Ain’t nobody got time: Training non-dog pets

I was having a conversation with someone about training for their non-dog pet. She literally laughed out loud and said, “Ain’t nobody got time for that!”

But why?

Why is it perfectly acceptable and even considered a requirement to train a dog but owners wouldn’t think of training any other pet that isn’t a dog?

I have had the privilege of being in animal care with 175 different species for almost 20 years. 99% of those animals were in some sort of a training program. Literally, we had animals trained in every genre: birds, reptiles, amphibians, mammals, fish, & invertebrates! In fact, I’d say the only animals that were not in some sort of training/enrichment program were those who were being rehabilitated and released back into the wild. So, a disinterest in training a cat, bunny, bird, cow, or turtle is baffling!

Most of the entire world has been or is emerging from a lock-down from a viral pandemic for 3 months. Now, while Mother Nature is appreciating the break from our excessive, all consuming use of the Plant, we are bored. Extremely bored.

Take that boredom and apply it to your non-dog pet. And not just for 3 months but for their entire life. Most don’t get taken for walks [they are non-dogs] and many will never see the outside world beyond the walls of their home. Can you imagine never leaving when we cringe at the thought of a 14-day self-quarantine!

And while they may seem like a trained pet because they have learned our routine, with boredom and frustration come unwanted behaviors. Medical conditions often are an underlying issue for some unwanted behaviors, like peeing outside a litter box, but other times and often times, it is boredom, attention seeking, behaviors! We can prevent so much by spending bonding time with our animal to train them fun behaviors to not only provide easy communication to our animals but also feed their minds!

Easy behaviors to teach our non-dog pets!

Cats: fetch, come, and sit

Ferrets: roll over, come, spin, and shake

Birds: wave, bow, and fetch

Rabbit: come, circle, and jump

Goat: shake, jump up, and stand up on hind legs

Not only will you have party tricks for your next [socially distant] gathering but also a much happier pet!