3 Mistakes We Make With
Our Animals
Are you guilty of any of these common
mistakes? Animals tell me many things but
here are the top 3 mistakes we humans tend to
make when it comes to our animal
companions. Here are some simple solutions
to common problems.
Dogs- Do you have a
self-employed dog? Backyard boredom sets in
quickly. Dogs need jobs, at least most of them
do. If you don't find a job for
your dog to do he/she will become self
employed and I promise you it won't be
a career choice you
like!
They will become landscapers and redo
your entire flower bed, digging up everything
you have lovingly planted. Or they may
choose a career in interior design and chew the
legs of your heirloom dining room set your
grandmother gave you.
Not all of us have dogs that can do
agility or fly-ball so make it something
simple. Give them daily tasks to complete
even if it's escorting you to the mail box or
carrying your water bottles in a backpack during
a vigorous walk. Provide 30-45 minutes per
day of exercise out of the backyard or house.
Focus their energy into something that you
choose, something positive...no more
self-employed dogs!
Cats - Inside cats become
extremely bored living within the limited walls
of our homes which leads to litter box problems
and other behavior problems like aggression and
marking. If you have indoor cats YOU
are their entertainment center. YOU need to
provide them with daily stimulating toys or
challenges.
Rotate these new toys as
cats lose interest quickly. This
does not have to be something expensive, it
can include empty boxes with fun
holes cut in them, a new wiggle toy with
feathers on the end or even lying their old worn
out cat scratching post on it's side for a new
and interesting object to explore.
We get to leave our homes each day but
our indoor cats cannot. By giving
them daily challenges and things to do they have
less energy to focus on other
unwanted behavior problems.
Horses - 'Too many
messages', that's what horses say. Anger,
frustration and mixed messages bring many
clients with horses to the boiling
point.
Imagine for a minute trying to learn a
new skill like golf or tennis with someone
who speaks a foreign language. Then
every time you made a move they got frustrated
with you and lost their temper.
This is how horses feel.
Think of how important it would be to
have a coach or trainer that spoke softly and
was very encouraging, even if you did not
understand the language you would understand
their energy and body language. Be patient
when working with your horse. Look for signs of
relaxing, lowered heads, licking lips, soft
eyes. If you don't see these signs chances are
you are sending too many messages and your horse
does not understand what you want.
Keep training sessions short and end
on a positive note. Be sure to add
something fun for the horse so it's not all work
for them. Horses need patience and
proper energy to learn a new skill
or improve on an old one. Take the
time, they deserve
it.
