Advertise on podcast: The Pawsitive Post in Conversation by Companion Animal Psychology

Away to Me is Patricia McConnell PhD's first mystery novel, and it's gorgeous. Zazie and Kristi chat with Patricia to learn more about the book and why she decided to write fiction set in the dog world. We talk about: What made Patricia decide to write a mystery novelThe main character, Maddie McGowanWhether it was fun to be writing dogs as charactersHow she wrote about the dogs as real characters & without turning the interactions into negative/aversive ones. The many different dog training cases that appear as secondary characters in the bookPatricia has previously written many wonderful non-fiction books, including her memoir, The Education of Will. What’s different about writing fiction? The power and importance of friendships and how dogs are one of the ways that many people can find a community?What motivates her to write, and will we see more of Maddie after this? Away to Me will be published on Feb 24th and is available for pre-order wherever books are sold. Also mentioned: What the Dog Knows by Cat WarrenPatricia's blog post on finding grace https://www.patriciamcconnell.com/theotherendoftheleash/natl-dog-training-month-or-you-and-54/ Susanna Daniel and Madison Writers' Studio https://madisonwriters.com/ Patricia McConnell at Bark! Fest https://www.buzzsprout.com/2183505/episodes/16149739The book Patricia recommend is The Salt Stones by Helen Whybrow. Learn more about Patricia and her book, Away to Me, on her website: https://www.patriciamcconnell.com/ Send us a text to say hello! Support the show 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 Bark! The Science of Helping Your Anxious, Fearful, or Reactive Dog, 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 has a column at Psychology Today. She lives in Maple Ridge, BC, with her husband, a dog and a cat. Instagram BlueSky

How is caring for a dog different than caring for a cat, and what is the same? We talk about what dogs and cats need for a happy life with us. We talk about: Training dogs and training cats (and why you should train your cat)The importance of enrichmentTheir sense of smellGoing places with your dog, but not your catHouse trainingVet care and husbandryAnd the books we've been reading. Also mentioned in this episode: There is a training plan to teach your cat to go in their carrier at the end of Zazie's book Purr: The Science of Making Your Cat HappyZazie's blog post on 3 easy ways to start training your cat includes notes on carrier training https://www.companionanimalpsychology.com/2023/05/3-easy-ways-to-get-started-with.html The husbandry project from the Academy for Dog Trainers https://academyfordogtrainers.com/husbandry-project/ The books are: The Black AntiFascist Tradition by Jeanelle K Hope and Bill V MullenSnap: A Novel by Susin NielsonSend us a text to say hello! Support the show 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 Bark! The Science of Helping Your Anxious, Fearful, or Reactive Dog, 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 has a column at Psychology Today. She lives in Maple Ridge, BC, with her husband, a dog and a cat. Instagram BlueSky

If your dog has separation anxiety, what can you do to help them, how can you cope with not leaving your dog alone for longer than they can handle, and why is it so important? We're joined by separation anxiety expert Malena DeMartini to talk about how you can help your dog with their separation-related issues. We talk about: what separation anxiety is and whether other labels like separation-related distress are useful to dog trainers and dog guardianswhat it means to suspend absences for your doghow video helps to show the moment when the dog starts to get distressed, and what happens before thatwhy it's important to speak to a vet about medication for separation anxietyhow crates are not the answer for dogs with separation anxietyhow dog trainers can become certified to work with separation anxiety cases (CSATs) through Malena's school And Malena tells us about a book she loves Malena DeMartini is a Certified Trainer and Counselor (CTC) and a Certified Dog Behavior Consultant (CDBC). Since 2001, she has specialized exclusively in canine separation anxiety, having worked hundreds of cases and constantly innovating to find better ways to treat the condition and support guardians, other trainers, rescues, and shelters. Malena is the author of two ground-breaking books, Separation Anxiety in Dogs, Next Generation in Treatment Protocols and Practices (2020) and Treating Separation Anxiety in Dogs. is the founder of the prestigious Separation Anxiety Certification Program (SACP), which has graduated hundreds of Certified Separation Anxiety Trainers (CSATs) across the globe. She also has an online self-paced course, Mission: POSSIBLE, which is an invaluable resource. Learn more at https://malenademartini.com/ Send us a text to say hello! Support the show 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 Bark! The Science of Helping Your Anxious, Fearful, or Reactive Dog, 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 has a column at Psychology Today. She lives in Maple Ridge, BC, with her husband, a dog and a cat. Instagram BlueSky

