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

Leave us a voicemail! Dr. Cliff Redford, known as the “Worldwide Vet,” has been passionate about animals since childhood. He joined Zazie and Kristi to talk about his adventures and his new book, Far and Wild. We talked about: How Dr. Cliff started volunteering as a veterinarianDr. Cliff shared some of the stories from the book, including of a monkey that he helped in IndiaThe street cats of AthensOne-eyed JackHelping Ukrainians to take their pets with them when they fled at the start of Russia's war on UkraineWhat it's like working with a wide range of speciesWriting about veterinary procedures for a general audienceWhat he's learned about the human-animal relationshipThe book Dr. Cliff recommended is Cujo by Stephen King Dr. Cliff Redford, known as the “Worldwide Vet,” has been passionate about animals since childhood. After graduating from Ontario Veterinary College in 1998, he opened Wellington Veterinary Hospital in Markham, Ontario, where he still practices today. Beyond domestic pets, Dr. Cliff volunteers globally, treating wildlife and working with local animal rescues. Far and Wild: Adventures of the Worldwide Vet is just published and available wherever books are sold. The Far and Wild website: https://farandwild.ca/ Dr. Cliff on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drcliffworldwidevet/ 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

Leave us a voicemail! Kristi and Zazie chat about the need to be positive when talking about dog training and cat behaviour, and how they cope when someone is wrong on the internet. We talked about: The value of positive reinforcement, and gratitude for the positive reinforcement we get for the podcastHow to cope when someone is badly wrong on the internet and the post takes offThe idea of a DRI for ourselves: differential reinforcement of an incompatible behaviour The idea of a revenge blog and how we have both written some of themThe value of likes, comments, and shares on social media and the difference they can make to the algorithmThe need to stay informed about science and the scientific processAlso mentioned in this show: Ep65 on bothsidesism https://www.buzzsprout.com/2183505/episodes/19661849Ep61 How to evaluate the scientific research on dogs and cats https://www.buzzsprout.com/2183505/episodes/19388459Kristi's blog post on good alternatives to e-fencing: https://www.kristibenson.com/blog/2019/11/4/good-alternatives-to-e-fencing-dog-training-experts-weigh-inZazie's blog post on science communication: To promote positive reinforcement on dog training, teach, engage, and amplify https://www.companionanimalpsychology.com/2019/06/to-promote-positive-reinforcement-dog.htmlZazie's post on why it's dogs' happiness, not obedience, that counts: https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/fellow-creatures/202004/why-dogs-happiness-not-obedience-is-what-countsThe books we recommend in this episode are: Memorial Park by Louisa ScarrStarter Dog: My Path to Joy, Belonging, and Loving this World by Rona MaynardSupport 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

Leave us a voicemail! Tamsin Pickeral's new book, The Invention of the Dog: 75 Breeds that Changed the World is a fascinating, touching, and beautifully illustrated account of where our beloved dogs come from. Tamsin joined Zazie and Kristi to chat about the book. We talked about: How the book came about, and what it was like selecting the artwork to be included in the bookThen we look at 3 very different breeds, starting with the history of the Shih TzuThe history of the Bernese Mountain DogThe history of the Yorkshire TerrierHow dog breeds became so differentTamsin's favourite image from the bookWhy dogs are so successfulThe domestication of the dogThe depiction of dogs in art and how their appearance has changed over the yearsAnd finally, we asked Tamsin to recommend a book to us The Invention of the Dog: 75 Breeds that Changed the World is out now and available wherever books are sold. The book that Tamsin recommended to us is Fairy Tale by Stephen King. Tamsin Pickeral is an animal specialist and an art historian. She is an internationally published author who has written several acclaimed books on animal themes. Her new book, The Invention of the Dog, is just published and tells the true stories of some of our favourite dog breeds. Learn more about Tamsin at https://tamsinpickeral.com/ 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

