Free Paper Sample: Behaviour Problems of Dogs and Cats

Pets tend to be important members of the family. However, if they have behaviour problems, there is a likelihood that the special bond we feel with them may be broken. That is why preventing behaviour problems is the best strategy to ensure a happy, lifelong bond with these companions. Animal genetics and the environmental experiences they have usually play a huge role in developing pet's personality. One of the most critical ways to rectify animal behaviours is training. For instance, the first behaviour that animals are expected to learn is house training. Most people employ old methods of house training their pets. However, if not well monitored, these methods may have a negative impact on the relationship between the pet and the owner. Thus, it is advisable that when training animals on the specific behaviours to display, one should ensure that the methods used do not destroy the connection they have with the companion; it should strengthen it.

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Aggressiveness in Dogs

For dogs, one of the important aggressive behaviour prevention is promoting proper socialization. For a puppy, the socialization period, which should occur when they are most open to new experiences, should is between 3-12 weeks. That is their most sensitive socialization period. However, socialization training ought to go beyond this sensitive period (Lord et al., 2008). If a dog is not armed with proper socialization skills, they are more likely to have problems with fearing strangers, and not being ready to interact with unfamiliar dogs, environments, and objects.

Another vital training in dogs is house training. One may assume that after thousands of years of domestication, people should be well-versed in the practice. Surprisingly, in most cases, it is never right (McPeake & Mills, 2017). House training demands that a dog be taken through frequent training that should be conducted when it wakes up, during meals, and when the animal starts to sniff things around the house. During those times when it is hard to keep an eye on the animal, it should be left confined to a crate or somewhere it can move around without necessarily getting involved in accidents when there is no one to watch over it. There are several essential points that owners ought to understand before they embark on training their dogs. For example, the period that the animal is confined to a crate should never be exceeded at that time that it can control its bladders (Lord et al., 2008). For a puppy, they can take less than an hour before they require to release their bowels. Also, during the night, they need to ease themselves at least twice.

Treatment of the Problem

A dog’s training should be done in a way that reinforces the correct behaviours and in the right elimination location. Elimination outside should be rewarded through verbal praise and petting. Also, the owner can opt to employ a particular tidbit. For example, as the owner waiting by the door to reinforce the animal's behaviour as it returns from eliminating in the yard ensures that the animal learns to return to the door (Baquero et al., 2017). Hence, the behaviour being reinforced is coming to the door. One important thing to note is that using physical punishment when training the animal is not the best way since it may make the dog afraid of the owner.

Aggressiveness in Cats

Most people prefer cats over dogs as pets since they are easy to train and do not need walking. The art of preparing a cat for how to use a litter box can readily be done and is based on different developmental events. Cats and kittens use a substrate for elimination (McPeake & Mills, 2017). Also, they do not require a queen to eliminate or have the owner demonstrate the process by raking the litter's cat paws. Cats do not need a lot of attention in their training, and that is why providing a clean and easily accessible litter box is, in most cases, enough. One prominent owner complains that most cats do not stop or inconsistently use the litter box and instead choose to eliminate in other spots in the house. If the problem is not well taken care of, a cat may end up being confined to the outdoors. There are numerous reasons why cats may stop using the litter box, but a detailed study should determine the actual cause.

Causes of the Problem

According to a study, cats prefer the soft texture of fine-grained substrates. That means it is easy for a cat to cat to develop an aversion to clumping litter comprised of small particles. A cat may develop aggressiveness as a result of many factors and that is why it is important to deal with the issue soonest and swiftly before the animal loses its focus forever. For instance, cold areas of sleep is one factor that may make a cat adopt aggressive behaviors. Cats avoid litter that is consistently dirty or with some scent. Owners tend to think that the more waste is put in the litter box; they may not have to keep cleaning it as often as it should. However, according to the general guidelines, the litter depth should not exceed 2 inches (Baquero et al., 2017). Cat feces and urine clumps should be removed daily, and the litter be changed frequently. It is crucial to ensure that odors prevent developing and that most of the litter is kept dry to keep the animal comfortable. Cleaning the litter box requires that all the litter inside is disposed, and the box is washed with soapy water.

Treating the Problem

Cats tend to portray destructive behaviours that should be controlled. Most owners understand that a cat needs a litter box but they do not even focus on the fact that they need scratching posts. Cat scratch for many reasons that are not limited to territorial marking and marking their presence. To ensure that cats do not end up scratching the wrong objects they should be provided with scratching objects, and they are placed in locations in which the behavior is most likely to be triggered. Training a cat to scratch their own posts helps them avoid putting scratches on furniture and drapes. It is important to note that merely providing a cat with scratching posts does not mean that it would automatically start using them; thus, a cat should be declawed to prevent these destructive behaviours.

Conclusion

In summary, cats and dogs tend to portray certain destructive behaviours, and it is upon the owners to find solutions to the problem. Dogs tend to be damaging for a variety of reasons. For instance, they could be suffering from noise phobia and separation anxiety. In cats, the problem manifests when they are not provided with the right objects to exercise with. Thus, maintaining a proper relationship with these companions demands that owners be ready to offer adequate training.

References

Baquero, O. S., Chiozzotto, E. N., Garcia, R. D. C. M., Amaku, M., & Ferreira, F. (2017). Abandonment of dogs and cats: public opinions as population management indicators. Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science, 20(3), 289-295.

Lord, L. K., Reider, L., Herron, M. E., & Graszak, K. (2008). Health and behavior problems in dogs and cats one week and one month after adoption from animal shelters. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 233(11), 1715-1722.

McPeake, K. J., & Mills, D. S. (2017). The use of imepitoin (Pexion™) on fear and anxiety related problems in dogs–a case series. BMC veterinary research, 13(1), 1-14.