Three tips from my book, Wag: The Science of Making Your Dog Happy.By Zazie Todd, PhDWhen I was writing my book, Wag: The Science of Making Your Dog Happy, I wanted to make it as practical as possible. So I included a set of tips at the end of every chapter (except chapter one).Three of those tips are shown in these graphics.Tip no. 73 is: If your dog has a behavior problem, don't use punishment.…

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Chronicling the history of diversity within Animal Behaviour Science and the Animal Behavior Society.By Zazie  Todd, PhDI have a new post on my Psychology Today blog, Fellow Creatures. It looks at some new historical research by Dr. Danielle N. Lee on the contributions of under-represented minorities to animal behaviour science, and the people who showed leadership in improving diversity and inclusion within the field.The post includes the amazing contributions of Charles Henry Turner, the first…

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Dogs helping with archaeological digs and understanding cats' body language in the latest news from CAP.By Zazie Todd, PhDMy Favourites This Month“Nonetheless, the archaeologists dug. And dug. They went down nearly three feet — and there they found a human toe bone more than 1,300 years old”. When cadaver dogs pick up a scent, archaeologists know where to dig by Cat Warren.“Fostering cats is one of the few unambiguously positive things I’ve done in my…

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Despite common belief, owned dogs escaping from yards – not free-roaming dogs – are the main risk for dog bites in Detroit. Photo: Carla Burke/Pixabay By Zazie Todd, PhD Dog bites can have serious consequences and so understanding the circumstances in which they occur is important. New research by Dr. Laura Reese and Dr. Joshua Vertalka (Michigan State University) and published in Animals

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Does it seem that your cat is always napping? Here’s how much sleep the average cat gets.Photo: Koldunov Alexey/ShutterstockBy Zazie Todd, PhD“Cats sleep, anywhere,” by Eleanor Farjeon was a favourite poem when I was a child. We see cats sleeping in so many places. My cat Harley’s favourite places are stretched out in the sunshine by a window, on his back on the heat vent with his paws in the air, up in his favourite…

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"This inspirational memoir is, above all, a book about redemption.”—Cat WarrenBy Zazie Todd, PhDThis 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…

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Photo: Maria Oswalt/UnsplashBy Zazie Todd, PhDThere 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…

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International Cat Care wants to improve people’s understanding of cats’ mental healthPhoto: siekierski photo/Shutterstock.By Zazie Todd, PhDCats’ 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…

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Ad-hoc counter-conditioning and relaxation training work, say owners, but many other treatments don’t.Photo: Elisa Emiliani/PixabayBy Zazie Todd, PhDMany 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…

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More gorgeous dogs pose with their copy of Wag: The Science of Making Your Dog Happy.Logan (right) and Maya. Photo: Jasmine MolloyOn 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,…

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