2020 pet magazine

Page 38 2020 PET MAGAZINE LINCOLN DAILY NEWS JANUARY 23, 2020 The better way is to respond calmly and gently, and redirect a pet’s behaviors using positive reinforcement. Praising and petting your pet and giving them treats when they respond to you by doing what you ask will help you earn an animal’s trust and respect. The animal is even more likely to listen to your commands when you reinforce their good behavior. If the puppy does not listen, it is acceptable to withhold the reward. Soon he will learn he must do what you have asked in order to receive the reward. To prevent puppies from running away from you in the first place, consider using a leash to help keep them in your line of sight. With other animals, you may need to try different techniques to work with their temperament. For example, because cats are often not as social as dogs, you may need to work harder to gain their trust and let them slowly warm up to you. To earn a cat’s trust, it is important to provide an environment where the cat feels safe. Cats have certain behaviors people my not understand. For instance, cats like to scratch, and they may scratch the furniture or their owners. In “Decode Your Cat’s Behavior: 17 Things Your Cat Would Love to Tell You,” Daryl Chen says scratching helps cats remove dead nail growth. Therefore, yelling at cats for doing something natural to them may damage their trust and will not likely keep them from scratching. Since cats have a need to scratch something, a better option is to get a scratching post and give them a treat when they use it instead of the furniture. Another guideline for dealing with cats’ temperament is to recognize when cats want to be petted and only pet them for a short period. In “How to Deal With Temperamental Cats,” Kimberly Caines says, “excessive and rough petting might trigger a mean temper if your feline friend has a short fuse.” If the cat responds well, Caine says you should “give your cat a treat afterward to reinforce his good behavior. With consistency, he might allow you to pet him longer in anticipation of the treat.” Caine says you should “[a]void punishing or scolding your cat when his temper flares, because he might start fearing you and his temper might worsen.” As with dogs, punishments tend to damage a cat’s temperament and not have the desired result, while reinforcing their good behaviors is likely to improve their temperament. Continued