In this special episode, Zazie and Kristi are joined by some of the most popular guests from previous episodes to chat about all things animal behaviour, including dogs, cats, ants, penguins, and crows. We talk about: with Jo Wimpenny, PhD, author of Aesop's Animals, we talk about The Ant and the Grasshopper and how we know whether or not animals can plan ahead--plus we get exciting news about her next bookZazie and Kristi chat about their highlights of the yearwith Marc Bekoff, PhD, author of The Emotional Lives of Animals (and many other books) we talk about ethology, his research with penguins, and whether animals have ritualsZazie and Kristi chat about Holiday ritualswith Erica Beckwith CTC of A Matter of Manners Dog Training, we talk about how to get cute Holiday photos of your petsand finally we share which books we've been readingThe full show notes are available on the Companion Animal Psychology website: https://www.companionanimalpsychology.com/ Previous episodes with these guests: Animal minds and our favourite fables with Jo Wimpenny , PhD https://www.buzzsprout.com/2183505/episodes/14597289Canine emotions and perceptions with Marc Bekoff PhD, Zazie Todd PhD, and Cat Warren at Bark! Fest https://www.buzzsprout.com/2183505/episodes/16276537Animal emotions with Marc Bekoff, PhD, at Bark! Fest https://www.buzzsprout.com/2183505/episodes/17148973The benefits of tricks training for dogs and cats with Erica Beckwith https://www.buzzsprout.com/2183505/episodes/12793661Also mentioned in this episode: Preorder Beauty of the Beasts by Jo Wimpenny https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/beauty-of-the-beasts-9781399417617/Ask Me Anything about Fearful and Reactive Dogs https://www.buzzsprout.com/2183505/episodes/18168422Wild Rituals by Caitlin O'ConnellJane GooSend us a text to say hello! Support the show 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 Bark! The Science of Helping Your Anxious, Fearful, or Reactive Dog, 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 has a column at Psychology Today. She lives in Maple Ridge, BC, with her husband, a dog and a cat. Instagram BlueSky

Zazie and Kristi are joined by Prof. Carri Westgarth to answer your questions about dog bites, how to avoid getting bitten by a dog, and what to do if you have been bitten by a dog. We talked about: Why dogs biteHow to use management to keep people safe from dogsHow to keep children safe from dog bitesWhat to do if a loose dog charges you How to regain trust if your own dog has bitten youThe difference between predatory behaviour and fear aggressionThe systemic factors that can make a difference to the prevalence of dog bites, and why education is only part of the answerWhy Breed Specific Legislation isn't the solution to dog bitesAnd more! Also mentioned in this episode: Dr. Sophia Yin's video with loose dogs (correction: it was in Australia) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lhm36dDFrk4The Care for Reactive Dogs website https://careforreactivedogs.com/Zazie's email list. Sign up here: https://companionanimalpsychology.kit.com/a88e8d1a2a Books by Prof. Carri Westgarth: The Happy Dog OwnerDog Bites: A Multidisciplinary Perspective (co-edited with Daniel Mills) Books by Zazie Todd PhD: Wag: The Science of Making Your Dog HappyBark! The Science of Helping Your Anxious, Fearful, or Reactive Dog Professor Carri Westgarth is Chair in Human-Animal Interaction at the University of Liverpool with a passion for understanding the relationships we have with our pets. With a background in animal behaviour and dog training she has trained in veterinary epidemiology and human public health. Her research interests focus on the implications of dog ownership for human health and wellbeing, but also how owner management of their dogs can impact dog welfare. Both quantitative and qualitative research methods are used to tackle her primary research questions of how to improve population health through the promotion of dog walking, and how to prevent dog bites. Her expertise on understanding and changing the behaviour of dog owners is sought by many organisations wishing to prevent dog bites and promote ‘responsible’ dog owner behaviour, such as her work as a consultant for Royal Mail. She is also a Full Member of the Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors and founder of Send us a text to say hello! Support the show 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 Bark! The Science of Helping Your Anxious, Fearful, or Reactive Dog, 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 has a column at Psychology Today. She lives in Maple Ridge, BC, with her husband, a dog and a cat. Instagram BlueSky

