How to counter misinformation about dogs and cats with truth sandwiches

The Pawsitive Post in Conversation by Companion Animal Psychology

we talk about countering misinformation about dogs and cats with truth sandwiches. We run through some myths about dog training and cat behaviour, talk about why they are wrong, and figure out some truth sandwiches to help correct the misinformation.

We consider:

why it’s wrong to take a dominance approach to dog training

why we should use positive reinforcement rather than punishment in dog training

the myth that dogs should just fit into our lives

and why cats need to scratch.

We also talk about the (then) upcoming Management Month at the Academy for Dog Trainers, which is all about celebrating how you can sometimes use management instead of training to solve dog behaviour issues. As part of Companion Animal Psychology’s tenth anniversary celebrations, you can come to Reading Cats and Dogs: A Conversation with Lili Chin, Sassafras Lowrey, and Zazie Todd. The three authors will be reading from their books (Doggie Language, Chew This Journal, and Purr: The Science of Making Your Cat Happy) and in conversation with Kristi Benson.

Plus, in our regular slot at the end of the conversation, Kristi and I talk about the books we’re reading right now.

About the co-hosts:

Kristi Benson is an honours graduate of 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 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.

Kristi Benson's website Facebook

Zazie Todd, PhD, is the award-winning author of 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 also has a column at Psychology Today. Todd lives in Maple Ridge, BC, with her husband, one dog, and one cat.

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1. How to counter misinformation about dogs and cats with truth sandwiches (00:00:00)

2. Your dog is not trying to gain status (00:03:41)

3. Dogs don't need to be punished (00:10:18)

4. Let dogs be dogs (00:19:12)

5. Cats have to scratch (00:25:46)

6. Management month (00:31:51)

7. Reading Cats and Dogs (00:34:46)

8. Books (00:37:04)