Leave us a voicemail! Zazie and Kristi chat with Susannah Fullerton about her delightful book, Great Writers and the Cats Who Owned Them. We talk about: whether there is a special affiliation between writers and catshow Susannah chose the writers to include in the booksome famous cats, including Hodge, who was a very fine cat indeedDaffy, the cat who knew Anne of Green Gables before anyone elsewhy TS Eliot doesn't get a whole chapter despite inspiring the musical CatsDorothy L Sayers' cat Blitzwhat the writers' accounts of their cats tell us about how the human-feline relationship has changed over the yearswe get some of Susannah's favourite titbits from the book and ask which is her favourite catwe learn about Susannah's upcoming book, Great Writers and the Dogs Who Loved Themand finally we ask what she's been reading You can see examples of Edward Lear's drawings of his cat Foss in this post on Susannah's website: https://susannahfullerton.com.au/literary-pets-foss-the-cat/ The book Susannah recommended to us is Anne's Cradle: The Life and Works of Hanako Muraoka, Japanese Translate of Anne of Green Gables by Eri Muraoka and Cathy Hirano. Susannah Fullerton is Sydney’s most highly regarded literary historian and lecturer. She is a leading authority on 19th and 20th-century writers with a special interest in Jane Austen. She brings to life the lives and writings of great writers with fascinating talks and in literary tours around the world. In 2017 she was awarded the Order of Australia Medal for services to literature. She's the author of Great Writers and the Cats Who Owned Them, which is available wherever books are sold. Learn more and sign up for her newsletter at https://susannahfullerton.com.au/ 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

Leave us a voicemail! Zazie and Kristi chat about what we can do to better advocate for reward-based dog training methods, and some common things that people get wrong. We talk about: The podcast Kristi heard by Rachel Gilmore and why it made her want to talk about this topicWhy reward-based dog training methods are better for dogs and their peopleBothsidesism, and how portraying the use of aversive methods as normal and just another side of the argument is potentially damagingHow we can use a truth sandwich to counter myths about dog trainingWhat the Overton window is and how it relates to conversations about dog training methodsTreviño's degrees of acceptance and how positive reinforcement dog training went from radical to sensible to popularIf you want to listen to some truth sandwiches about dog training and cat behaviour, check out episode 3 https://www.buzzsprout.com/2183505/episodes/12778186 The books we recommended in this episode are: By Strength We Are Still Here by Crystal Gail FraserPugs and Kisses by Farrah RochonYou can listen to Farrah Rochon talk about Pugs and Kisses in the romance panel at Bark! Fest, the book festival for animal lovers, where she's joined by Julie Howarth (New Beginnings at the Cosy Cat Cafe) and Nicola Knight (Washed Up). Save your spot here: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/5917869995632/WN_svRTPtHARD-_BrgsmER6WA And check out all of the Bark! Fest panels at https://www.companionanimalpsychology.com/p/home.html 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

Leave us a voicemail! Marc Bekoff, PhD, joins Zazie and Kristi to talk about his new book Love in Their Hearts, his work (and upcoming book) with Jane Goodall, and what it's like studying canids. We talked about: Why Marc and his co-author Jeff Campbell wrote Love In Their HeartsThe time Marc's dog Jethro rescued a baby bunny, and stories of the grizzly bear known as 399The importance of naming animalsMarc's research on dogs, wolves, coyotes, and foxes, and how his work replaced theories of dominance leading to the dissolution of litters in the wildHow animals tell storiesMarc's work with Jane Goodall, how he first heard of her, and how she influenced his workThe educator's kit that goes with Love In Their Hearts and how it can inspire hope and activism in young readersThe book Marc recommended is Knowing Wonder: An Elephant Story by Merrill Sapp illustrated by Gareth Hooks. You can read Marc's interview with Merrill Sapp here: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/animal-emotions/202412/an-elephants-world-from-the-mind-and-heart-of-a-matriarch Love In Their Hearts: A Celebration of Animal Emotions and a Guide to Compassionate Action is by Marc Bekoff and Jeff Campbell. Every Elephant Has a Name by Jane Goodall and Marc Bekoff illustrated by Gavin Scott will be published on Feb 8, 2027. Marc Bekoff will be at Bark! Fest to talk about Love In Their Hearts on Sep 23, joining Alison Pearce Stevens (Detective Dogs). Sign up here: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/1317856369316/WN_QnjJGASbSvyWmpRL-mp1lQ Find out more about Bark! Fest and sign up for the other events at companionanimalpsychology.com Marc Bekoff is professor emeritus of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Colorado, Boulder. He has won many awards for his research and writing, including a Guggenheim Fellowship and the Exemplar Award from the Animal Behavior Society. He writes regularly for Psychology Today and has published more than thirty books, including The Emotional Lives of Animals and numerous scientific and popular essays. Visit marcbekoff.com to learn more. Find Marc's Psych Today blog here: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/animal-emotions 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

