Four Good Habits for Your New Pet

This time of year we start seeing a lot more new pets at the clinic, and we spend a lot of time talking about "to-do" and "don't-do." Many of the most common problems I deal with in older pets - behavior issues, dental disease, and obesity - may never develop into issues in the first place if good habits are established right off. So, with that in mind here are four good habits I recommend to every pet owner.

1. Make Them Work for Treats

Food rewards can be extremely effective at teaching your pet new behaviors. They can also be extremely effective at making your pet fat. Too often we get in the habit of giving a favorite treat on a regular basis not as a reward, but as an expression of affection toward our pets. Food is not love, folks. When you just want to show your pet some affection, grab their favorite toy or offer up a good belly rub. Start the habit now of only giving treats as a reward for a requested behavior or during training sessions, and only giving treats in moderation. This will make training much more effective and the resulting behaviors that much more reliable, as they aren't over-satiated with treats and they know the only way to get those tasty morsels is to work for them.

2. Brush Their Teeth

Heavy calculus and inflammed gums

Imagine that your significant other never brushed their teeth. Yuck.

I see about a patient a day with severe dental disease - we're talking rotten teeth trying desperately to get out of an animal's head. While it can sometimes be difficult to get adult pets on board with toothbrushing, almost any pet will learn to tolerate and even enjoy it if you're persistent (even cats). All that gunk that builds up on your pet's teeth is actually mineralized bacteria. Not only does it irritate the gums, leading to periodontal disease and tooth loss, it also serves as a source of infection that can spread to other organs like the heart. Every animal will need professional cleaning (just like us) at your vet a few times over the course of their lives, but daily toothbrushing has been shown to reduce how often it is necessary. So, if you get in the habit of daily toothbrushing now you will improve your pet's long term health, as well as reduce the need for cleaning under anesthesia, saving your pet some risk and yourself some cash.

3. Feed Individual Meals

I would be so fat if I lived at a buffet. While the occasional dog or cat will have the willpower to restrain themselves and stay slim with free-access feeding, those guys are by far the minority in my experience.

Feeding multiple small, measured meals is the only way to control your pet's food intake. Get in the habit now and you'll likely keep your pet from ever getting fat, and if they should start gaining weight (metabolism and activity level can change, after all) it's easy to cut back the food a bit before things get out of hand. Plus, life will be much easier if you have multiple pets and one should need a special diet at some point - say a limited ingredient diet for food allergies or a senior diet for an older pet. On that note, when you begin feeding meals the food should only be offered for a few minutes and then taken away, eaten or not. After a couple weeks they'll learn to wolf it down when offered, and you shouldn't have to worry much about Muffy finishing Spot's leftovers.

4. Experience!

Morgan digs people.

Earlier this week we had a 110lb, goofy, outgoing Mountain Dog in the clinic. I went to get him out of his run for treatment, and he balked, cowering back in the corner and refusing to come out. A pink plastic disk had fallen in the floor in front of the run, and who knows why, but he was terrified of it.

During the first few months of a puppy or kitten's life they go through critical phases where they learn what's "normal" - what the world is like, and that they don't have to be afraid of it. Exposing your pet to new experiences - places, things, animals, and most importantly people - will help them turn out happy and well-adjusted. Make a habit of seeking out new experiences with your pet and making them positive. For example, carry some treats with you when you go for a walk or to the dog park, and ask people to have them sit (work) and give them a treat. And while the early months are an important, special time, this is a habit you should keep up - you can still wind up with a pet that is afraid of everything and everyone if you later turn them into a shut-in, who never interacts with anyone but you. And be honest, you're going to feel pretty silly if your big, manly dog is terrified of a pink plastic disk.