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New Year’s Resolutions for My Furry Friend
Are you a pet parent who wants to include your canine or feline in your New Year’s Resolutions? As we say goodbye to 2023 and prepare for 2024, we should make the coming year even better for our furry friends.
Some New Year’s resolutions for your dog or cat should include prioritizing preventative care for your pets. Take them to their annual check-up, create a routine for dental care, and keep your pet at a healthy weight. Exercise and enrichment are also crucial to their overall well-being.
Spending more time with our pets will strengthen our bond with them and let them know how cherished they are. This article will help you determine New Year’s resolutions that will benefit you and your pets.
Resolutions for the New Year
The resolutions we make are difficult to keep. We tend to make resolutions for ourselves with the best intentions and not follow through. However, when it comes to our pets, it is a labor of love. We want to make our pet’s lives better and help them thrive. Some New Year’s resolutions:
Make Preventative Care a Priority
Part of giving your canine or feline companion another amazing year involves taking care of their health. Preventative care for your pet is to help them live a long, healthy life. This entails:
- Annual vet visits
- Regular exercise
- Proper nutrition
- Dental care routine
Preventive care may also include heartworm, flea, and tick prevention. Helping your pet maintain their weight can be accomplished with a vet-approved diet and plenty of physical activity.
Exercise Keeps Your Pet Healthy and Strong
Exercising with your pet is a wonderful way to bond with them. It’s easy to get your pup outside and moving. You could take more time to walk your dog. They love the natural smell of the fresh air and taking in the scenery.
Take your pup for a leisurely stroll around the neighborhood, or go to the dog park and play a rousing game of fetch. The outdoors is something you both can enjoy. Cats need to satisfy their predatory instincts. These toys are ideal for your feline companion:
- Toy mice
- Food puzzle
- Laser pointer
- Cat feather wand
Remember, your cat is a hunter, and any toy you can use to simulate the thrill, chase, catch, and “kill bite” of your ferocious little lion will help them indulge their predatory nature.
Enrichment is Vital to Your Pet’s Well-Being
Your dog or cat needs to perform daily activities that stimulate their mind. Mental enrichment is essential for pets. Food puzzles are delightful and encourage dogs to entertain themselves. Fill a KONG toy with peanut butter and watch your playful pup have a blast.
Snuffle mats are also fun for dogs. You can hide small toys or treats in the mat and help your canine companion find them. Your dog will get to use their nose to “hunt” for the goodie. It teaches them “scent work,” and it is an activity that the two of you can do together.
Teach Your Pet Tricks
Teaching your pet new tricks helps build positive reinforcement with your dog or cat and encourages bonding. Dogs should know basic commands like “sit” or “come.” However, there are several fun tricks you can teach them that will strengthen the relationship between the two of you. Not to mention, you and your best friend can impress your guests and be the life of the party:
- Sit pretty
- Roll- over
- Wave paw
- Shake paws
“Sit pretty” is when your dog balances on their back legs and raises their front legs as they sit down. The posture is adorable, and you can go a step further by teaching them to sit pretty while walking on their hind legs.
You can even teach your furry feline a trick or two. You can purchase a clicker training kit for your cat and introduce the clicker sound by making the “click” sound as you treat your cat. They will learn to associate the clicker with a reward. You teach them the command and click when they perform the behavior.
You may also want to check out a fun book called “Brain Games for Cats” by Claire Arrowsmith. It shows you unique ways to
“build a loving bond with your cat through games and challenges.”
Cuddle Together
One of the sweetest parts of having a pet is when the two of you snuggle up together on the couch or drift off to dreamland, cozily cuddling with your dog or cat in your bed. Being close to your pet, whether through cuddling or even petting them, releases oxytocin. Oxytocin is often nick-named the “love hormone.” This helps you create more positive interactions with your furry friend, and it’s good for both of you.
Conclusion
New Year’s is a time of reflection and contemplation as we determine what changes must be made to improve our lives. It’s the end of the year, and soon comes another one. Make your pets part of the tradition by showing them how much you adore them. Our pets give us so much; we should make this a year to give them as much love as possible.
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