The Pawsitive Post in Conversation by Companion Animal Psychology

Send us a text to say hello!
How can you help your dog to like it--and behave well--when visitors come to your home? Zazie and Kristi are joined by dog trainer Jeff Millman, author of Triggers and Reactions: A Guide to Fixing Your Dog Behavior Problems, to chat about this common issue.
We talk about:
Why having your dog jump on guests is in some ways a nice problem to have
The behaviours we can teach them to do instead
The signs to look for that would suggest that your dog is shy or fearful of guests
How to use management when guests come over
Understanding how to use desensitization and counter conditioning for fearful dogs
How dog training culture has changed over the years and reward-based methods have become more popular
What it was like to study at the original Academy for Dog Trainers and how much Jeff loved it
and finally, we ask Jeff what he's been reading lately

The books recommended by Jeff are:
When Everyone Knows that Everyone Knows... Common Knowledge and the Mysteries of Money, Power, and Everyday Life by Steven Pinker
Never: A Novel by Ken Follett

About Jeff Millman: Jeff Millman was always known as an animal fanatic since he was a little boy. After studying journalism, living in Alaska after college while living in a tent, working professionally as an internet consultant and creative director, he studied dog training with the world-famous Jean Donaldson in San Francisco in 2002. Since then, he has been honing his dog training craft while training thousands of dogs. He’s the author of three books, including the two-volume Triggers and Reactions: A Guide to Fixing Dog Behavior Problems. lives in Cary, NC with his two wonderful children, amazing wife, and English Shepherds, Sky and Storm.
Jeff Millman's website: https://www.jeffmillman.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

Send us a text to say hello!
Zazie and Kristi talk about how to help dogs and cats get along, and why it all starts with thinking about the cat's feeling of safety.
We talk about:
the need to manage introductions between dogs and cats
what that means from the dog's perspective, and the cat's perspective
the importance of letting them vote with their feet
the need for safe spaces, and how to make safe spaces for a cat
the idea of training the dog to be safe around cats
how to keep the peace at mealtimes
placement of the cat's resources
whether dogs are ever scared of cats
how some dogs cannot be trusted to live with a cat

The books we recommend in this episode are:
Dog Affirmations: An Illustrated Journey Through Your Dog's Thoughts by Andrea Cáceres
The Little Old Lady Who Broke All the Rules: A Novel by Catharina Ingelman-Sundberg

Previous episodes mentioned in the show:
Caring for dogs versus caring for cats
How to help your reactive or fearful dog

For more on how to set your house up for your cat, check out Zazie's book Purr: The Science of Making Your Cat Happy, which is available wherever books are sold. Learn more about Zazie's books here.
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

Send us a text to say hello!
What's the best kind of carrier to choose for your cat? We get a veterinarian's perspective from Dr. Mansum Yau, author of The Ins and Outs of Cat Carriers: A Veterinarian's Guide to Cat Carriers.
We talk about:
why, as a vet, Dr. Mansum is interested in cat carriers
what kind of carrier is the best one to choose
how to help cats be more comfortable at the vet
how she became a stand-up comedian on top of being a vet, and how humour can help at the vet
why toothbrushing is so important for cats and how a video of Dr. Mansum brushing her cat's teeth went viral
the best carriers for adventure cats, and what happened one time with her cat
what it was like illustrating her book
and finally, she tells us about a book she's reading

The book Dr. Mansum picked is Bony Legs and Other Stories by Pat Edwards.
Also mentioned in this episode, the cat toothbrushing episode that went viral: https://www.instagram.com/p/DGW-oi1xPSC/
Dr. Mansum Yau graduated from the Ontario Veterinary College in 2010 and earned her certificate in canine massage from the Royal Canadian College of Massage Therapy in 2025. She is Human Animal Bond and Fear Free Level 3 certified and passionate about preventative care and client education. When she is not caring for cats and dogs, she enjoys reading, writing, painting, drawing, performing clean stand-up comedy, raising awareness for endangered animals, and exploring nature with her one-eyed dog, Penny, and adventure cat, Boo. She is the author and illustrator of The Ins and Outs of Cat Carriers: A Veterinarian’s Guide to Cat Carriers, available wherever cat lovers read. She also shares tips for cats and dogs at pet events and on Instagram and YouTube.
Dr. Mansum Yau is on:
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/drmansum/
Youtube https://www.youtube.com/@drmansum
LinkedIn https://ca.linkedin.com/in/drmansum
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

Send us a text to say hello!
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 novel
The main character, Maddie McGowan
Whether it was fun to be writing dogs as characters
How 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 book
Patricia 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 Warren
Patricia'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/16149739
The 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/
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

Send us a text to say hello!
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 enrichment
Their sense of smell
Going places with your dog, but not your cat
House training
Vet care and husbandry
And 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 Happy
Zazie'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 Mullen
Snap: A Novel by Susin Nielson
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