Leave us a voicemail! How can we set and maintain standards for dog training and animal behaviour? Zazie and Kristi are joined by Fiona Cooke, Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Animal Behaviour and Training Council to learn all about their important work in the UK, and what anyone can do if they want to make a difference. We talked about: What the ABTC doesWhy it's so important to follow a compassionate, non-punitive approach in training and animal behaviourThe wide range of organizations who are part of the ABTC (and how they represent people who work with dogs, cats, horses, and exotics)The benefits of being on the ABTC register for practitioners in the UK, and how the public can use it to find a good trainer or behaviouristWe get a sneak peek of what the ABTC is working on right nowThe importance of collaboration and how people can increase awareness of the ABTC and support their workWe get Fiona's tips on what people can do to make a differenceAnd finally we find out what Fiona's been reading, which turns out to include an instruction booklet for building a wardrobe! The books Fiona recommends are The Secret Hour by Mick Herron and also his Slough House series, of which the first is Slow Horses. The Animal Behaviour and Training Council sets and maintains standards of knowledge and practical skills needed to be an animal trainer, training instructor or animal behaviour therapist and maintains the national Register of appropriately assessed practitioners. ABTC members include major animal welfare charities, organisations concerned with human-animal interactions, educational institutions and membership organisations for practitioners. The Council represents the training and behaviour sector to the public and to governments. Visit the ABTC website: https://abtc.org.uk/ Sponsor the ABTC: https://abtc.org.uk/sponsors/ ABTC merch: https://shop.abtc.org.uk/ Fiona Cooke is Chair of the ABTC Board of Trustees. She is Head of Specialist Services (vet, behaviour, training and research) at Woodgreen Pets Charity. Her PhD focused on the role of local government in the implementation and enforcement of animal welfare legislation. She is a lecturer in law and runs an animal behaviour company working with complex behavioural issues of dogs and cats. Fiona is a full member of the APBC and FABC as well as an ABTC registered CAB. 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

Leave us a voicemail! Zazie and Kristi chat with scientist Dr. Catherine Reeve about her research to find out whether dogs change their behaviour when their owner is pregnant and if they can use their noses to detect when someone is stressed. We talked about: The survey that investigated whether women think their dog's behaviour changed when they were pregnantThe kinds of dogs that were most likely to show changesHow the scientists got scent samples from people who were stressedThe training to teach dogs to alert to the scentHow well the dogs did at the taskThe implications for ordinary dog guardiansThe papers we talked about are: Dog owners’ perceptions of their dog’s behaviour during pregnancy https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/08927936.2025.2502241Dogs can discriminate between human baseline and psychological stress condition odours https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0274143The books Catherine recommended are The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog by Bruce Perry and The Unworthy by Agustina Bazterrica. Also mentioned: Earlier episodes on surveys and understanding research (Ep61), and on dogs and scent work (Ep56 with Melissa McCue-McGrath; Ep 46 with Bonnie Hartney; Ep35 with Kim Cooper and Cat Warren). Dr. Catherine Reeve is a Postdoctoral Fellow at Mount Saint Vincent University. She has a PhD in Experimental Psychology from Dalhousie University. She’s interested in applied canine behaviour, canine cognition, especially olfaction, and human-animal interaction. And she’s the head trainer at Epic Tails Canine Adventures in Halifax, Nova Scotia. University website: https://www.msvu.ca/academics/bachelor-of-science-bsc/psychology/faculty-and-staff/dr-catherine-reeve/ Epic Tails Canine Adventures: https://epic-tails.ca/ 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

Leave us a voicemail! New research on dogs and cats helps us to understand them better and give them better lives. But how do we know if the research is any good, and what about our feelings about the results? Zazie and Kristi chat about how to evaluate the science. We talk about: Taking an ethical stance on dogs and cats that recognizes that they are sentient beingsHow it can be tricky to assess research if you're not trained as a scientistThe research on training methods shows risks to using aversives and that it's much better to only use reward-based training methodsWhy we look for more than one study to teach us somethingWe consider different types of research, including the value of questionnaire studies and of experimentsWhat a meta-analysis isHow it can feel emotional if you don't like the results of a particular studyPeople's willingness to take part in researchA re-evaluation of a classic study on spanking children that is relevant to the discussionAnd finally we talk about the books we're reading The books we recommend this time are: People, Places, Things by Chuck PalahniukNew Beginnings at the Cosy Cat Cafe by Julie Haworth Also mentioned is Zazie's post about a literature review on dog training methods: https://www.companionanimalpsychology.com/2017/04/new-literature-review-recommends-reward.html 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

