Learning New Tricks

My eldercat, Bear, is the best dog trainer I have ever known. She refuses to run from any dog of any size and has always been quick to teach any and all newcomers the first rule of cat ... that she was here first and she rules. Like many old school girls, she is the iron fist in the velvet glove. From the moment each newcomer has set foot though the door, Bear has been quick to let them know their place in the scheme of things. She understands instinctively how important it is for everyone to get off on the right paw.

And like many old school gals, her age is a mystery .... fourteen years ago when Bear wandered in my vet thought that she was at least two or three. Happily in catspeak that should mean there is no imminent cause for concern, especially as this years checkup was still full of good news. I am still surprised when people hesitate to adopt an eight year old cat because they don't realize that a well cared for cat can live to be twenty or more.

Now I'm no spring chicken myself, so I bring a little bit of my own experience about pets to the table. But some of the best lessons I've learned are the ones Bear has taught me. She is quick to let any 'new kids' know their role in her 'pack' and never changes her ground rules. She gets respect because she expects to be respected. And most importantly, she is patient and willing to spend whatever time is needed with each 'new kid' to achieve her desired results.

Whether it was teaching Clive not to disturb her beauty sleep or reminding Ruby not to chase her, Bear stayed the course until the lesson was learned. Judging by the occasional wee scratch on Henry's nose, he is still learning not to stick his cold nose on her butt : ))))
Which is why I am always put out to hear tales of adopters giving up before they ever really get started on the road with their new pets. My friend Joan has a great page on her Charlie Loves Halifax site called How to Be a Benevolent Alpha, http://charlieloveshalifax.ca/benevolent.html. As the local rep for Dogs Deserve Better, she has often passed out the articles on adopting a dog that has been chained or penned http://www.dogsdeservebetter.com/rehab.html
All relationships take work if they are going to last ... its unrealistic to expect to successfully bring home a new pet of any age without investing the time and energy.
I am fifty four years old and so I have learned that the most successful people in life are the ones who are willing to learn 'new tricks'. These are the folks who understand that they do not know everything. Their willingness to learn is what sets them apart.
At some point in every pet owners life they are a rookie. The great pet owners are the ones who have been, and are still, willing to 'learn new tricks" There is a wealth of support information available for anyone bringing home any new pet of any age:

• There has been a lot of great info gathered by the Education committee on the society webpage, http://www.spcans.ca/resources/animal_welfare.html
• http://www.bestfriends.org/theanimals/petcare/
• There are great pet training videos on Petfinder http://www.petfinder.com/training.html
• CFHS has a great section on adopting http://cfhs.ca/athome/
• And of course obedience training... which is actually more about training the pet owner than the pet : )))

No matter what age you are, how can you expect your pets to learn new tricks if you won't?