Following on from Saturday’s post about this year’s theme for National Pet Month being the promotion of National Pet Month’s top 10 tips for responsible pet ownership, here’s tip number 2:
Tip 2: Ensure your pet is sociable and well trained
The more you play with any pet and introduce them to new people and children, the more likely they are to be friendly, well-adjusted and happy to be handled. If you can start from when they are babies, all the better.
With puppies, socialisation is especially important with their peers too (post vaccinations) to reduce the risk of fear and aggression towards other dogs as they get older. Introducing puppies to new experiences and giving rewards for good behaviour gets them used to accepting and knowing how to behave in situations they’ll come across as they get older.
And basic obedience training means you can feel confident when you take your dog out in public, and ensure dog walks are a joy.
Top tip…
Rewards for good behaviour do not always have to be food-based. Bring out a pet’s favourite toy and spend time playing instead. Your pet will love you all the more.