Leave us a voicemail! Jean Donaldson has just published a new edition of her book Mine! A Practical Guide to Resource Guarding in Dogs. If you have a dog who guards food, objects, people, or locations, you need this book! Jean joins Zazie and Kristi to discuss what to do if your dog guards food, locations, or other resources. We talk about: Why it was time for a new edition of Mine! and what it was like to write itHow to decide if your dog needs a regular training plan or a more incremental one to resolve their guarding behaviourWhy it's a myth that you should be able to take your dog's food away from themHow we can add food to puppies' bowls to help prevent food guardingWhy there's not really anything wrong with the personality of a dog who guards resourcesThe other behaviour issues that sometimes accompany guarding behaviourWhat it means to be "warmed up" or "cold" in a dog training planWhy dog trainers like the spicy dogsThe Olde English Sheepdog who was a bit of a challengeGuarding behaviour in Jean's dog Buffy and Kristi's dogs Archer and SoleilWhen to hire a dog trainer to help with resource guardingThe book Jean recommended to us is The Eagle and the Hart: The Tragedy of Richard II and Henry IV by Helen Kastor. To be the first to learn about Bark! Fest, the book festival for animal lovers, sign up to the Companion Animal Psychology newsletter. Mine! A Practical Guide to Resource Guarding in Dogs by Jean Donaldson is available wherever books are sold. Jean Donaldson is one of the world's top dog trainers, founder of the Academy for Dog Trainers, and author of the seminal book Culture Clash, which was named number one training and behaviour book by The Association of Pet Dog Trainers. In 2017, Jean authored and instructed Dog Training 101 for The Great Courses, another wonderful resource for dog guardians. Her most recent book is the second edition of Mine! A Practical Guide to Resource Guarding in Dogs. Follow Jean at the Academy for Dog Trainers: Website: https://academyfordogtrainers.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AcademyforDogTrainers Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/academy4dogtrainers/?hl=en You might also like: Understanding resource guarding in dogs and how to fix it with Lisa Skavienski  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

Leave us a voicemail! Kids are routinely taught to ask a dog's owner before petting the dog. Today, radio host Steve Dale joins us to talk about how they should also find out if the dog wants to be petted or not. We learn about Steve's new children's book, Ask the Dog, which is a fun story with an important message, and we also talk about some good news in cat health. We talked about: Why Steve wrote the bookThe importance of preventing dog bites, and why children are especially at riskWhy children should learn to ask the dogHow the relationship between dogs and children has changed over the yearsWhat it was like working with an illustrator for the bookThe work of the EveryCat Health Foundation and their research on taurine in cat food, FIP, diabetes, and heart diseaseHow research on cat health has also benefited human healthAlso mentioned: The EveryCat Health Foundation is at everycat.orgTheater of the Mind created by David Byrne and Mala Gaonkar is at the Goodman Theater in Chicago through August 30 2026 https://theaterofthemindchicago.com/Steve Dale's interview with David Byrne https://stevedalepetworld.com/blog/conversation-with-david-byrne-booth-46/The book Steve recommended is Bicycle Diaries by David ByrneAsk the Dog by Steve Dale, illustrated by Shelby Koehler, is available wherever books are sold. Steve Dale is a certified animal behavior consultant, a radio host, and his show Steve Dale’s Pet World is essential listening for everyone who loves pets. He co-edited Decoding Your Dog, written by the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists, and has written and contributed to many other books. Ask the Dog is his first children's book. Steve is the host of Steve Dale's Pet World on WGN radio and also hosts a Sunday afternoon talk show at WGN radio.  Learn more about Steve and sign up for his newsletter at stevedale.tv. 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

Leave us a voicemail! Zazie and Kristi ask each other rapid fire questions about dogs and cats, breeds and behaviour. But in this game of this or that, we also discuss the answers, illuminating ideas about training and enrichment. By the end of the show, you'll know Zazie and Kristi a lot better, but you'll also have learned something about dogs and cats. As you listen, be sure to shout out your answers too! Or you can leave us a voicemail and let us know. Do you have any this-or-that questions that you would like us to answer? Send them in! At the end of the episode, we discuss the books we've been reading: Detective Aunty by Uzma JalaluddinCrier's War by Nina VarelaSupport 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

