Dog and cat behaviour: Enrichment, barking, stress, and cooperative care (Ask Me Anything)
Zazie and Kristi answer wide-ranging questions about both dogs and cats that were sent in by listeners and viewers.
We talked about brain games and the attention span in senior dogs; suggestions for new things to teach dogs; why dogs bark at e.g. people in hats or people going by the house; cooperative care for kittens; creating a local resource list for anxious and fearful dogs; enrichment and caring for fearful cats; the best tone of voice to use when speaking to your dog; whether dogs can detect our levels of stress; how to advocate for your dog; whether to teach a chin rest to cats for cooperative care; teaching cats to be wrapped in a towel for vet care; is watching TV good for pets,; how to teach cats to cooperate with having their claws trimmed; and we shared some tips on desensitization and counterconditioning for anxious and fearful dogs and cats.
This episode was recorded with a live audience.
Links and resources:
Bark! The Science of Helping Your Anxious, Fearful, or Reactive Dog by Zazie Todd is out now and getting rave reviews. It’s available from all good bookstores. https://greystonebooks.com/products/bark
Kristi Benson’s course on barking https://www.kristibenson.com/peace-an...
and on grooming: https://www.kristibenson.com/freshand...
The Husbandry project from the Academy for Dog Trainers https://www.academyfordogtrainers.com...
Train Your Dog Like a Pro by Jean Donaldson is also available from all good bookstores.
Fear Free directory https://fearfreepets.com/
Debbie Jacobs Fearful Dogs https://fearfuldogs.com/
BC SPCA desensitization and counterconditioning for cats. You can find the infographic on Bailey Eagan’s website https://www.baileyheagan.com/resources
CAP blog post on desensitization and counterconditioning https://www.companionanimalpsychology...
This episode was recorded in early 2024. Very sadly, Zazie’s cat Harley, who is mentioned in this episode, passed in February of this year. And more happily, Zazie’s book Bark! The Science of Helping Your Anxious, Fearful, or Reactive Dog, which is also mentioned in this episode, is out now and getting rave reviews.
This is episode 21 of The Pawsitive Post in Conversation.
About the hosts:
Kristi Benson is an honours graduate of the prestigious Academy for Dog Trainers, where she earned her Certificate in Training and Counseling (CTC). She also has gained her PCBC-A credential from the Pet Professional Accreditation Board. She has recently moved to beautiful northern British Columbia, where she will continue to help dog guardians through online teaching and consultations. Kristi is on staff at the Academy for Dog Trainers, helping to shape the next generation of canine professionals. Kristi’s dogs are rescue sled dogs, mostly retired and thoroughly enjoying a good snooze in front of the woodstove. https://www.kristibenson.com/
Zazie Todd, PhD, is an award-winning author and animal behaviour expert. Her new book, Bark! The Science of Helping Your Anxious, Fearful, or Reactive Dog was just published. She also wrote Wag: The Science of Making Your Dog Happy and Purr: The Science of Making Your Cat Happy. Todd is the creator of the popular blog, Companion Animal Psychology, and also has a column at Psychology Today. https://www.companionanimalpsychology...