We learn what canine scent work is, why it's so good for dogs, and how to get started--and progress--in this activity with Certified Nose Work Instructor Bonnie Hartney of Ocean Park Dog Training. We talk about: How Bonnie got started in scent work and how the activity first came aboutWhy scent work is fun for dogs and for their humansWhat to expect at a beginner classWhether scent work is for all dogsThe kinds of scent that are used, how dogs progress to searching for a target odour, and the kinds of searches they doWhat Bonnie has learned about her dogs from doing scent workHow Kristi's dog Archer is likely to do at scent work if she tries itDifferences between scent work classes and professional scent workIf you'd like to try nose work, Bonnie recommends: National Association of Canine Scent Work: https://www.nacsw.net/ Find an Instructor https://education.k9nosework.com/instructor_extsearch Online Scent Training with Scent Work University: https://www.scentworku.com/collections/foundation-sniffing-program For shy and fearful dogs with Kelly Lee; https://www.dogkindtraining.com/sniff The book Bonnie chose is Finding Flora by Elinor Florence. Bonnie Hartney is the owner and head instructor/trainer of Ocean Park Dog Training in Surrey, BC, which is AnimalKind accredited. Bonnie is a force-free, reward-based dog training professional, who brings knowledge and experience working with shelter dogs and pet dogs to advance other’s understanding of pet dog behaviour. Bonnie earned her CTC (Certificate in Training and Counselling) from a distinguished, international leader, Jean Donaldson at the Academy for Dog Trainers. To further her understanding of scent detection for pet dogs, Bonnie studied with NACSW (National Association of Canine Scent Work) founders and is a certified CNWI (Certified NoseWork Instructor) with 9 years experience teaching Nose Work. For over 25 years, Bonnie has volunteered and worked with the BC SPCA, helping shelter dogs to be adopted. Currently they have Nose Work classes every day of the week Send us a text to say hello! Support the show 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 Bark! The Science of Helping Your Anxious, Fearful, or Reactive Dog, 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 has a column at Psychology Today. She lives in Maple Ridge, BC, with her husband, a dog and a cat. Instagram BlueSky

We hosted an Ask Me Anything on anxious, fearful, and reactive dogs. You asked some incredible questions, and this is the result. We talked about: How to find the starting place for working with anxious dogsHelping dogs who are afraid of elevatorsFear of strangersHelping reactive dogs in tricky environments like apartment buildings and citiesReactivity to other dogsFear of loud noisesHow the unfortunate side effects of shock collars can persist after training is overHow to persuade people not to use aversivesand more!Also mentioned in this episode: Understanding resource guarding in dogs (and what to do about it) with Lisa Skavienski https://www.buzzsprout.com/2183505/episodes/12905737  (episode 8) Thank you to everyone who sent in questions for this episode and/or who attended the live event. If you'd like to see more events like this, let us know! This event was arranged to celebrate the publication of my book Bark! The Science of Helping Your Anxious, Fearful, or Reactive Dog, which is available wherever books are sold, including Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Bark-Science-Helping-Anxious-Reactive/dp/1778403328/ and Greystone Books https://greystonebooks.com/products/bark Send us a text to say hello! Support the show 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 Bark! The Science of Helping Your Anxious, Fearful, or Reactive Dog, 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 has a column at Psychology Today. She lives in Maple Ridge, BC, with her husband, a dog and a cat. Instagram BlueSky

We talk about the real world of conservation dogs and the fictional world of FBI dogs and conservation canines with Jen J. Danna, who writes under the name Sara Driscoll. Deadly Trade is the latest FBI K-9 mystery from author Sara Driscoll. K-9 handler Meg Jennings can never walk away from her job, even amid her Hawaiian Islands honeymoon, where she and her search-and-rescue black Lab encounter a double threat from wildlife poachers and Mother Nature. We talked about: The work of conservation dogs and what they do on the Hawaiian islandsWhy Sara was inspired to write about conservation canines in Deadly TradeHow to write about dogs as characters in their own rightThe kind of training that Hawk, the FBI canine, and the conservation dogs in the book would go through in real lifeHow the dogs influence the success of the missionHow Hawk picks up on things his handler, Meg, can'tWhy Sara chose to write about endangered birdsWhat it's like writing with a co-authorAnd as always, we ask for a book recommendation!Deadly Trade is published on 28th October 2025 and is available from all good bookstores. Sara Driscoll is the pen name of Jen J. Danna, coauthor of the Abbott and Lowell Forensic Mysteries and author of the FBI K-9 Mysteries and NYPD Negotiators series. After over 30 years in infectious diseases research, Jen hung up her lab coat to concentrate on her real love—writing “exceptional” thrillers (Publishers Weekly). She is a member of the Crime Writers of Canada and lives with her husband and four rescued cats outside of Toronto, Ontario.  Learn more about Sara Driscoll on her websites, saradriscollauthor.com and https://jenjdanna.com/. Also mentioned in this episode: Away to Me by Patricia McConnell PhD will be published in February 2026 and is available for pre-order nowYou can hear Patricia McConnell talking about the book at 2024's Bark! Fest, which is available as a previous episode of this podcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/2183505/episodes/16149739Learn about the work of historical scent detection dogs in an episode with Kim Cooper and Cat Warren https://www.buzzsprout.com/2183505/episodes/17384889 The Hawaiian crow is the ‘Alalā. Learn about the ‘Alalā project https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/alalaproject/ Send us a text to say hello! Support the show 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 Bark! The Science of Helping Your Anxious, Fearful, or Reactive Dog, 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 has a column at Psychology Today. She lives in Maple Ridge, BC, with her husband, a dog and a cat. Instagram BlueSky

