"Sapolsky has created an immensely readable, often hilarious romp through the multiple worlds of psychology, primatology, sociology and neurobiology to explain why we behave the way we do. It is hands-down one of the best books I’ve read in years. I loved it."— Dina Temple-Raston, The Washington PostBy Zazie Todd, PhDThe Animal Book Club is back, and this month we are reading Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst by Robert Sapolsky.From…

Continue reading

Details of my upcoming webinar on Wag: The Science of Making Your Dog Happy (with the chance to win a copy of the book).By Zazie Todd, PhDOn Thursday 6th Feb, from 2 - 3pm Eastern time (11am - 12 noon Pacific; 7 - 8pm UK time), I will be presenting a webinar for the Pet Professional Guild entitled Wag: The Science of Making Your Dog Happy. You can come and get the scoop on my…

Continue reading

"There probably are a lot of cats that are living with us in our homes as pets that might prefer us to treat them more as an expensive lodger than a very attractive companion."Dr. Lauren FinkaAn interview with Dr. Lauren Finka about her great new book, The Cat Personality Test: How well do you really know your cat?, which is a lot of fun and packed with useful information for cat owners.This page contains affiliate…

Continue reading

Every pet owner needs to think about these three things in advance.Photo: Mylene2401/PixabayBy Zazie Todd, PhDWe love our pets, but sometimes it’s hard to think about the potential risks they might face. Here are three things it’s a good idea to think about and plan for, just in case.1. Financial planning for vet treatmentEveryone knows that vet costs come with owning a pet. There are vaccinations, flea treatments, de-wormers, the costs of spay/neuter, and any…

Continue reading

Parrots helping their peers, wolf puppies playing fetch, and getting a best friend late in life... this month's news from Companion Animal Psychology.My favourites this monthPuzzle feeders “help meals last longer, increase physical exertion needed to obtain food, and provide a fun ‘brain-teaser’ for your cat!” International Cat Care on food puzzles for cats. â€œAfrican grey parrots help their peers complete tasks despite no immediate benefit to themselves, researchers have found, in the first study to…

Continue reading

"The dog is a highly social living being that needs to have company or else it’s going to be in psychological distress."An interview with Prof. Clive Wynne about his wonderful new book, Dog Is Love: Why and How Your Dog Loves You, about how he came to realize that what’s special about dogs is not their intelligence, but their capacity for love. Dog Is Love was the Animal Book Club’s  for October 2019 and was…

Continue reading

How to get a super reliable recall with positive reinforcement, and why you should avoid using shock collars for such an important behaviour.By Nickala SquireGetting your dog to come when called may be a breeze in the home, but how do you get them to listen when out in the real world? Maybe you’ve heard that there are risks and fallout from using shock avoidance to train dogs, or maybe you’re simply put off by…

Continue reading

Looking forward to a new decade.By Zazie Todd, PhDOn my Fellow Creatures blog, I'm looking forward to things we might wish for our pet dogs and cats in the next decade in my post The Meowing 20s.Take a look, and let me know what you are hoping for.Happy New Year!Photo: rawpixel.com/lifeofpixZazie Todd, PhD, is the author of Wag: The Science of Making Your Dog Happy. She is the founder of the popular blog Companion Animal…

Continue reading

The most popular posts about dogs and cats this year.By Zazie Todd, PhDIt’s time to look back on what happened on the blog this year. Companion Animal Psychology has been going for over 7 and a half years now, with more than 500 posts. I love the community of like-minded people that has grown around this page!This year, I was honoured to interview several authors about their wonderful books:Dr. Alexandra Horowitz about her new book,…

Continue reading

Season's Greetings from Companion Animal Psychology.Photo: Jessica Lewis/UnsplashThank you for your support throughout the year, for reading and sharing my blog posts, and all your emails and messages. And to those of you in the book club, thank you for reading all the books with me!Happy Holidays! And wishing you and yours a joyful, peaceful, and healthy 2020.ZazieZazie Todd, PhD, is the author of Wag: The Science of Making Your Dog Happy. She is the…

Continue reading