Companion Animal Psychology Book Club August 2021

"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…

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I’m Presenting at Geek Week 2021

The Pet Professional Guild's Geek Week 2021 is an online educational event with internationally renowned speakers--and I'm excited to be one of them!By Zazie Todd PhDI’m delighted to share with you that I’m going to be presenting at this year's Geek Week, taking place on November 13-17.Geek Week is a virtual educational event hosted by the Pet Professional Guild and its partners. It’s aimed at pet professionals – as well as anyone with a wider…

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Overcoming The Colossal Fear of Looking Like A Graceless Noob

The self-imposed stress of signing up for new dog training endeavours and how a berry U-Pick helped me to get over myself. Photo: alexei_tm/ShutterstockBy Kristi Benson CTC PCBC-A, Special CorrespondentThis page contains affiliate links which means I may earn a commission on qualifying purchases at no cost to you.Fear of Failure“I didn’t know there was going to be a test.” I picked another haskap and dropped the dark blue berry in the plastic clamshell on the ground…

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Fixing Your Pet’s Behaviour Issue Can Be a Long Road

But don’t despair. Help is out there, and every small step gets you closer to resolution and to more fun adventures with your pet.Photo: dezy/ShutterstockBy Zazie Todd, PhDThis page contains affiliate links which means I may earn a commission on qualifying purchases at no cost to you.In a recent podcast with Daniel Mills, I talked about how I came to dogs late in life. I was a cat person first. Now, of course, I love…

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The Role of Science Communication in Talking About Dog Training

Zazie Todd guests on the What Makes You Click? podcast with Daniel Mills.Daniel Mills and Zazie ToddBy Zazie Todd PhDI recently had the pleasure of being a guest on the What Makes You Click? podcast with Daniel Mills.We covered a range of topics including science communication skills and how useful they can be when talking about dog training, why I wrote my book Wag: The Science of Making Your Dog Happy, and how I didn't come…

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You are the Secret to Your Pet’s Happiness

If you want a happy pet, you should pay attention to how you interact with them.Photo: Veera/ShutterstockBy Zazie Todd PhD.I think every dog and cat guardian wants to have a happy dog or cat. But have you ever stopped to think about how the things you do affect your pet’s happiness?This page contains affiliate links which means I may earn a commission on qualifying purchases at no cost to you.Since we spend so much time…

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You are the Secret to Your Pet’s Happiness

If you want a happy pet, you should pay attention to how you interact with them.Photo: Veera/ShutterstockBy Zazie Todd PhD.I think every dog and cat guardian wants to have a happy dog or cat. But have you ever stopped to think about how the things you do affect your pet’s happiness?This page contains affiliate links which means I may earn a commission on qualifying purchases at no cost to you.Since we spend so much time…

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Fellow Creatures: Two New Posts on Behavioural Issues in Dogs and Cats

 Tips for dealing with behavioral issues, and on petting-induced aggression in cats.Photo: Simon Robben/PexelsBy Zazie Todd, PhD.I have two new posts over on my Psychology Today blog, Fellow Creatures. One looks at the most important things to do if your dog or cat has some kind of behavioral issue, from being careful to choose the right kind of support and help (especially since dog training is not regulated), to what to say to those people who…

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Fellow Creatures: Why Dogs with Behaviour Problems Deserve Compassion

Today I have a new post on my Psychology Today blog, Fellow Creatures.Photo: Kataryna Babaieva/PexelsBy Zazie Todd PhD.If you have a dog for any length of time, you learn that there are times when things don’t go to plan. If your dog has a behavior issue, sometimes you have to go the extra mile to help your pet. But because dog training is not regulated, finding out what will help is not necessarily easy.You can…

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Salience, motivation, and good fortune in dog training.

The joy of finding a hot dog under the couch.(Photo: Jane Petrova/Shutterstock)By Kristi Benson CTC PCBC-A, Special CorrespondentAs a dog trainer, I am often in the unenviable position of having to dismantle odd and oddly persevering mythologies about dogs. And dismantling mythologies isn’t actually that easy (it’s not as easy as training dogs, anyways). For some people, learning that their dog isn’t dominating or moral is somewhat hard to swallow, as it goes against the…

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