I'm reading Karen Pryor's book Reaching the Animal Mind - it's basically a collection of experiences Pryor has with effectively using marker-based training, specifically clicker training.

Totally fascinating and I love the stories.

The rub is that she keeps referring to animals as "its" even while arguing in fervent support of animals being creative, making choices, and engaging in relationship building. This is not something a chair or sofa cover can do, so please stop referring to intelligent, self-aware, emotional nonhuman animals as "its".

I know that the pronoun "it" has been used to refer to both nonhuman animals and babies of an unknown gender. It's objectification at its finest, especially when the being in question is a dog or pig or rabbit or cat or sheep.

If you do not refer to your own companion animals as "it" and instead call them "she" or "he" or "who", please extend that courtesy to similar species (certainly dogs and cats, but also farmed animals and birds). It won't mean anything to the animal but will help create a shift in thinking in yourself and your audience.