Maybe you just brought a new pet into your home for the first time, or maybe you’d like to have your furry friend be a little more obedient. Whatever your situation is, there are opportunities to bond with your animal to teach them a new trick.
While it may seem a bit overwhelming at first, you don’t have to be a professional to train your pet on how to do a few basic things. However, depending on what type of pet you have, you will likely have to tailor your teaching styles. Here are some key differences between cats and dogs:
Training a Cat:
It’s been said that it takes more effort to train a cat. Cats have an instinct to preserve their energy, so they will not go out of their way to obtain something if they don’t see enough benefit.
This might make the “treat” approach a bit more difficult, but not impossible. PET-happy notes, “Cats will not respond to training very well if you are demanding too much.” So, as long as you’re teaching them simple techniques such as to sit, come, or use the bathroom properly, you’ll be in good shape using things like clickers and treats.
Training a Dog:
Contrary to a cat’s nature, dogs will do almost anything for a tasty treat. This can be both an advantage and a challenge, because you want to make sure your pup knows the end goal of learning a trick, and that it’s not all about the treat.
Another difference with dogs is the variety of things you may teach them. From the basics of rolling over and sitting to navigating obstacle courses, dogs can and generally want to learn a lot! Before you get to the complicated tricks, you might want to start with some essential commands.
It’s important to remember these training sessions need to be repetitive. Don’t expect your dog to get it on the first try! The key to training any type of pet is patience, rewards, and love.
No matter what you’re teaching your pet, training is a crucial part of the pet-owner relationship. It allows the two of you to have a bonding experience, establishes a sense of control and safety with the pet, and the both of you are getting active and learning from each other.
If you have any questions or would like to share your favorite pet-training experience, please reach out! We’d love to hear from you.
Until next time, happy pet training!