Seven Mistakes Pet Parents Make

Impulse Buying

Making the commitment to invite any animal to join your family should take a lot of careful consideration. Unfortunately, for many people when they see a cute animal they can't resist the temptation of bringing them home immediately. However, it is much wiser to first go home and do some research to find out everything you can about this particular type of pet and what caring for and living with them will entail. Also, be sure to include all family members in the decisionmaking process. Carefully consider the commitment of time and money, and if this particular animal is a good match for your family.

Buying From a Pet Store

This can be a hard mistake for people to avoid as seeing a cute young animal in a store can be very tempting especially since some people might consider they are saving that particular animal. But, keep in mind that while you may give that animal a good home with each sale the pet store makes they are that much more likely to simply bring more animals in from animal mills where the breeding stock is subjected to a life of constant breeding and probable mistreatment.

Killing with Kindness

Because people love their pets so much they often give too much too soon to the detriment of their pets. Many people feel they are being mean if they don't give their pet everything they want when they want it. A perfect example of this is the person who brings home a new dog or cat and let's them run freely in the home. But, it is much kinder in the long run to set clear rules and boundaries, much like with kids, to help your pet stay safe and ensure that he or she is with you for their whole life. Unfortunately, the result of not setting boundaries and helping your pet learn how to behave is that they make mistakes which they are then punished for and many otherwise lovely animals are surrendered to shelters for simple to prevent and resolve behavior problems.

Assuming Your Pet is a Person in Fur Clothing

It's wonderful that most people adopt pets into their home as full-fledged members of the family. However, while most pets adapt incredibly well to living with people, many people forget they are still animals. Keep in mind that pets tend to think in different and often much simpler terms than we do. They aren't walking around all day plotting how to get back at you for leaving them at home while you go to work or to punish you for what you have or haven't done for them lately. I often hear people say they think their pet is spiteful or stubborn. This way of thinking does a great disservice to pets and tends to create a relationship where we set our pets up to fail by assuming they should know how to behave.

Punishing Your Pet

Considering how much we love our animal companions it is odd that one of the big mistakes people make is focusing on punishing our pets for things they do we don't like rather than rewarding them for what we consider good behavior. A perfect example of this is letting a pup eliminate on the rug (by not supervising them properly) and then yelling at them for doing so. Dogs think it pretty simple terms, so it is unlikely they are thinking they are in trouble for going in the house. They are probably simply thinking they need to hide behind the couch next time they need to go since you obviously don't like to see them do it. Also, punishments are likely to damage your relationship with your pet whereas managing your pets to set them up for success and rewarding for good behavior will create a well-mannered pet and improve your bond.

Not Spaying or Neutering

This is a common mistake pet parents make with some of the most serious consequences. Unfortunately some people still think that if they spay or neuter their pets they will get lazy and fat that it is kind to let their pet have just one litter. Aside from the fact that there is a serious pet overpopulation problem which spaying and neutering can help decrease, doing so also means your companion is less likely to look for a mate which means they are less likely to get lost, hurt or contract diseases.

For males, neutering eliminates the chance of developing testicular cancer and may reduce problems with territorial and sexual aggression as well as decreasing inappropriate urination issues. For females, spaying decreases the chance of developing breast cancer. In fact, the rate goes down to almost zero if the spaying is done before the first heat cycle. It also eliminates the chance of developing a serious and potentially fatal infection of the uterus called pyometra. It also decreases or eliminates the mood swings associated with heat cycles and eliminates messy spotting.

Overall spaying and neutering will greatly increase the length and quality of your pet's life.

Leaving Pets & Children Alone

While many animals are very tolerant of and even enjoy interaction with children, all animals should be supervised at all times when together. No matter what breed or type of animal you have there is always a risk leaving children and pets unattended together. What many people don't understand is that an animal can be tolerant for years, but if pushed too far (i.e. rough play, over excited behavior) they may react. Unfortunately, the most likely person to be bitten or scratched by a dog or cat is family members.

Andrea is a Certified Pet Dog Trainer through the Certification Council for Pet Dog Trainers and a Certified Pet Partners Team evaluator for the Delta Society and the AKC's Canine Good Citizen (CGC) test. She is the Director of Andrea Arden Dog Training in New York, and was named the best dog trainer in New York by New York, W, Time Out, Quest and the Daily News. Her website is located at http://www.andreaarden.com and she can be reached at 212-414-9597. You can follow her on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/andreaardendogtraining.