Pet Problems: Will They be Outgrown?

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Pet owners often think that the little annoying problems that arrive with their pet will go away on their own. In fact, many pet owners turn to prayer to help them deal with some of them!!!!

Unfortunately the thought that problems are a normal part of a pet maturing is false, it is one of those long-standing myths. It is not normal to have bad behavior from an animal if you provide the right guidance. They are easily taught proper manners and bad manners can be avoided. Problems just do not go away and they should be handled as quickly as possible!

If you are plagued with nipping, biting, clawing, scratching, jumping, barking, digging, chewing, housetraining or litterbox problems, or any other of those annoying habits --seek help right away. The faster you take action, the better off your household will be!

Problems only get worse as time goes on. They become more and more "conditioned" as time passes and more destruction or mayhem continues. This means that the problems become bad habits that are hard to break.

These behaviors also are harder to "extinguish," or get rid of, when they become bad habits. This is because you have to un-train the bad habit and train the new good one! If you start right away, you can eliminate half the work since you only have to train the correct behavior you want.

Take action right away! Too many owners procrastinate and then want to give their animal away, banish them to the outdoors, or get too overwhelmed or angry to deal with the problem in a reasonable manner. Here are a few tidbits to explain how easy solving behavior problems can be if you start early.

First, animal behavior problems can be solved pretty quickly and easily if you start early. This is possible because the behavior has not become entrenched as an established pattern or habit yet. If you wait too long, then it will take you months to solve a problem that might have been resolved in a few days or only one or two training sessions.

Behavior problems are symptoms of something else that is wrong. Quick fix solutions might work, but often the issue surfaces again at a later date. The problem will usually escalate in intensity too. This is common for barking and biting behaviors and why they will get worse.

Contrary to popular belief, it isn’t normal for a dog to bark all the time, nor is it normal for a dog or cat to bite an owner or guest. Many times these little puppy and kitten behaviors, which are viewed as harmless or cute by the owner, result in an animal that has to be euthanized because of injury to the owner or someone the owner knows.

It will save your money to get working on stopping a problem early! It is less costly to handle the problems that come up if you do it right away. Many people find that it would have been cheaper and easier to fix the behavior problem instead of paying for those repairs to the home, yard, and in many cases for the associated medical or veterinary fees, and other miscellaneous charges (like legal fees). Remember, you are liable for your pet and for the damage or misbehavior it exhibits! Damage to rental property, trespassing on the neighbor’s property, injury to someone else or their pet, etc., are things you are accountable for. It is best to avoid getting into those situations!

The good news is that the faster you start working on a problem the faster it disappears. Some problems, if handled right away, can be solved in a day or two! In the case of jumping on people, most dogs can be taught to stop in one lesson!!! Having a well behaved pet does not have to be costly or take hours of work. Most programs can be adapted to your schedule. What you end up investing in animal schooling is minor. Your benefits are peace of mind and the cost saving factors related to the damage or destruction one animal can do!

Where do you get help? Most of the time help is just a phone call away! You can join the author in the Cyberpet Town Hall once a month or contact her directly for help by email!

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