Blogspot - Companion Animal Psychology

The books about animals that had a profound effect and even caused a change of direction. Sometimes books can have a surprising effect on us.  The words mingle in our brain and make some kind of magic that percolates out into the real world. I was curious to know which books about animals have affected people, and so I put out a call asking people about the animal book that changed their life. These are their answers. Dog Sense by John Bradshaw Emily Tronetti, MS, CPDT-KA, of Heal to Howl told me, “In 2014, I was working as a veterinary receptionist and had my own pet sitting and canine massage business. One day, at a bookstore, I found the book Dog Sense: How the New Science of Dog Behavior Can Make You A Better Friend to Your Pet  by Dr. John Bradshaw. This book changed everything I thought I knew about dogs. I was amazed by the long and interconnected evolutionary history between humans and dogs. I was fascinated by how dogs perceive the world, their emotional lives and ho...

Animal cruelty investigations, cat music, dog parks, and interviews with dogs...the latest Companion Animal Psychology news. Favourites from around the web this month: If you’ve ever tried to get a wriggly puppy into a harness, this post is for you. Gearing up: How to harness your dog or puppy by Joan Grassbaugh Forry CTC. “The one symptom I cannot ignore, however, is my dog’s tiny head, resting on my leg during a portion of the day when she’s usually ignoring me.” How your dog knows when you’re sick , by Amanda Mull . "When you’re training a dog using a good plan and good treats, the dog is so keen to work it feels almost criminal." Kristi Benson CTC ponders the question, is training your dog unnatural? “I have been leading a team studying animal cruelty investigation work and workers for the last few years. It is difficult research, to put it mildly.” Preventing animal cruelty is physically and emotionally risky for front-line animal workers by Dr. Kendra Coulter . Shoul...

"To live in harmony with our cats... we first need to understand their inherited quirks." This month, the Companion Animal Psychology Book Club has chosen Cat Sense: How the New Feline Science Can Make You a Better Friend to Your Pet by John Bradshaw. From the back cover, "In Cat Sense, renowned anthrozoologist John Bradshaw takes us further into the mind of the domestic cat than ever before, using cutting-edge scientific research to dispel lingering myths and explain the true nature of our feline friends. Tracing the cat's evolution from lone predator to domesticated companion, Bradshaw shows that although cats and humans have lived together for eight thousand years, cats remain independent, predatory, and wary of contact with their own kind, qualities that often clash with our modern lifestyles. To live in harmony with our cats, Bradshaw explains, we first need to understand their inherited quirks including understanding their body language, and managing both the...

Training cats to go in their carrier and for a short car ride leads to less stressful visits to the vet, study shows. Photo:eAlisa/Shutterstock When it’s time for cats to go to the vet, many owners struggle. It can be almost impossible to get the cat in the carrier (or even locate them if they flee at the sight of it). And this stress is a bad start to a vet visit that will likely be stressful in itself. But research by Dr. Lydia Pratsch and colleagues at the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna shows there is something that can be done: Train the cat to use their carrier. In a blinded, randomized controlled trial, 11 cats were trained to use the cat carrier, while 11 cats were in a control group that was not trained. All 22 cats had a mock visit to the vet. The results showed cat carrier training reduces stress. The scientists write, “Training proved to be effective in reducing stress during the car ride and led to a shorter veterinary examination. Owners should be encouraged ...

Dog training standards, the puppy brain, and the crow that called for food… the latest Companion Animal Psychology news. Favourites from around the web this month These are my favourite articles, photos and podcasts about animals this month. As usual, I've included links to people's Twitter accounts so you can easily follow them. "A new training program from Canada's BC SPCA is a model for all to follow.” At Psychology Today ,  Dr. Marc Bekoff interviews Dr. Karen van Haaften and Dr. Sara Dubois of the BC SPCA about their new AnimalKind accreditation scheme for dog trainers in BC. In very cold temperatures, does dog urine do what boiling water does? Find out in, What happens when it’s 30 below and the dog’s gotta go? By Karin Brulliard  at The Washington Post . “The puppy brain still has a lot of developing to do after birth, and understanding that process is important to raising confident, well-adjusted dogs.” Fear, stress, and puppy brain development: what to know...

New research finds four ethical orientations towards animals, and some surprising links to cat and dog ownership and to other behaviours such as eating “welfare-friendly” meat. We all have different views about what we think are ethical ways to treat animals. New research by Dr. Thomas Bøker Lund et al. (University of Copenhagen), published today in PLOS ONE, finds four different ethical orientations that are commonly held by the general public. The results show just how complicated our ethical beliefs about animals are – and include some surprising results. Two of the different orientations will probably be familiar: Anthropocentrism – the idea that “human beings matter most”. This view may stem from religious beliefs or from beliefs that humans and animals are different, with humans being considered rational and more important than non-human animals. Animal rights – this approach values all animals and argues that as sentient beings, animals also have rights and should be treated ...

What is Companion Animal Psychology? What's my favourite post? My answers in the 2019 Pet Blogger Challenge. This year, thanks to some encouragement from Eileen Anderson of the wonderful Eileenanddogs blog , I’m taking part in the Pet Blogger Challenge organized by Amy Burkert of GoPetFriendly.com . It’s a chance to reflect on where my blog is at and where I’d like it to go from here. Please feel free to add your comments at the end. For those who may be visiting your blog for the first time, how long have you been blogging and what is your main topic?  I started blogging in 2012. At the time, I had two dogs and two cats (one of the dogs has since passed). I thought it would be fun to find out what science has to say about how to have happy dogs and cats. It turns out this is a rapidly-developing field that is very relevant to ordinary people and how they care for their pets. I have a new post every Wednesday and a newsletter every month. Once a year – in June – I host the Train f...

Where guide dogs come from, why cats aren’t antisocial, and what pet obesity says about us… Some of my favourites from around the web this month “At the risk of sounding evil, Labrador puppies aren't at their cutest as newborns. They look like wrinkly hamsters.” Guide dogs: Where do they really come from? By Rebecca Seales. And despite the quote, the photos are adorable. “When it comes to age-related illnesses, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease are some of the most notorious and least understood human afflictions. But did you know that man’s best friend can suffer from very similar ailments?” Senior dogs can suffer from dementia too by Saryn Chorney .  “What do I want, and how do I reinforce it? In other words, you’re not going to “lose weight,” you’re going to lose 5 pounds by the end of the month and reinforce it by buying more sheepdog training videos.”  Patricia McConnell takes a look at what dog training teaches us about resolutions . “Your dear dog sniffs the same fir...

The canine and feline scientists, pet professionals, bloggers, and organizations to follow on social media in 2019. Are you looking for some new pet-related accounts to follow in 2019? I’ve updated my list of some of the best people and organizations to follow on Twitter and Facebook if you’re interested in companion animals, science, and the human-animal bond. These are people or groups who produce great content of their own AND also have a varied feed that shares news, research and interesting snippets from around the web. I’ve given links to Twitter and Facebook accounts so you can follow however you choose (some are more active on one than the other). The first link is always to Twitter so this is like a giant #FF. The second link is to Facebook if they are on there too, but I admit this list is somewhat biased towards Twitter. The list is in no particular order, so read through and see who you would like to follow. And if you love dogs, cats and science, please follow me too ( Twi...