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 t...

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 ...

As we take a summer break, we're replaying this fun and fantastic interview with Erica Beckwith of A Matter of Manners dog training about the benefits of tricks training for dogs and cats. We talked about: the benefits of tricks traininghow tricks training can help you love your pet even morehow Erica got into training tricksErica's favourite tricks to teach others in classestips on how to take a selfie with your doghow to find the right reinforcement for your cat, and the right way to delive...

Dogs have incredible noses, and can trained to search for the scent of human remains, bringing closure or answers to those who are grieving and the opportunity to memorialize. As well as recent remains, they can also search for historic remains. We're joined by two experts in the field, Kim Cooper of Ottawa Valley Search and Rescue, and Cat Warren, author of What the Dog Knows, to learn more about these dogs and the work that they do. We talk about: How Kim and Cat got started in working with...

Zazie Todd is at the forefront of the move towards positive animal welfare and kind, humane dog training methods. Her third book, Bark! The Science of Helping Your Anxious, Fearful, or Reactive Dog is a compassionate and practical guide to overcoming your dog’s fears. In this panel from Bark! Fest, you’ll learn how to help your dog feel safe, how your presence can help your dog, and get a new understanding of the training techniques that can make a difference, as she shares tips from Bark!.&n...

Living with pets sadly means losing them too. There wasn't a dry eye in the house (in a good way) at this event. Loving pets means thinking of them both in life and after their loss. In the poignant and personal Good Grief: On Loving Pets, Here and Hereafter, E.B. Bartels takes us on a global tour of how we love and mourn our pets. Sarah Bowen shares her deep insights on the lives and loss of all animals—pets and wildlife—in Sacred Sendoffs: An Animal Chaplain’s Advice for Surviving Animal Lo...

Send us a text When The Emotional Lives of Animals was first published in 2007, it was a gamechanger for its exploration of animal emotions and cognition. Now, a second edition has been published to bring us up to date on all the new science of animal emotions. Marc Bekoff joins us in this webinar to talk about animals’ experiences of joy, empathy, grief, anger, and embarrassment. You’ll never see animals the same way again. We talked about: What Marc Bekoff was hoping to do when he wrote t...

Send us a text Reflect on what cats mean to us and the many ways they influence our lives with these 3 feline authors. Sarah Chauncey’s heartfelt P.S. I Love You More Than Tuna is a touching celebration of our bond with our cats, illustrated by Francis Tremblay. Claw This Journal: An Activity Book for Cats and Their Humans by Sassafras Patterdale (Lowrey) is packed with crafts, training, and activities and a deep understanding of cats’ emotional wellbeing. In the latest in the Sunday Ti...

Send us a text Zazie chats with Kerry Nichols, bestselling author of Puppy Brain: How Our Dogs Learn, Think, and Love. We talk about: How Kerry got into breeding dogsWhy we both love Golden RetrieversHow the book, Puppy Brain, came aboutWhat puppies are like when they are bornExamples of the socialization that Kerry does with puppiesHer favourite part of the first 8 weeks of a puppy's lifeAdvice on finding a responsible breeder (for any breed)And Kerry reads from Puppy Brain for us! Puppy Br...

Send us a text If you love crime and mystery novels, you’re in for a treat as dogs help solve crimes in these remarkable books. When a singer dies in mysterious circumstances, dog sitter Gwinny Tuffel and the singer’s Border Collie investigate in Antony Johnston’s cosy and witty The Dog Sitter Detective Takes the Lead. In Louisa Scarr’s dark and compelling Gallows Wood, PC Lucy Halliday and her dog Moss search for the body after a severed hand is found in the woods. And when veterinarian (and...

Send us a text Zazie and Kristi talk to dog trainer Si Wooler about his new book, More Than Just a Dog. We talk about the big changes that people are willing to make for their fearful dogs, and why the dog's relationship with their person is important for all dogs, but especially the fearful ones. We talk about what a great job Si does of helping people see things from the dog's perspective, and we ask how he talks with clients about the dog's umwelt, or how the dog perceives their world. We ...

Send us a text Develop a better bond with your dog with these 3 canine authors. For the Love of Dog is Pilley Bianchi’s love letter to our canine friends, sharing wisdom from her father John W. Pilley’s work with Chaser the Border Collie and illustrated by NYTimes illustrator Calum Heath. In Tender Paws, Wendy Lyons Sunshine examines what dog guardians can learn from the science of human parenting. And Carri Westgarth draws on her research into human-animal interaction to help you improve you...

Send us a textLearn about the best ways to care for cats with these 3 feline authors. The delightful and informative drawings in Kitty Language by Lili Chin teach you how to understand your feline friend. Mikel Delgado’s Play With Your Cat! will inspire you to have more fun through interactive play with your kitty. And in the book your cat wishes you would read, Lucy Hoile empowers cat guardians to build a better relationship with their cat.We talked about:How Lili researched her book, Kitty ...

Send us a textCelebrate the dog-human bond with these bestselling authors. Social media stars Alexis Devine and her dog Bunny examine our ability to communicate with dogs through buttons that let them “talk” in I Am Bunny. And in Poppy in the Wild, #1 New York Times bestselling author Teresa J Rhyne tells the breathtaking tale of a dog lost and then found in the wilderness.We talked about: Why Alexis decided to start using buttons to teach Bunny to 'talk'How Alexis went about the research fo...

Send us a textDiscover the role of emotions and perception in dogs’ lives. In Dogs Demystified: An A-to-Z Guide to All Things Canine and the second edition of The Emotional Lives of Animals, Marc Bekoff updates our understanding of the emotions animals feel (and how we know they feel them). For people whose dogs feel shy or worried, Zazie Todd’s Bark! The Science of Helping Your Anxious, Fearful, or Reactive Dog is a compassionate and practical guide based on the latest science. And in the be...

Send us a textBark! Fest gets off to a tail-wagging start with a conversation with one of the world’s top dog trainers. Jean Donaldson’s seminal book The Culture Clash reframed how we think about dogs and has inspired generations of dog trainers to use (or switch to) reward-based methods. Join us to talk about all things dog training, including positive reinforcement, fearful dogs, and education for dog owners and trainers alike.This recording is of a panel at Bark! Fest, the book festival fo...

Send us a textPatricia B. McConnell PhD is an internationally-renowned applied animal behaviourist who has dedicated her life to improving the relationship between people and animals. Amongst her many treasured dog training books, The Other End of the Leash draws our attention to the human side of dog training. McConnell’s memoir, The Education of Will, is a beautifully-written and uplifting account of how to reclaim life after trauma, for both humans and dogs. Join us to talk about dog behav...

Send us a textIn this episode, Zazie and Kristi answer wide-ranging questions about both dogs and cats that were sent in by listeners. 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 you...

Send us a textZazie and Kristi talk to dog trainer Emily Priestley about her book Urban Sheepdog and what you need to know about herding breeds.We start by discussing which breeds count as herding breeds and what they were bred to do, and ask Emily how a herding dog first came into her life.Then we talked about the kinds of herding dog behaviours that dog guardians can sometimes struggle with, and the extent to which we consider these normal or pathological.We also talk about the importance o...

Send us a textZazie and Kristi speak to Nicole Ettenhofer, VP of Growth and Strategy at George Street Photo & Video, about pet-friendly ways to get cute wedding photos with your pet.As people increasingly consider pets to be part of the family, they want to involve them in their wedding. So what you can you do to make sure you get some great photos that include the pet, without overwhelming them? We begin with a personal story from Nicole that will have you tearing up in a good way, and w...