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No Season For Bad Boys 

Are you dreading having to deal with bad pet habits this winter? 

Don’t worry. Apparently, you can teach an old dog new tricks. 

Pet psychology is an ever-expanding field and understanding what makes your pooch tick can save you countless unhappy hours of pet-related frustration.  

Winter is here and most pet owners understand that dogs need a bit more shelter from the elements. Even mild South African winters can prove too frosty for dogs. 

However, sharing house space with a rowdy animal can be anything but cosy. 

We have a couple of tried and tested tips to break the bad habits in time for the winter, and to make pet ownership a joy once more. 

Make Some Space to Combat Bad Habits

The first step to sharing your house with an animal is to decide exactly how much of your house you want to share. Your dog does not need access to every single room and all furniture to feel loved. Create a space that works for you, where your animals can feel safe, but that also doesn’t crowd your family and make you feel trapped between a rock and a furry place. 

Get a dedicated pet bed, set it up in the same space each day and encourage your animal to only lie there by using a combination of treats when they do use it and small reprimands when they don’t.  

Set Clear Bad Habit Boundaries 

Don’t let your animal take over the living room. Keep them off the furniture, as this subconsciously lets them know they are not on the same level as you.  

Be the Alpha  

Be the calm leader of the pack. Don’t bully or shout but understand that you have to be the confident boss for your pets to respect you. Simple firm commands and consistent rules work well for even the most stubborn animals.  

Avoid overloading your pet with a string of commands when they are not even focused on you. Dogs understand tone and can recognize words, but, surprise surprise, they don’t speak human fluently. A sentence like: “Come, baby boy, please get off the couch, mommy doesn’t want your fluff on everything…come, come, come now” means nothing to Fido. 

Rather stand in front of them, achieve eye contact and firmly say: “Off”. Then once they have gotten off, an ear scratch and a kind word in a slightly higher tone will be more than enough reward for their attention-loving doggy brain. 

What about cats you ask?  

All we can say is Good Luck. Cats are anarchists and respect no one. But isn’t that why we love them? 

Basepaws.com has this to say regarding training your cat: 

• Have a goal in mind

Don’t stammer around with vague ideas of what you want from the training sessions. If you’re focused, they will be too. 

• Training sessions should be short.

No one likes having to do things that aren’t fun, but at least it’s easier when the sessions are shorter.  

• Focus on one behaviour at a time.

This will allow your kitten to internalise the training because their efforts are not being split. 

• Reward good behaviour. Do not punish.

Just like with the canine members of your family, positive reinforcement is the best training technique. 

• Let all family members apply training.

If you’re the only one stopping Mittens from scratching the furniture while the kids and your partner don’t mind, Mittens won’t think that the action is wrong. Only that you’re being huffy. 

• Start training as soon as possible.

You can teach an old dog new tricks, but cats are much easier to train when they’re still new to a space and haven’t settled in.