Leave us a voicemail! Zazie and Kristi chat with Dr. Jo Wimpenny, author of Beauty of the Beasts, to learn more about wasps, mosquitoes, vultures, sharks, and other unloved animals. We talk about:- why Jo wanted to write about the beastieshow everything is connectedthe value of wasps and mosquitoes to the ecosystemhow sharks are not necessarily out to get people (even if sometimes they are)whether some animals are over-ratedwhich animal Jo most loved writing aboutand finally Jo told us which book she's been reading. Beauty of the Beasts: Rethinking Nature's Least Loved Animals is available wherever books are sold. The book Jo recommended to us is The Animals in That Country by Laura Jean McKay. Previous episodes with Jo: The Holiday Special 2025 (Ep48)Animal minds and our favourite fables (Ep15) Also mentioned: Kristi's blog post on making a living in the world. Jo Wimpenny is a zoologist and writer, with a research background in animal behaviour and the history of science. She studied Zoology at the University of Bristol, and went on to research problem-solving in crows for her DPhil at Oxford University. She’s the author of Aesop’s Animals, which we’ve talked about with her before, and her new book which is just out now is Beauty of the Beasts: Rethinking Nature’s Least Loved Animals. Jo's website: https://jowimpenny.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jowimpenny/ 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

Leave us a voicemail! Can pet dogs use their nose to find the eggs of an invasive species, the spotted lanternfly--and what was it like taking part in citizen science to find out? Zazie and Kristi are joined by dog trainer and author Melissa McCue-McGrath to learn all about this fun project. We also learn about Melissa's book, Misadventures of the World's Okayest Dog Trainer. We talk about: the nose work classes that Melissa teacheswhy the spotted lanternfly is such a problemwhy Melissa wanted to take part in citizen sciencethe real life issues that affected the projectthe training that they did with the dogsthe field trials at the end of the projectthe real world applications and why it was fun to be part of itwhat Melissa would say to someone considering signing up for a citizen science project with their dogwhy Melissa wrote her new book and what it's aboutMisadventures of the World's Okayest Dog Trainer is available wherever books are sold.  Also mentioned: BewilderBeasts podcastMelissa's interview on DogCast radioThe Accidental Veterinarian by Philipp SchottTell Me Where it Hurts by Nick TroutBark! Fest with Philipp SchottVictoria Stilwell AcademyThe books that Melissa recommended are Away To Me by Patricia McConnell and The Discworld Series by Terry Pratchett. Melissa McCue-McGrath is a professional dog trainer and behaviour consultant. She is a faculty advisor for the Victoria Stilwell Academy and she is the first non-UK person to be accredited with PACT. She’s the author of Considerations for the City Dog, and her new book, Misadventures of the World’s Okayest Dog Trainer, is just out now. If you liked this, you might also like: Why you and your dog will love nose work with Bonnie Hartney (Ep46)Human remains detection dogs and historic searches with Kim Cooper and Cat Warren (Ep35)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

Leave us a voicemail! Content warning: The books section at the end of the episode includes subject matter that may be distressing. Having both a senior dog and a young dog in the same home can be wonderful, revitalizing the older dog and providing company for the younger dog. But it can also have its challenges. Zazie and Kristi talk about how to make sure everyone is happy and stays safe. We talk about: How training can help when you have both an old dog and a young dog or puppyWhat to consider when deciding whether to bring a young dog into your home when you have a senior dogWhether bringing a young dog into the home can be beneficial for an old dogWhat kinds of issues people can have in this situationWhen to seek help from a dog trainer for your dog-dog issuesManagement options that can make a difference and help to prevent issues from arisingWe also discuss Zazie's book Bark!s win in the DWAA awards and Zazie shows Kristi her medalAnd finally we chat about the books we've been reading The webinar that Kristi is presenting for the Pet Professional Guild is called Mixing Young Dogs and Senior Dogs: Management, Safety, and Training on April 8 2026. https://www.petprofessionalguild.com/webinars-events/webinars/mixing-young-and-senior-dogs-management-safety-and-training-with-kristi-benson/ Bark! The Science of Helping Your Anxious, Fearful, or Reactive Dog is available wherever books are sold. https://www.companionanimalpsychology.com/p/books.html The Dog Writers Association of America competition details: https://dogwriters.org/winners/ The books we recommend in this episode are: Consent: A Memoir by Vanessa Springora trans Natasha LehrerPeople of Means: A Novel by Nancy JohnsonSupport 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