Demand barking is a type of barking that dogs do to get something they want, like a treat, toy, or attention. It happens because we've previously (accidentally) rewarded them for it. So what should you do if your dog is demand barking? In this episode, we talk about: How dogs bark for different reasons, including watchdog barking and barking due to fearWhat demand barking isWhy the phrase "demand barking" is actually a bit of a misnomerWe give examples of demand barking, including when Zazie's dog Pepper does thisWe share ideas and tips for what to do about itKristi talks about why she set up a course on this and what's includedAnd finally we talk about the books we're reading. The books we recommend in this episode are: Spoiler Alert: You're Gonna Die by Korttany Finn and Jacquie PurcellJunie: A Novel by Chelene Knight Also mentioned in this episode: The episode on harmonious multidog households and resource guarding in dogs https://www.buzzsprout.com/2183505/episodes/17835523 The episode on how to help your reactive or fearful dog https://www.buzzsprout.com/2183505/episodes/17695165The Hogan's Alley Society https://www.hogansalleysociety.org/ Learn more about Kristi Benson and her courses: https://www.kristibenson.com/ Learn more about Zazie Todd: https://www.companionanimalpsychology.com/p/home.html Get Zazie's books from all good bookstores or here: https://www.companionanimalpsychology.com/p/books.html Send us a text to say hello! Support the show 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 Bark! The Science of Helping Your Anxious, Fearful, or Reactive Dog, 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 has a column at Psychology Today. She lives in Maple Ridge, BC, with her husband, a dog and a cat. Instagram BlueSky

Dog sports are fun activities for you and your dog, but with so many to choose from, it can feel daunting to get started. We demystify dog sports with trainer Ayoka Bubar, a Rally Obedience judge who has taught (and tried) many different sports. She shares the details and tells us how to match sports to dogs. We talked about: Why Ayoka loves dog sportsWhy dog sports are good for dogsWe get examples: rally o, tricks training, barn hunt, and cartingWhich kinds of dogs and people these sports are best forThe best place to start if someone is interested in trying a dog sportThe role of a dog's breed in choosing a dog sportWhich dog sports are suitable for reactive and fearful dogsWhat Ayoka has learned from doing so many different dog sportsThe kind of community that is found amongst dog sports peopleAnd as always, we get a book recommendation Ayoka Bubar is an approved judge for the Canadian Association of Rally Obedience and she never passes up an opportunity to try a new sport with her Rottweilers. She has trained or trialed in Flyball, Agility, Tracking, Trick Titling, Herding, Rally Obedience, Mondioring, IGP, and Scentwork, so she is the perfect person to tell us about dog sports. As well, Ayoka believes that dog training should be fun for dogs and their humans, which we love to hear. And she likes to use positive reinforcement techniques to help handlers communicate more effectively with their dogs. Learn more and get details of classes at https://ayokabubar.com/ Ayoka on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ayoka.bubar Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theogrottendog/ Also mentioned in this episode: Bark! The Science of Making Your Dog Happy by Zazie Todd. Available wherever books are sold. Tricks classes by Erica Beckwith of A Matter of Manners Dog Training https://www.amatterofmannersdogtraining.com/ Send us a text to say hello! Support the show 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 Bark! The Science of Helping Your Anxious, Fearful, or Reactive Dog, 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 has a column at Psychology Today. She lives in Maple Ridge, BC, with her husband, a dog and a cat. Instagram BlueSky

