5 Ways In Which Dog Training Differs from Raising a Cat
Dogs and cats are very common pets that are raised in many households. There are some similarities between both species of animals, since both are mammals that give birth to their young ones, both have fur on their body, and both are hunters in their own way. These similarities make most of their owners think that it’s possible to train them in a similar way. However, there are many differences between the two animals that make them two totally different creatures. For example, the cat is an animal from the family of felines, while the dog belongs to the family of canines. If you are still wondering about how dog training differs from raising a cat, then you should keep reading.
5 Ways In Which Dog Training Differs from Raising a Cat
Teaching Tricks
The first thing that you must know is that dogs are more obedient to humans than cats and they respond to your commands promptly. That’s why you often see dogs do several tricks such as roll over, shake hands, play dead, sit down, etc. However, you would never see a cat perform these tricks. While raising your cat, you shouldn’t expect her to learn these tricks or to obey your commands like a dog does, it’s not their cup of tea. Cats aren’t wired to do such things. However, train your dog in doing these tricks and you could get great results.
Bathroom Behavior
Cats are mainly indoor animals and they can stay at home for long hours, whereas dogs generally need more access to outdoors and are often not as happy staying inside for long periods of time. That’s why cats are better housetrained naturally when compared to dogs. This is visible when you are teaching them bathroom behavior. You will find that cats start using the litter box very quickly as you bring it in your home. However, dogs take a longer time to housebreak. With some dogs the time taken to teach them housebreaking can be a good bit more than with cats.
Social Behavior
Dogs like to move in packs and cats like to live alone. That’s why the owners of these animals know that dogs needs owners to spend more time with them, when compared to owners of cat. Therefore, when you are teaching your pet to socialize properly, you should be prepared that your cat would take more time to get accustomed to strangers than your dog does. How many times have you visited a friend who has a cat that hides when visitors arrive? Probably more often than the same situation with a dog.
Night Behavior
Nothing could be more annoying than a pet who wakes you up during the middle of the night. Dogs are day animals and like to roam during daytime, but cats are nocturnal and like to roam during the night. Therefore, chances of dogs sleeping in the night and not making any noise are much higher when compared to cats. If you have a cat, it would take you more time to train a cat to stay quiet at night time.
Eating Habits
It’s true that dogs are always ready to eat and they usually stare at you when you are eating and they are waiting to be fed. Dogs can be trained to overcome this habit, but you should know that dogs have better tolerance to lack of food, when compared to cats. This is because dogs reserve fat in a better way for later use than cats do. Therefore, while training cats you be especially careful to never deprive them of food.
Conclusion
Differences between cats and dogs are many, and each difference has its own effect on the way you need to train these animals. However, both species respond to the affection and love of their owners and offer unique and rewarding relationships with their human families. And if you plan to live with both cats and dogs, it is very helpful to remember that training and behavior is different for each.