Aug/Sep 75
Behaviour and training Breed feature | PETS | PETS
http://www.facebook.com/petsmagazine August 75
LETHARGIC KITTY
Q:
Dear PETS, my Ragdoll, Princess, has
started to become quite lethargic. She
was never exactly an athlete, but she used to
want to play with me for an hour or so every day
(roughly). Now I’m lucky if I get half an hour in
the evenings. She’s nine, so is it just that she’s
getting older? Or could there be another reason
behind her decreased play drive?
From Sydney, via emailA:
Dear Sydney, with any
noticeable change in
behaviour in our pets, it’s very
important to have them checked
by your vet to rule out any physical
or medical reason. If an animal is in
pain or not feeling well, they tend to
become less active. Being nine, she
may be experiencing some joint pain,
especially in the cooler months and
it’s worth mentioning this to your
vet. Once Princess gets a clean bill of
health from your vet, you can be sure
the change is behavioural.
Ragdolls, by name and by nature,
are very docile cats that prefer to
spend most of their day snoozing
and relaxing rather than running
around and playing. Also, kittens andyoung cats tend to be much more active and playful
compared to adult cats. You could try encouraging
Princess to play more by rewarding her with her
favourite treats when she does play with you and
with her toys. With repetition, Princess will learn to
associate her toys with a pleasurable experience
and be more likely to want to play with them.
You can also try buying her some new toys and
experimenting with some diff erent varieties to fi nd
out if she prefers playing with a particular type,
such as balls, fi shing rod toys or catnip toys.RABBIT TRICKS
Q:
Dear Dr Kate, I have a black Mini
Lop rabbit called Bramble. He is one
and a half years old. He is very cuddly and
docile, but I haven’t been able to train him.
I wanted to train him to do tricks and rabbit
agility and I even made him a little jump,
only about 6cm high, but Bramble won’t
do it. I’ve tried various foods and treats
but when I put the treat in front of him, he
doesn’t even realise it’s there. Everything
I’ve read says that Mini Lops are easy to
train to do tricks and agility. Is there any
way to train Bramble? Or is it just part of
his nature that I can’t train him?
From Kelsie, via emailA:
Hi Kelsie, it’s fantastic to hear that you’re
trying to train Bramble. Every animal
can be trained but some can be a little harder
than others. Dogs tend to be very easily trained
because they have a desire to please us. Rabbits
don’t share this same desire so successful
training requires a bit more eff ort on our part. It’s
important you use positive reinforcement when
training Bramble. This involves rewarding desired
behaviour and ignoring unwanted behaviour.
If you use punishment or force Bramble to do
things he does not want to, he will likely avoid
you or not be interested in taking part in training.
Another important step is choosing rewards
that Bramble really likes, not just rewards you
think he likes. Experiment with a variety of special
treats to discover which ones are his favourites.,,,,Any change in your pet’s behaviour, such as increased
lethargy, should be spoken about with your vet.PLF070_pg074-075_Naughty or nice.indd 75PLF070_pg074-075_Naughty or nice.indd 75 27/06/2017 4:00:29 PM27/06/2017 4:00:29 PM