The benefits of having more than one dog and what you should do to ensure everyone gets along. We talk about: How having another dog in the home can be beneficial for a dogHow it can cause issuesDisagreements between dogs are normal, just like people disagreeWhat kind of disagreement is okayThe mistake many people make which makes things worseHow to make sure resources aren't a source of stressHow to deal with dog fights and break them upManagement can be life-saving for multi-dog homesOn the fly training for polite interactionsAnd as always, we recommend some booksThe books recommended in this episode are: How to P*** Off Men: 109 Things to Say to Shatter the Male Ego by Kyle Prue Birds of Coastal British Columbia by Nancy Baron and John Acorn This episode topic was suggested by a listener. If you have ideas for things you'd like us to talk about, let us know! Send us a text to say hello! Support the show 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 Bark! The Science of Helping Your Anxious, Fearful, or Reactive Dog, 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 has a column at Psychology Today. She lives in Maple Ridge, BC, with her husband, a dog and a cat. Instagram BlueSky

Content warning: Suicidal ideation comes up in this conversation. Help is available. In Canada or the US, call or text 988 for the suicide crisis helpline. In the UK, the Samaritans are on 116 123.  When a cute puppy turns into a terrible teen, many people struggle. Tina Spring of Sit Happens joins us to talk about adolescent canines and how she helps people with their teenage dog in a place where many pups miss out on puppy class. Tina is also the smart, funny, and kind host of Your Family Dog podcast. We talked about: the importance of puppy class and how to socialize your puppywhy Tina offers an adolescent puppy classthe issues that people have as their puppy becomes a teenthe importance of food treats and seeing things through your puppy's eyeswhat Tina says when people are struggling with their adolescent dogsimilarities between parenting teenage puppies and teenage humansburnout and trauma in dog trainingYour Family Dog podcast and how Tina got involvedZazie Todd and Marc Bekoff on Your Family Dog  Zazie on YFD to talk about anxious dogs  and happy dogs  The Beast Keepers by Julie Fudge Smith  Colleen Pelar https://colleenpelar.com/ Talking to Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell. The full show notes and transcript are available here: https://www.companionanimalpsychology.com/2025/09/teenage-dogs-and-what-to-do-about-them.html Tina Spring started training dogs as a child in 1979 in 4H. Her love of dogs and of teaching led her to a career working with dogs and families. She published her first book, 90 Days to the Perfect Puppy, in 2005 and it’s now part of her online puppy rearing program that bears the same name. She is the owner of Sit Happens Dog Training & Behavior, LLC in Athens, Georgia, where she does in person and online consults and specializes in fear and aggression and the special relationships between kids & dogs. She’s also the co-host of the Your Family Dog podcast, which is a really fun and excellent podcast. Send us a text to say hello! Support the show 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 Bark! The Science of Helping Your Anxious, Fearful, or Reactive Dog, 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 has a column at Psychology Today. She lives in Maple Ridge, BC, with her husband, a dog and a cat. Instagram BlueSky

If a dog is reactive, fearful, or anxious, often the dog is struggling--and so is their person. We share tips to help you to help your fearful dog, from the first chapter of Zazie's book Bark! The Science of Helping Your Anxious, Fearful, or Reactive Dog. Bark! is out now in paperback and available wherever books are sold. Get Bark!: https://www.companionanimalpsychology.com/p/books.html  We talked about: How important it is to recognize the signs of stress in dogsYour priority is to help your dog feel safePick a food your dog really loves that you can use to teach them to like the thing they are scared ofThe kinds of food that are bestHow to be prepared and make sure you have those tasty treats to handHow to bridge and fridgeThe importance of finding activities that both you and your dog loveKristi and Zazie each share a story of a time something unexpected happened and they had treats to handAnd finally we talked about the books we're reading.The books we mention in this episode: The Beaverton podcast (okay, it's a podcast!)The Home Cookbook, 125th anniversary editionOtter by Jackie MorrisAlso mentioned is a study on how people spot signs of stress in dogs interacting with children. You can read about it here: https://www.companionanimalpsychology.com/2017/05/people-mistakenly-think-anxious-dogs.html Send us a text to say hello! Support the show 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 Bark! The Science of Helping Your Anxious, Fearful, or Reactive Dog, 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 has a column at Psychology Today. She lives in Maple Ridge, BC, with her husband, a dog and a cat. Instagram BlueSky

