Is Your Pet Ignoring You?

When you come home at night and open the door, are you disappointed because you don't hear that yelp, bark or purr that you were expecting? Where is the wagging tail, or lick on your face that you expect? Does your pet stay in his or her favorite place, hardly noticing that you are home.

You are being ignored my friend, make no mistake about it. Your pet is showing you that it is unhappy about something that you have done, or worse yet, something that you haven't done. I know it is embarrassing to admit, but many of us have gotten the silent treatment from our four legged friends. The truth is it is probably our own fault.

We expect too much from our pets. They are not really our best friends. They are too dependent on us to be best friends. What they need from us is care, love, and most of all direction. They have to know what we expect from them. You can talk to them all you want, but they will not understand what you are saying. They will understand whether you are happy, sad, or mad at them depending on the sound of your voice and the emotion you show.

It is our job to let out pets know what we expect from them. They have to learn not to mess up the house. They have to learn not to bark so loud that they disturb the neighbors. They have to learn when they can expect to go out to do their business or when the litter basket will be changed.

It is our job to teach them these things, and that they can depend on a routine that we will do our best to stick to, and yes, they have to receive lots of love from us almost all of the time, except of course when they are bad.

In short, they have to learn the rules, and you have to teach them. You can't really palm this off to an instructor. They need to learn these things from you. It is you that they are going to have to take direction from almost all of the time.

Have you ever seen a dog fretting and pacing up and down when it is tied up in front of a store while the owner is inside shopping? The poor animal has no way of knowing that the owner will be back shortly. All it knows is that the owner went away and tied him or her up. How sad it is to see an animal who is so dependent on you feel so insecure and lonely. You have to take the time to reassure your animal that you will be right back.

When you leave them at home and go out, you have to reassure them that you will be back. They won't understand what you say, but they will understand the tone of your voice. Take the time to reassure them.

A word about going on vacation and leaving your dog or cat at the vets, please don't do it if you can take them with you. They won't understand. That's why when you come home they ignore you. As far as they were concerned you were out of their lives. You left them. You were gone. They have no way of knowing you were coming back.

If you develop a normal routine that your pets can count on they will feel secure. Then they will be happy, and when they are happy they will be able to show you more affection.

Let's never forget that our pets are loving creatures that depend on us for their very survival. Don't forget to give them what they need: a kind and caring secure environment, a set of rules they can depend on, and lots of love. When you find the right formula, you won't be annoyed when your pets look the other way and ignore you. They won't be doing that any more. They will be waiting excitedly for that door to open, and the sound and smell of their master who has come home to take care of them and give them lots of love and attention.