The Posts of the Year 2018

The posts about dogs and cats you liked best in 2018.

Top posts about dogs and cats from 2018, illustrated by happy Lab in frosty countryside
Photo: Szofia Zsemberi / Shutterstock.com


It’s been another busy year here at Companion Animal Psychology. Highlights including being featured in the Washington Post ('Your dog and cat wish they could tell you this'), being interviewed by Radio New Zealand, and speaking at the BC SPCA’s Animal Behaviour Science Symposium (where it was lovely to meet some readers of this blog).

I had the pleasure of interviewing some amazing people:


The Train for Rewards blog party was another success with fabulous posts from trainers wanting to encourage people to use reward-based training methods. Thank you to everyone who took part.

And don't forget to check out the great books we read at the Companion Animal Psychology Book Club. If you want to join (next book in February 2019), we'll be accepting new members in January and details are on that page. As well, everyone is welcome to join the Animal Books Facebook group for general chit-chat about our favourite animal books.

At the same time, this year had some challenges, not least of which was finding time to blog. I’ve had fewer posts this year simply because I’ve been so busy working on my book. I turned the manuscript in to my publisher in April and am just now finalizing edits. Look out for more news in due course.

Another challenge is simply that blogging is harder work these days. Facebook shows posts to fewer and fewer people, seo gets harder, and there are technical issues too…

I’m lucky that Companion Animal Psychology still has a large and growing readership, and I am so grateful to all of you for your support, likes, shares, comments, and the coffees on Ko-fi.

I wish you and yours a happy, healthy and peaceful 2019!

These are the posts you liked the best in 2018.



The pet people to follow in 2018

















What are the five freedoms and what do they mean to you?















Is scent enriching for shelter dogs?















How to pet cats and dogs















What is desensitization and counter-conditioning in dog training















How can I tell if my dog is afraid?















Puppy socialization practices and how they are lacking















Eight tips to help fearful dogs feel safe
















Study outlines reasons to ban electronic collars for dogs















Don't punish your dog for peeing in the house














At my Psychology Today blog Fellow Creatures, the top post of the year was well-behaved dogs may have happier owners.



All photos: Shutterstock.com except no. 9, Bad Monkey Photography.

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