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Pet Care 101: Understanding Pet Behaviours

2016/5/3 9:06:22

We treat our pets as family members. They have such a huge impact on our lives that it is almost impossible to imagine life without them. Some non-pet owners might not understand this. Most of them think that pets only brings additional work to their busy lives. While it is true that pet care requires effort, it should not be that hard – especially if we get to understand how our pets behave.

There are quite a number of animal behaviours that are misinterpreted by pet owners according to veterinary medicine professionals. Even veteran pet owners who have been immersed with animals for so long are not exempted to this fact. Some of the most misread animal behaviours are too much barking, digging, and urinating of dogs, as well as lurking around the fish bowls or bird cages, pooping and urinating outside the box, and scratching of claws in furniture by cats.

But all of these actions are pretty normal according to a resident veterinarian of Long Lake Animal Hospital in North Tampa. These behaviours are part of the natural adapted instincts of animals. Certain animals have been conditioned according to specific purposes which affected their abilities, reactions, temperaments, and learning styles. To concretize this idea the following example is used by the Long Lake Animal Hospital veterinarian: if you have sporting dogs, expect them to have lots of energy because they evolved from dog hunters which were trained to hunt for long periods of time; but if you have herding dogs, expect that they are able to lead groups of children or pets.

Understanding pet breeds is indeed vital in understanding how our pet behaves. So in order for us to avoid problems, veterinarians highly suggests that we provide venues where our pets can express their natural instincts. If our purring cat always scratches, let us give it something to file their nails on. Cats usually do this as a form of exercising their claws and tendons, as well as to mark their territory. If our playful dog digs a lot, let us give him his own sandbox. Dogs usually dig because lying in holes is a way of cooling themselves.

Our pets also tend to behave differently when faced in emergency situations. Staffs of Long Lake Animal Hospital have observed that animals show different signs of trauma. Some are hysterical when taken to the animal hospital, while some are overly quiet and stiff.

Some situations that cause these reactions for dogs are storms. Thunders make them leave home, destroy things, and soil their dens out of panic. Some owners usually do some special preparations when they know that disasters of this kind might hit. Part of this special preparation might include checking pets in a pet boarding place. Pet boarding places are run by animal professionals so we can rest assured that these animals are in safe hands. Some animal hospitals also offer pet boarding services.

For more questions, seek the help from professionals