Make it FUN!
When you are trying to teach your pets new things, make it fun!
When you are trying to get your animals to listen or respond to you, make it fun!
I see so many guardians try to distract “misbehavior” with frustration or anger. This NEVER works with animals. They don’t see the behavior as the problem. They see YOU as the problem. They don’t want to approach YOU because of your energy.
Animals are such highly energetic beings. Our best communication with them will come from our energy.
If your dog won’t come back when you call it, calling angrily or with frustration or authority won’t help. Would you want to go back to someone who is mad? But if you are happy and excited, your dog will want to come back to you!
If your horse is not yielding off the leg or not going forward and you keep hitting or kicking it, do you really think that will make the horse want to go? Nope! It makes the horse tense. But! If you make it fun, just go for a gallop, the horse will then want to have FUN!
If your cat is scratching something and you yell or make a loud noise to distract it, you’re just making your cat nervous, but if you distract your cat with an alternative FUN activity/game, your cat will crave the game, more than the inappropriate scratching spot.
Animals learn best through ignoring the negative and using positive distractions and techniques. It’s actually very simple. They will learn faster. They will trust you more. Communication between the two of you will improve. They will be happier. You will be happier. Because happy pets are easier to live with.
This applies to all species. Try it, I promise it will work better than frustration and anger. You aren’t rewarding undesirable (aka bad) behavior with positive and fun tactics, you are showing them how much better and more fun “good” behavior is. Its changing their thoughts and their focus. And ignoring undesirable behavior.
