The top photo shows Jasmine Molloy's dogs, Logan and Maya. India. Photo: Dawn Birt. “We got mail.” Akela. Photo: Kjersti Bjontegaard. “Puppy with Wag.” Bjorn. Photo: Eva McClain. Mausi (left) and Djimba. Photo: Ev

Gorgeous dogs pose with their copy of Wag: The Science of Making Your Dog Happy. Sidney. Photo: Susanne Shearling By Zazie Todd PhD This page contains affiliate links which means I may earn a commission on qualifying purchases at no cost to you. Back in early February when the world was normal, COVID-19 didn’t even have a name yet, and I was building up to an exciting book launch, I invited readers of Companion Animal Psychology to join my launch team . Expecting around 20 or 30 people to join, I was amazed that 100 people completed my application form and signed up. One of the things they agreed to do was post a photo of their dog on social media with a copy of the book. For me, seeing these photos was one of the best things about my book launch, and so here I share a selection of those photos. None of us knew that we would be launching Wag into a pandemic in which in-person events and media would have to be cancelled, bookstores would have to close, and Amazon would tempora

Today I have a guest post on husbandry over at the Academy for Dog Trainers blog. By Zazie Todd, PhD People often delay taking their dog to the vet because they know the dog will find it stressful. My post takes a look at husbandry training and how it can help prepare dogs to go the vet for both routine and more specialist visits. The post blends a personal story with what science tells us. You can read it here: The difference husbandry training makes to veterinary visits . Photo: visivastudio/Shutterstock. This page contains affiliate links which means I may earn a commission on qualifying purchases at no cost to you. Zazie Todd, PhD, is the award-winning author of Wag: The Science of Making Your Dog Happy and Purr: The Science of Making Your Cat Happy . She is the creator of the popular blog, Companion Animal Psychology, writes The Pawsitive Post premium newsletter, and also has a column at Psychology Today . Todd lives in Maple Ridge, BC, with her husband, one dog,