Join Niki Tudge as she chats and chuckles with Frania Shelley-Grielen about her book, Behavior Matters for Cats and Dogs, winner of the Dog Writers of America's "Best Behavior Book 2024" and the Dogwise "Best Book of 2024.”

Niki and Frania discussed both the cat and dog sections of the book and snippets from the chapters on aggression, dog bite prevention, and some of the individual cat and dog skills.

Frania Shelley-Grielen is a professional animal behaviorist, dog trainer, and educator who holds a Masters Degrees in Animal Behavior from Hunter College and a Masters Degree in Urban Planning from New York University, complimenting her insight into behavior with an in-depth understanding of the built environment. She is a licensed Pet Care Technician Instructor, a registered therapy dog handler, a certified Doggone safe Bite Safety Instructor, and a professional member of the Pet Professional Guild and the Association of Pet Dog Trainers. Frania specializes in behavior modification work and training with cats, dogs, and birds and humane management for urban wildlife.

Frania is the author of Cats and Dogs: Living With and Looking at Companion Animals From Their Point of View. She founded AnimalBehaviorist.us in 2009 to share her work on how welfare-based, science-focused strategies and solutions from the canine and feline point of view are more effective and make everyone happier, including the humans. Frania also taught the ASPCA’s Fundamentals of Dog Care course for the Houlton Institute where she is on the zoology faculty. She has worked on research projects at the Wildlife Conservation Society, the American Museum of Natural History, and the ASPCA in NYC. Frania presents and consults in the metropolitan New York area, nationally and internationally. She lives in New York City with her family and cats and dogs.