The Pawsitive Post in Conversation by Companion Animal Psychology

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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
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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

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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

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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

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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 guardians
what it means to suspend absences for your dog
how video helps to show the moment when the dog starts to get distressed, and what happens before that
why it's important to speak to a vet about medication for separation anxiety
how crates are not the answer for dogs with separation anxiety
how 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/
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

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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 book
Zazie and Kristi chat about their highlights of the year
with 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 rituals
Zazie and Kristi chat about Holiday rituals
with Erica Beckwith CTC of A Matter of Manners Dog Training, we talk about how to get cute Holiday photos of your pets
and finally we share which books we've been reading
The 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/14597289
Canine emotions and perceptions with Marc Bekoff PhD, Zazie Todd PhD, and Cat Warren at Bark! Fest https://www.buzzsprout.com/2183505/episodes/16276537
Animal emotions with Marc Bekoff, PhD, at Bark! Fest https://www.buzzsprout.com/2183505/episodes/17148973
The benefits of tricks training for dogs and cats with Erica Beckwith https://www.buzzsprout.com/2183505/episodes/12793661
Also 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/18168422
Wild Rituals by Caitlin O'Connell
Jane Goo
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