I wanted to share a few thoughts with you about training your new pet.

Of course even cats need to learn how to use a litter box and other important things about what is allowed in our new home. A good way to start your training is to contact the humane society for tips and advice on training. Those folks are really smart and they do take care of animals for a living after all.

The basics of training any animal are simple. Patience is very important remember this is a baby and just like with human babies praise works well. You should never hit an animal because that teaches aggression and you don’t want your 200 pound Great Dane to be mad at you. (They have teeth you know.) Besides the reason you got this pet is to love him or her and love works wonders.

With dogs a few words of praise for good behavior and a firm no will usually do the trick if that doesn’t work try giving them treats when they are good and turning your back and ignoring them when they are bad, dogs love praise and will quickly learn that good behavior gets a treat and a pat and bad is no fun at all.

When training a cat the rules are a bit different. Cats respond well to repetition. It is very important when box training your cat to leave the litter box in the same place and keep it clean not only is that better for their health it is better for you. Cats are not hard to train the hardest part is showing them what you want, for example when your kitten had an accident you should show him or her the mess, say a firm no and then show them the litter box. Cats are a bit more standoffish however just like dogs they want your love and praise.

Your vet will again be your first place to go for advice however there are lots of humans who train animals for a variety of activities. Professional trainers have good advice and are wonderful for teaching dogs to heel, sit, and walk along side you. I have even seen cats, ferrets, and bunnies on leashes you can teach anyone to walk with you with some effort and patience.

These are just a few words of advice about training animals that are in need of such training I after all was purrfect from birth and as my Mom can tell you needed no training, ha ha.

Good luck!