The Pawsitive Post in Conversation by Companion Animal Psychology
The show about how to have a better relationship with your dog or cat. Get tips on dog training, dog behaviour, cat behaviour and training, learn about the science on dogs and cats, and find out which books we're reading (animal-related and more generally). Kind, humane, reward-based training methods only. Hosted by Zazie Todd PhD and Kristi Benson CTC of Companion Animal Psychology blog. Made in Canada.
The Pawsitive Post in Conversation by Companion Animal Psychology
Enrichment, barking, whether dogs detect our stress, and questions about fearful dogs and cats
In this episode, Zazie and Kristi answer wide-ranging questions about both dogs and cats that were sent in by listeners.
We talked about brain games and the attention span in senior dogs; suggestions for new things to teach dogs; why dogs bark at e.g. people in hats or people going by the house; cooperative care for kittens; creating a local resource list for anxious and fearful dogs; enrichment and caring for fearful cats; the best tone of voice to use when speaking to your dog; whether dogs can detect our levels of stress; how to advocate for your dog; whether to teach a chin rest to cats for cooperative care; teaching cats to be wrapped in a towel for vet care; is watching TV good for pets,; how to teach cats to cooperate with having their claws trimmed; and we shared some tips on desensitization and counterconditioning for anxious and fearful dogs and cats.
This episode was recorded with a live audience.
Links and resources:
Bark! The Science of Helping Your Anxious, Fearful, or Reactive Dog by Zazie Todd is out now and getting rave reviews. It’s available from all good bookstores. https://greystonebooks.com/products/bark
Kristi Benson’s course on barking https://www.kristibenson.com/peace-and-quiet-barking-dogs
and on grooming: https://www.kristibenson.com/freshandfearless
The Husbandry project from the Academy for Dog Trainers https://www.academyfordogtrainers.com/husbandry-project/
Train Your Dog Like a Pro by Jean Donaldson is also available from all good bookstores.
Fear Free directory https://fearfreepets.com/ fearf
Debbie Jacobs Fearful Dogs https://fearfuldogs.com/
BC SPCA desensitization and counterconditioning for cats. You can find the infographic on Bailey Eagan’s website https://www.baileyheagan.com/resources
Companion Animal Psychology blog post on desensitization and counterconditioning https://www.companionanimalpsychology.com/2018/07/what-is-desensitization-and-counter.html
This episode was recorded in early 2024. Very sadly, Zazie’s cat Harley, who is mentio
About the co-hosts:
Kristi Benson is an honours graduate of, and now on staff with, the prestigious Academy for Dog Trainers and has her PCBC-A from the Pet Professional Accreditation Board. She lives in beautiful northern British Columbia, where she helps dog guardians through online classes. She is also a northern anthropologist.
Kristi Benson's website Facebook
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, and also has a column at Psychology Today. Todd lives in Maple Ridge, BC, with her husband, one dog, and one cat.
