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Jealousy: Dealing with a Jealous Pet

jealousy, jealous pet, dog

Just like you, your pet will experience different emotions on different days. After a long walk to the park, your dog might feel exhausted and happy. If you scolded your dog for being disobedient, it might tuck its tail under and sulk in the corner. One emotion that animals can experience is jealousy. Jealousy can be directed toward a new pet in the house or a new family member, such as a newborn infant.

While jealousy is normal in most circumstances, pet parents should know how to address this issue before it becomes a larger problem.

Tips for Dealing with a Jealous Pet

If you are introducing a new family member into the home, furry or otherwise, follow the below steps to help ease potential jealousy.

Equal Affection

If you’ve recently brought a new pet into the home, be sure to split up your time evenly between pets. Although it’s tempting to focus on your new family member, your established pet needs equal time.

If you spend 30 minutes training a new puppy, be sure to spend 30 minutes playing exclusively with your cat. Likewise, if you reward your new puppy with a tasty treat, like a NuVet Plus wafer, make sure you treat your other pet as well.

When your cat knows that you will still spend time with them, their feelings of jealousy will likely subside quicker.

Boundaries

Establish boundaries for the new addition in your home. For instance, if you have brought home a new puppy and your first dog is feeling jealous, be sure to keep their toys separate.

Do not allow the new puppy to gnaw on the first dog’s toys. The same goes for when a new baby arrives — be sure that the dog and the baby have their own play things, and try to establish proper social boundaries.

Stick to Routine

Try to avoid disrupting your original pet’s routine. Pets can become quite accustomed to their routine, and it helps them to feel safe and secure.

If you bring home a new pet or baby, try to make sure that your first pet stays on the same schedule. Abiding by the same schedule will help your original pet maintain a sense of normalcy. The less change to your first pet’s everyday life, the less it will feel like its life has been disrupted.

Quality Time

Be sure to spend some alone time each day with your original pet. In many cases, a jealous pet simply wants more attention from its owner. By giving your first pet special time with just you, it won’t be as apt to jealousy of another pet or baby in the house.

Take your dog for a walk, or spend time scratching your cat’s belly. Make it a priority to fit in a few minutes of uninterrupted time with your pet each day.

A Healthy Pet

Of course, it’s important to keep your pet’s mind, body and spirit healthy at all times. The best way to do this is to add a pet nutritional supplement, such as NuVet Plus, to their diet.

This specialized formula is created with the highest-quality ingredients, and will ensure that all your pet’s nutritional needs are met. To find out more about the benefits of NuVet Plus and NuJoint Plus, follow NuVet Labs on Facebook today.

Why Exercise Is Important For Your Pet

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Just like your human family members, your new pet needs plenty of exercise in order to live a healthy, happy life. However, it’s important to recognize your new addition’s limits. Then, you can develop an exercise routine that is appropriate for your puppy or kitten’s size, breed and temperament.

Your veterinarian can help you create an exercise routine that is beneficial for everyone in your home. Proper exercise can help diminish destructive behavior, avoid hyperactivity, develop good social skills, improve sleeping habits and allow your pet to maintain a healthy weight.

Beginning to Exercise

There are a few key things you must consider before beginning an exercise routine with your new puppy or kitten. For starters, you must make sure that both you and your pet are in good shape to exercise. You may want to consider a slight warm-up routine before you start with the rigorous exercise program.

For instance, start your puppy off by letting it run in circles a few times before taking a short walk. When you are done exercising, you will want to let your pet stretch a bit in order to prevent injury. Hold out a treat in front of your animal in order to make them take a bow and stretch their muscles.

Note that you can exercise your dog or kitten both indoors and outdoors. It is just important to choose a spot that is safe and comfortable for you and your pet. You don’t need a lot of supplies in order to work out with your pet — simply invest in a leash if you are taking your dog outdoors or buy a few toys that might stimulate some activity.

Exercise Tips for Puppies

  • Talk to your veterinarian about types of exercise that would be beneficial for your new pet. For example, a pug has a short and flat nose and might have a difficult time breathing on an extended walk or during vigorous exercise. Likewise, young puppies should not go on walks that are too long, as their bones are still growing and developing.
  • Include brain exercise routines to help develop your new puppy’s mental skills. Puzzle toys are perfect for helping your dog learn how to find treats and explore appropriate spaces. For example, a Kong is a common puzzle toy. This toy allows you as the pet owner to store a treat in the Kong toy. Your dog will have to think about how it will retrieve the snack. It not only keeps your dog occupied, but also provides your pet with mental stimulation.
  • Disguise exercise with fun play activities. A daily dose of playing will help you bond with your puppy, as well as get them to use up some of their excess energy. Fetch is always a great choice, and also teaches your dog a few things about obedience along the way.

Exercise Tips for Kittens

  • Kittens will get most of their exercise through play activities, and you should make it a point to play with your cat at different intervals throughout the day. At a minimum, cats should receive about 10-15 minutes of one-on-one play time with you.
  • Consider purchasing a scratch post or climbing tree for your new kitten. These toys encourage them to stretch their new muscles and develop good habits. A scratch post gives them an appropriate place to use their claws. It also helps file down the sharp points on their claws.
  • Be your kitten’s play mate. Remember, your cat’s no longer with its siblings, which help to teach it a lot of its social skills. Let your kitten romp with you, and gently let your new pet know when it is playing too rough.

In addition to developing a well-rounded exercise routine for your pet, you also need to make sure all of their nutritional needs are being met. Choosing a healthy pet food with plenty of protein is a good start, but don’t forget to include pet nutrition supplements such as the one’s offered by NuVet Labs. The NuVet puppy and kitten supplements are designed to enhance your pet’s diet to ensure it is getting all of the essential vitamins and minerals, allowing it to have the best start in life.