A number of owners believe they are taking proper care of their pets, when in reality, they care they are taking is far from proper. Remember, your pet is an animal, it cannot communicate with you the way a human can.
This article, even though not a pet care 101 guide, will educate you about the ways you should take care of your deary and furry friend.
So, read on.
Observe the pet
As I wrote up top, your pet cannot communicate its feelings. Even so, it can express its emotions. Animals have their unique ways. Sometimes through bodily movements, other times by howling or making uncanny sounds, they express their anger or reluctance.
Observe how your pet is behaving. Has the behavior become erratic lately? If so, there must be something wrong with the way it is being treated and you must be totally clueless about it. Deeply observing the pet is the only way to figure out whether it is getting its due attention from you and whether there’s something bothering it?
Look for signs
When you are observing your pet, look for signs. Common signs include a change of appetite and a change of sleeping habit. Other signs include (for dogs and cats) scratching nails on the surface, biting everything, excessive licking and licking stuff made of iron.
All these are signs of behavioral anomaly. Some of these signs indicate physical problems. Other signs indicate psychological issues. Talk to a vet if you notice any or all of these signs in your pet. The vet will diagnose it and suggest the next course of action.
Visit a vet
Owners are oft advised to visit pet psychologists upon noticing any of the said behavioral oddities. I, however, suggest them to first go to a vet. It’s more scientific this way. It’s like visiting a general care physician first and then booking appointment with a specialized doctor based on his recommendation.
Playful activities
Easy way to keep your pet fit – both physically and mentally – is to actively engage it in playful activities. Pets, especially cats and dogs love physical activities. There are thousands of YouTube videos of dogs playing with small babies. Dogs chase each other, pick up frisbee thrown by their owners, roll over on their back. They find fun in doing all these.
Kittens love to play with each other. They stalk, chase and scratch each other. They bite each other too, but the bites are hardly serious. As they grow older, they become less inclined to play. One thing about cats is they mostly play indoor, not outdoor, unlike dogs. Sheep and pigs are also fond of playing. They normally play with their owners.
A problem most owners face is they cannot make time to play with their pets. Some hire pet sitters, others make time on the weekends. A small piece of advice if you are one of them; do what’s best for the pet, not what’s best for you.
Consider the species
Dogs and cats may be the most prevalent species of pets in the United States, but not the only species. Birds, hamsters, fish, raccoons, mice, reptiles, etc are also loved and adored by many.
What kind of care you should take depends on on what species your pet belongs. Here’s an example; in some households, marine iguanas are kept as pets. These exotic animals are cold blooded and require sunlight to keep them warm. You might see them sitting silently where most of the sunlight falls – a behavior hardly observed in warm blooded animals.
Hence, taking care of marine iguanas is feeding them direct sunlight. This is not how you take care of dogs, do you?
Train your pet
Pets have not one or two, but hundreds of similarities with children. One of the similarities is, akin to children, they also like training. Now, you might refuse to believe it. Children, especially toddlers are thought of as disobedient, unruly and a not-so-attentive lot.
This popular perception, however, is not accurate. Studies after studies have found that if the training procedure is fun-filled, children become attentive in next to no time. The same thing applies to pets. If add fun to the training, they show willingness to learn. Pets love receiving rewards from their owners. So, make the training procedure reward-oriented. This way, your pet will learn quickly.
But remember, training a pet requires a lot of patience. If you are a short-tempered person, who quickly loses his cool, I advise you to hire a professional trainer. It might take a toll on your budget, but it’s a good advice. Because anger or frustration are negative emotions and pets are highly susceptible to these emotions. When their owners display these emotions to them, they react defensibly and distract them from receiving the training.
Summary
Remember, there’s no hard and fast definition of good care. What is good care? Whichever type keep your pet healthy, safe and happy.