I've got a new post on my Fellow Creatures blog at Psychology Today.Photo: Meruyert Gonollu/ShutterstockBy Zazie Todd, PhDWe tend to have a rosy perspective on pets and think of the many benefits they can bring to our lives. But for many people, sooner or later there comes a point where the pet is sick or has a behavior issue. As well as being hard for the pet, this is difficult for the pet guardian too.So…

Continue reading

After the ban, fewer cats were surrendered to shelters, and those that were found a new home faster.Photo: Joey Thebeau/ShutterstockBy Zazie Todd, PhDDeclawing cats was banned in BC in 2018. New research by Dr. Alexandre Ellis (Shelter Outreach Consultation Services) in conjunction with the BC SPCA and UBC looks at shelter statistics for three years before and after the ban. The research is published in the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery and shows that…

Continue reading

"An incredible journey of joy, discovery, and innovation."--Shari Robertson PhD.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's choice for the Animal Book Club is the New York Times bestseller, How Stella Learned to Talk: The Groundbreaking Story of the World's First Talking Dog by Christina Hunger.From the back cover,"When speech-language pathologist Christina Hunger first came home with her puppy,…

Continue reading

"An incredible journey of joy, discovery, and innovation."--Shari Robertson PhD.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's choice for the Animal Book Club is the New York Times bestseller, How Stella Learned to Talk: The Groundbreaking Story of the World's First Talking Dog by Christina Hunger.From the back cover,"When speech-language pathologist Christina Hunger first came home with her puppy,…

Continue reading

When times are hard, we can still find joy with our pets. Carpe sphera? Photo: Violacelous/ShutterstockBy Zazie Todd, PhDThis page contains affiliate links which means I may earn a commission on qualifying purchases at no cost to you.Sometimes when you turn on the news it just feels like everything is… too much. Like right now when I was browsing the news on Twitter, there was so much bad news from here and everywhere. With the pandemic ploughing…

Continue reading

We know that reward-based methods are the best way to train dogs. Lately in the news I’ve read various stories about ways to encourage more people to get vaccinated in order to make a difference to the pandemic, and I’ve been seeing parallels with dog training.Photo: Samson Katt/PexelsSo I wrote about it on my Psych Today blog, Fellow Creatures, and you can read it here: Helping people switch to reward-based dog training methods.And if you're…

Continue reading

Here’s what you’ve been missing (and why now is a great time to sign up).By Zazie Todd, PhDThree months ago, I launched my premium newsletter, The Pawsitive Post. Here are some of the stories I’ve covered in the newsletter in that time:How being a good dog trainer is all about being a good feederHow to train your cat to use an asthma inhalerThe signs of heat stroke in dogs—and how exercise is a little known but…

Continue reading

Here’s what you’ve been missing (and why now is a great time to sign up).By Zazie Todd, PhDThree months ago, I launched my premium newsletter, The Pawsitive Post. Here are some of the stories I’ve covered in the newsletter in that time:How being a good dog trainer is all about being a good feederHow to train your cat to use an asthma inhalerThe signs of heat stroke in dogs—and how exercise is a little known but…

Continue reading

Dog obedience training and behaviour modification should use reward-based methods, according to a new position statement from the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior.Photo: xkunclova/ShutterstockBy Zazie Todd, PhDThis page contains affiliate links which means I may earn a commission on qualifying purchases at no cost to you.Dog training is not regulated, and against a backdrop of misinformation and out-dated ideas, it can be hard for dog guardians to know where to seek help. As the…

Continue reading

"I love Wesley the Owl! Not since Konrad Lorenz have I read such an honest, vivid, and revealing account of the rich and complex life of an individual bird."--Sy Montgomery.By Zazie Todd, PhDThis page contains affiliate links which means I may earn a commission on qualifying purchases at no cost to you.This month's choice for the Animal Book Club is Wesley the Owl: The Remarkable Love Story of an Owl and His Girl by Stacey…

Continue reading