Here kitty, here here,” calls out Ashish to his six-months-old kitten, Snuggles. He’s trying his best to train her but to no avail. It’s a familiar story with most pet owners. The first thing most pet owners are worried about is how to toilet train their pet. Especially, when the pet is a baby. While many owners do not care too much about training their pet etiquette, vets advice that they should learn how to behave in a home.
Vet Lohith says that pets shouldn’t be given to a professional trainer till the required vaccinations are given. “Till they’re about three months, they shouldn’t step out of the house. This is including smaller animals like gerbils and rabbits. This is also the perfect time to toilet train them.”
Samarth J has recently got a new puppy. “Puppies can be very difficult to train for the sole reason that they chew on everything. I run around with a newspaper in my hand when I know she wants to pee,” laughs Samarth, a consultant
While most people don’t train rodents, there are a few who like teaching them new tricks. “Hamsters don’t really need to be trained. They just sit in their cage and do their thing. But I have toilet trained my two year Muffin. I’ve even taught him tricks just like dog owners teach their dogs! I hold a treat above his head and say ‘stand’. So that way, even when I don’t have a treat and say ‘stand,’ he stands. It’s very entertaining when my friends come home,” says Nikhil G, a student.
Professional training is not always needed if you want to teach your pet to stand, shake hands. But, when it comes to making sure that the dog doesn’t attack a stranger, it’s important that he is taken to a professional trainer. Emannauel, a trainer, says, “I train police dogs, mostly. But I do get some clients who just want their otherwise ferocious pets to be tame. So, I train them in such a way that there is no leash required at all.”
And if it is your cat you want to train, it’s near impossible! “Cats are very independent. They don’t take it lightly. Especially, the Persian variety. They’ll come only when there is a treat, and otherwise, if you say a particular trigger word, they’ll look at their owner to see if there’s a bait. Cats are smart,” insists Dr Lohith.