Blogspot - Companion Animal Psychology

Four representations of women and dogs or cats in art from 1820 to 2004. Woman with Shamisen and Cat by Yashima Gakutei, c. 1820s. Art Institute of Chicago. I have been very busy putting the final touches to the second round of substantive edits on my book. So in lieu of a science post, I thought I would share with you these representations of women and dogs or cats in art that I found when browsing the online catalogue of the Art Institute of Chicago. It's like an online visit to an art gallery. The photo above shows Woman with Shamisen and Cat by Yashima Gakutei. The three below are not in the public domain so you will have to click the links to see them. I love  Woman with dog by German artist Katharina Fritsch. Also  Woman with a dog by Marie Laurencin. And the last one is Standing Woman with Cats by Alexander Calder. I hope you enjoy looking at them as much as I have. Happy New Year!

A new post over at my Fellow Creatures blog looks at the responsible use of pets in advertising, and some new guidelines from the British Veterinary Association on what advertisers should (and shouldn't) do. The report calls for advertisers to consider the five welfare needs in what they are depicting. My post is called, Using pets to sell: Responsible use of animals in adverts . (Photo: Daniel Frank/Stocksnap).

The posts about dogs and cats you liked best in 2018. 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: Dr. Marc Bekoff about his book Canine Confidential: Why Dogs Do What They Do ;  Dr. Marty Becker about the Fear Free movement and his co-authored book, From Fearful to Fear Free: A Positive Program to Free Your Dog from Anxiety, Fears, and Phobias ;  Prof. Hal Herzog about his book, Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat: Why It's So Hard to Think Straight About Animals ;   Lori Nanan about teaching dogs to love nail trims;  and dog trainer Jane Sigsworth about helping people w...

Season's Greetings from Companion Animal Psychology Photo: Anna Tronova/Shutterstock.com Thank you for your support throughout the year. It's great to have such a wonderful community of people who care about their pets. Happy Holidays! And wishing you and yours the very best for a happy and healthy 2019! Zazie

Animal lovers and readers of Companion Animal Psychology share their favourite book about animals that they read in 2018. Photo: Kimrawicz/Shutterstock.com Here are their choices, and what they love about the book they picked. You can find copies of all the books at my Amazon store,  https://www.amazon.com/shop/animalbookclub . Kristi Benson , CTC, Dog trainer and owner of Kristi Benson Dog Training ; on staff at Academy for Dog Trainers. Animal Weapons: The Evolution of Battle , by Doublas J. Emlen. Illustrated by David J. Tuss. Have you ever gazed in wonder at your dog’s pearly whites when they show them off in a particularly robust yawn? Or pondered what’s up with elk’s antlers, or perhaps laughed (less than charitably) at a picture of the single hilariously large claw on a fiddler crab? Antlers, club-like tails, teeth, jaws, and claws come in all shapes and sizes, and are all a form animal weaponry. Used for protection and to obtain resources like food and territory, they’re ea...

Africa Studio/Shutterstock Members of the  Companion Animal Psychology Book Club will recognize the photo above. It's a stock photo, but it's one of my favourites that I've used since I began blogging.

The mirror test, what we know about dogs, and some Christmas videos... the latest newsletter from Companion Animal Psychology. Some of my favourites from around the web this month "“There are researchers who, it seems, do not want fish to be included in this secret club,” he said. “Because then that means that the [primates] are not so special anymore.”"  A ‘self-aware’ fish raises doubts about a cognitive test by Elizabeth Preston .  “A while ago I saw a dog training guide that recommended that someone put a shock collar on their puppy and then hold down the shock button…” Yes, I’m angry about that training advice by Kristi Benson CTC .  “It may start as nothing but a temporary relief or a distraction, but it may also grow into a newfound appetite for life.” How to get your anxious dog to play by Sylvie Martin CTC at Crosspaws Dogs (don’t miss the lovely video).  "The main point is that there aren't any definite answers to many questions about dog behavior, dog ...