What's a veterinarian's view on dog training methods? And if your pet is terrified of going to the vet, how can they help? We find out from an amazing veterinarian, Dr. Adrian Walton of Dewdney Animal Hospital in Maple Ridge, BC. We talked about: Dr. Walton’s position on dog training methods, and his experience of so-called “balanced” trainersHow he trained sealions at the Toronto Zoo with a whistle and a bucket of fishHow a large lizard ended up at his clinic and what his technician taught the Nile monitor to doHow we know that lizards can countThe difference that medication can make for pets who are scared at the vetHow pain can affect pets’ behaviourWhat it’s like working with exotic animalsThe best pet to get for your kidAnd Dr. Walton recommends the books he’s been readingThe books: Invertebrate Medicine by Gregory A LewbartBoat Camping in Haida Gwaii by Neil FrazerDr. Adrian Walton is the owner of Dewdney Animal Hospital in Maple Ridge, BC. He’s a graduate of University of Guelph and has degrees in Marine Biology from Dalhousie University and a Masters Degree from Simon Fraser University. Prior to moving to Maple Ridge he was an emergency veterinarian in Seattle. His area of interest is exotic animal medicine and spends a lot of his spare time helping abandoned and neglected reptiles and exotics find forever homes. Website: https://dewdneyvet.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Dewdneyvet/ See the videos of the lizard and its training on Youtube here https://youtu.be/LD75UntRMwI?t=789 (and again at 19.25). The lizard video is courtesy of Dr. Adrian Walton. Send us a text to say hello! Support the show 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 Bark! The Science of Helping Your Anxious, Fearful, or Reactive Dog, 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 has a column at Psychology Today. She lives in Maple Ridge, BC, with her husband, a dog and a cat. Instagram BlueSky

Writers talk about what brings them hope for the human-dog, human-cat, and human-animal bond. This is a bonus episode featuring Patricia McConnell PhD, Jean Donaldson, Marc Bekoff PhD, and all of the writers who took part in Bark! Fest, the book festival for animal lovers. Together they share their insights on what is cause for hope. Bark! Fest celebrated the launch of my book Bark! The Science of Helping Your Anxious, Fearful, or Reactive Dog, which is out now. A few years back, I heard one of my favourite authors speak at an online literary festival. Amin Maalouf is a member of the Academie Francaise and the author of novels including Samarkand and The Rock of Tanios. He said, “I think the duty of a writer is to have lucidity and hope. If you spread despair, it’s best not to speak at all.” So that's what made me think to ask this question of everyone. You can find recordings of the full panel discussions in our back catalogue. The authors and their books: Patricia B. McConnell: The Education of Will and The Other End of the Leash. Jean Donaldson: The Culture Clash. Zazie Todd PhD: Bark! The Science of Helping Your Anxious, Fearful, or Reactive Dog.   Marc Bekoff, PhD: Dogs Demystified and The Emotional Lives of Animals. Cat Warren: What the Dog Knows.   Alexis Devine: I Am Bunny.   Teresa J. Rhyne: Poppy in the Wild.  Lili Chin: Kitty Language. Mikel Delgado PhD: Play With Your Cat! . Lucy Hoile: the book your cat wishes you would read.   Pilley Bianchi: For the Love of Dog, illustrated by Calum Heath. Wendy Lyons Sunshine: Tender Paws. Carri Westgarth PhD: The Happy Dog Owner.   Antony Johnston: The Dog Sitter Detective Takes the Lead. Louisa Scarr: Gallows Wood.   Philipp Schott DVM: Eleven Huskies: A Dr. Bannerman Vet Mystery.   Sarah Chauncey: P.S. I Love You More Than Tuna, illustrated by Francis Tremblay.   Sassafras Patterdale (Lowrey): Claw This Journal. Rachel Wells: Alfie the Christmas Cat.   E.B. Bartels: Good Grief. Rev. Sarah A. Bowen: Sacred Sendoffs. Karen Fine DVM: The Other Family Doctor.   Kristi Benson. Finding hope in dog training and animal behaviour (Psych Today) https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/fellow-creatures/202103/finding-hope-in-dog-training-and-animal-behavior Send us a text to say hello! Support the show 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 Bark! The Science of Helping Your Anxious, Fearful, or Reactive Dog, 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 has a column at Psychology Today. She lives in Maple Ridge, BC, with her husband, a dog and a cat. Instagram BlueSky