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Owning a pet is a fun and satisfying experience. Pets are great company, they’re entertaining, and there is a certain sense of satisfaction that comes with taking care of a living creature. It’s this last point that is so important – when you are a pet owner, that animal relies on you for everything, from its food to having a safe place to sleep and exercise. Some pets need more care than others, but none of them can manage on their own. This is why it’s so important to understand how to take care of your pet responsibly before you get one, no matter what type of animal you’re choosing. Read on to find out more.
Exercise
Your pet is going to need exercise, and although you might automatically think of dogs when you consider this point, the fact is that all animals need exercise in order to stay fit and healthy. Dogs are easy to exercise as long as you make the time to take them for a walk at least once, and ideally twice, every day. You’ll need to do this whatever the weather and no matter what else you have to do.
Other animals are trickier to exercise – you can’t take a small rodent out for a walk, for example, and cats and fish are hard to exercise as well. However, it can be done, and the best option is to play with them. Not only will this stimulate your pet’s mind and stop them from being bored, but when they play and run (or swim or fly etc.), they’re getting exercise at the same time. This is fun and healthy for them, but the added bonus is that it is fun and healthy for you too.
Training
In order for your pet to get the most out of life, you’ll need to ensure you put effort into training them. Again, dogs are what you will usually think of first, but all animals can be trained to some degree.
Even if the only training you can do is to ensure your pet doesn’t jump up or scratch the furniture, or that they don’t bite when you want to cuddle them, this is a good start. If you want them to do more, professional classes, such as those with horse trainer Clinton Anderson, could be a good option. What you shouldn’t do is just leave them without any training at all – this will cause problems around the home, and rather than enjoying time with your pet, you’ll simply get frustrated.
Food
Although it might seem like an easy option to simply give your pet some leftover food from your own plate, this could be very harmful indeed. Many animals cannot digest human food, and this is why there is specialist food available. Especially if you have a puppy, you must feed him with quality food supplements such as puppy milk.
You’ll need to ensure that you have thoroughly researched the type of food your pet needs, whether it is a dog, cat, snake, rat, horse, fish, parrot, or anything else. Everything will need different food, and more than that, everything will need different food at different stages of its life. Puppies and kittens will eat different food to dogs and cats, for example.
Plus, when your pet is sick or old or potentially has an allergy, there is more to think about. A vet will be able to give you the best advice as to what to feed your animal, and it’s best to stick to that advice to keep them as happy and healthy as possible.
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