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Showing posts with label book club. Show all posts
Showing posts with label book club. Show all posts

Companion Animal Psychology Book Club November 2017

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"It will forever change how we see our aquatic cousins - the pet goldfish included."

A cup of coffee and a notebook by a pool full of koi. What a Fish Knows is the book for November 2017.


The Companion Animal Psychology Book Club choice for November 2017 is What a Fish Knows: The Inner Lives of Our Underwater Cousins by Jonathan Balcombe.

From the back cover,
"Do fishes think? Do they really have three-second memories? And can they recognize the humans who peer back at them from above the surface of the water? In What a Fish Knows, the myth-busting ethologist Jonathan Balcombe addresses these questions and more, taking us under the sea, through streams and estuaries, and to the other side of the aquarium glass to reveal the surprising capabilities of fishes. Teeming with insights and exciting discoveries, What a Fish Knows offers a thoughtful appraisal of our relationships with fishes and the planet's increasingly imperiled marine life. It will forever change how we see our aquatic cousins - the pet goldfish included."

Why not join us in reading the book? You can leave your comments below!

You can also follow Jonathan Balcombe on twitter.



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Companion Animal Psychology Book Club October 2017

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"What if the secret to great dog training is to be an expert 'feeder' rather than a strong leader?" The book for October is Plenty in Life is Free by Kathy Sdao.

Pomeranian reading outdoors in Autumn because the book club choice is Plenty in Life is Free


The  Companion Animal Psychology Book Club choice for October 2017 is Plenty in Life Is Free: Reflections on Dogs, Training and Finding Grace by Kathy Sdao.

From the back cover,
"What if the secret to great dog training is to be an expert 'feeder' rather than a strong leader? A skilled reinforcer rather than a strict enforcer? 
"Over the past two decades, countless dog trainers across the world have embraced the liberal use of positive reinforcement. Often accompanying this trend, however, is an underlying emphasis, inherited from more coercive models of dog training, that each human in the family must be the dog's leader. Adopting the role of leader through the use of "Nothing in Life is Free" training protocols, however, can result in stifling rules that constrain people's ability to share affection with their dogs, Strict reward-rationing regimens also tend to put the burden on dogs to "earn" all their privileges instead of placing the primary responsibility on the humans to be generous, precise, creative "feeders" (i.e., reinforcers)."

Why not join us in reading the book? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!

You can also follow Kathy Sdao on twitter.


Companion Animal Psychology is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.


Companion Animal Psychology Book Club September 2017

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The book of the month is Pets on the Couch by Nicholas Dodman.

Pets on the Couch: A Maltese reads a book for the Animal Book Club


The Companion Animal Psychology Book Club choice for September 2017 is Pets on the Couch: Neurotic Dogs, Compulsive Cats, Anxious Birds, and the New Science of Animal Psychiatry by Nicholas Dodman.

From the cover:
"Racehorses with Tourette's syndrome, spinning dogs with epilepsy, cats with compulsive disorders, feather-plucking parrots with anxiety, and a diffident bull terrier with autism - these astonishing and difficult cases were all helped by what pioneering veterinarian Dr. Nicholas Dodman calls One Medicine, the profound recognition that humans and other animals share the same basic neurochemistry, and that our minds and emotions work in similar ways. Traditional veterinary treatments did not cure these behaviors because they treated the symptoms as disorders of the body, rather than problems of the mind.  
Dr. Dodman, the Oliver Sacks of animal brains, demonstrates that our pets have thoughts and emotions similar to those of humans. His approach and philosophy save animals' lives, giving hope and help to pets and owners who are otherwise out of options."

Are you reading Pets on the Couch too? Why not leave a comment below with your thoughts on the book.

Companion Animal Psychology Book Club August 2017

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The book of the month is How to Tame a Fox by Lee Alan Dugatkin and Lyudmila Trut.


A fox curled up asleep for the book club's choice How To Tame a Fox by Lee Alan Dugatkin and Lyudmila Trut



The Companion Animal Psychology Book Club book for August 2017 is How to Tame a Fox (and Build a Dog): Visionary Scientists and a Siberian Tale of Jump-Started Evolution.

From the inside cover,
"Most accounts of the natural evolution of wolves place it over a span of about 15,000 years, but within a decade, Belyaev and Trut's fox breeding experiments had resulted in puppy-like foxes with piebald spots and curly tails. Along with these physical changes came genetic and behavioural changes, as well. The foxes were bred using selection criteria for tameness, and with each generation, they became increasingly interested in human companionship. Trut has been there the whole time and has been the lead scientist on this work since Belyaev's death in 1985, and with Lee Dugatkin, biologist and science writer, she tells the story of the adventure, science, politics and love behind it all."

To whet your appetite, you can read my interview with Dr. Lee Dugatkin.

Are you reading too? Leave a comment below with your thoughts on the book.


Companion Animal Psychology Book Club June 2017

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The book of the month is The Inner Life of Cats by Thomas McNamee.

A sweet cat rests her head on a book


The Companion Animal Psychology Book Club choice for June 2017 is The Inner Life of Cats: The Science and Secrets of Our Mysterious Feline Companions by Thomas McNamee.

From the inside cover,
"In The Inner Life of Cats, acclaimed nature writer Thomas McNamee helps us decipher the thoughts and motivations of these often inscrutable creatures, digging deep into emerging (and forgotten) research to reveal what might be driving our cats' actions. McNamee consults the experts, decodes cats' befuddling behaviour (why are they always drawn to the one 'non-cat' person in the room?), and celebrates the unsung heroes who are starting to give us glimpses into what drives our cats to do the things they do."
Are you reading alongside us? Please let me know what you think of the book in the comments.

Companion Animal Psychology Book Club May 2017

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The book of the month is Dog Sense by John Bradshaw.

A man reads a book with a happy little dog on his lap.The book of the month is Dog Sense by John Bradshaw


The Companion Animal Psychology Book Club choice for May 2017 is Dog Sense: How the New Science of Dog Behavior Can Make You A Better Friend to Your Pet by John Bradshaw.

For our UK friends, the book is called In Defence of Dogs: Why dogs need our understanding.

From the inside cover,
"The dog has been mankind's faithful companion for tens of thousands of years yet today finds itself in crisis throughout the western world. Until just over a hundred years ago, most dogs worked for their living, and each of the many breeds had become well suited, over countless generations, to the task for which they were bred. Now, in their purely domestic roles, we fail to understand their needs. And it is time that someone stood up for dogdom: not the caricature of the wolf in a dog suit, ready to dominate its unsuspecting owner at the first sign of weakness, nor the trophy animal that collects rosettes and kudos for its breeder, but the real dog, the pet that just wants to be one of the family and enjoy life."

Are you reading alongside us? Please leave your thoughts on the book in the comments below.