Did you know that pet ownership has become apparent during the pandemic? Amidst the pandemic restrictions, many homeowners have either adopted or purchased pets. In fact, dog sales and adoptions have significantly soared amid the COVID-19 crisis.
Pet ownership makes sense during the pandemic. People have relied on animals for having companions, easing loneliness, and reducing stress. Pets have also made them physically active and happy. In fact, National Geographic said pets have helped many individuals and families cope with the pandemic.
But while the crisis is here to stay, it’s a good idea to spend your time having pet training. It’s best to do so, especially if you’ve just adopted or bought these dogs or cats. Remember that they aren’t your regular animals. Once they stay under your roof, you now consider them furry members of the family. Treat them as if they are your kids!
That said, here’s how to train your pets during this pandemic:
- 1. Set a Pet Obedience Program in Place
- 2. Stick to Six-week Pet Training
- 3. Ensure Positive Reinforcement
- 4. Start to Focus on House and Crate Training
- 5. Consider Lease Training for Your Pets
- 6. Teach Your Pets to Socialize
- 7. Teach Basic Commands and Fun Tricks
- 8. Correct and Modify Pet Behavior
- Final Thoughts
1. Set a Pet Obedience Program in Place
After purchasing or adopting dogs or cats, set a pet obedience program in place. The same is true if you have acquired puppies or kittens. But before taking the plunge, observe the behavior and activities of your pets. From there, carve a blueprint on how to train your animals. You can either research online for pet training tips or seek pieces of advice from pet experts.
2. Stick to Six-week Pet Training
Teaching your dogs or cats new tricks and improving their behavior doesn’t happen overnight. Understand that pet training is a long-term commitment. Know that developing and acquiring certain habits may take more than a month or so. But for your reference, have your pet obedience program for six consecutive weeks. That way, your pet training will be work wonders for your furry family members.
3. Ensure Positive Reinforcement
Even after the pet training, reinforcement is crucial for your dogs or cats. The goal is to ensure your pets retain the knowledge they’ve learned and the skills they’ve developed. You want to ensure that they have already acquired the habits and practiced them by heart. But when it comes to reinforcement, the positive approach works better than the negative means. For positive reinforcement, consider clicker training, which is pretty straightforward and effective.
4. Start to Focus on House and Crate Training
Once you have set your pet obedience program and schedule (along with the reinforcement measures), you can proceed to the actual pet training. Start by focusing on the house and crate training. For house training, set house rules for pets to follow. Consistency and diligence are the keys. For crate training, ensure that your pets get as comfy as possible. Your dogs and cats must see these as their shelter. Plus, train your pets where to dispose of their bodily wastes properly.
5. Consider Lease Training for Your Pets
Lease training is a crucial part of the overall equation. Keep in mind that your dogs must learn to walk on a leash. First, introduce your pets to the leash. Next, teach them how to walk properly on it. Ultimately, make the whole experience as enjoyable as possible for you and your pets. In the end, using a leash is for the utmost safety of the neighborhood and your pets.
6. Teach Your Pets to Socialize
Another vital consideration is to train your pets to mingle with other animals and even humans. The best course of action is to have constant exposure. The more your dogs or cats get exposed to places, people, and other animals, the more they’ll get used to it. Not only will this reduce their fears and phobias, but pet socialization will lead to good behavior. In the end, your socialized pets will be less likely to develop aggressive behavior and problematic action.
7. Teach Basic Commands and Fun Tricks
As far as pet training is concerned, the most exciting part is to teach your pets basic commands and even fun tricks. It’s nice to see your cats or dogs sit, run, get stuff, or come to you at the snap of your finger. You can even go as far as having your pets roll on the floor, play dead, or answer you by barking or meowing.
8. Correct and Modify Pet Behavior
The last on the list is a cat or dog behavior modification program. Chances are, your pets have started exhibiting negative behaviors. As the pet owner, you want to correct and modify their unlikely attributes. This type of pet training can be the most crucial part. Hence, it’s best to seek help from pet professionals.
Final Thoughts
At this point, you now know what it takes to train your pets during this pandemic. Consider the pet training tips recommended above, from setting up a pet obedience program to teaching them to socialize to having professional training. As a pet owner, you are responsible for taking care of these furry members of your family. Ultimately, pet training must be a crucial part of your pet care.
