How to Be Nice to Your Pets

2008/7/28

How to Be Nice to Your Pets

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@ 08:25 AM (3 months, 27 days ago)

Everyone needs to know how to be nice to their own pets! Here are a few tips to being nice to your pets and other animals.

Groom your dog or cat a lot. Cats and dogs love to be groomed. And scratched. But if they do not like it, don't do it; that will just make them hate you.

Feed them not too little, but not too much either. You have to distinguish between the times they're genuinely hungry and the times they're just trying to get food.
Clean their food and drink bowls at least once a day. It's the same as with us. You wouldn't eat out of the same plate for one whole week, and you wouldn't drink out of the same glass, cup, or mug for a month!
Give your pets attention. Pets want as much of your attention as possible, dogs especially, however, this attention should be on your terms. In general, acknowledge your pet's existence; even saying "Hi <pet name>, how are you doing?" Clearly they won't understand what you're saying, but at least it shows that you see them.
Take dogs on walks. Most dogs don't like being holed up in a house or in the same backyard all day long; they like to get out and explore. They can also meet other dogs this way; if you only saw other people when you went on walks, wouldn't you enjoy them too?
Physical contact is very important to the socialization of animals and makes them much more friendly. Play with your pet, stroke them or just sit on the grass and goof around.
Never treat a dog like a child. A dog is an animal and needs leadership. Don't pander to insecurity, instead be strong and lead by example.
Do not do anything to hurt it such as kicking or hitting it!
Take it to the vet regularly. Your pet may not like it, but in the end, it's better to cause a bit of discomfort now than to find out later that it has a bad case of worms that could have been stopped awhile ago. Reward it once in a while.