It’s always a good time to try to improve yourself. The new year offers a time that many of us choose to set goals that we work on during the months ahead. One part of your life that you can try to improve in the coming year can involve your pets. Whether you want to improve yourself as a pet owner or if you have goals specifically for your pet, now is as good a time as any to get started.
Balance Ambitious and Realistic Goals
It’s good to shoot for the stars. Big goals can motivate us to excel. When setting goals, it’s good to find the right balance for you when it comes to being ambitious and realistic. One way to do that is to break larger goals into smaller milestones that you can achieve along the way. That way, if you don’t quite reach the finish line, you can still look back at what you did accomplish. It also makes those big goals more approachable from the start.
Another technique could involve thinking of your goal along a continuum. Think about what the biggest achievement in that area could be versus the smallest. Then you can find something in between that might suit you best. For you personally, it would be like taking up running in the new year. The ultimate goal could be running a marathon, while something between that and being able to run a mile could be running a 5k or 10k, or just getting out and running on a regular basis.
Make Sure Your Goals Are Appropriate
When it comes to setting goals for your pet, make sure it’s appropriate for them. One great goal to set is to walk your dog everyday in the coming year. It’s a great habit for both of you. Before starting something like that, talk with your veterinarian to set a plan that is appropriate for your pet’s health. You might need to start slow to build up to longer and more frequent walks.
Reward Your Pet and Yourself
Make working on your goals fun. Take time to reward your pet, and yourself, for a job well done. Each time you reach a milestone or do something positive that moves you closer to your goal, give your pet some love and maybe a healthy treat. You both deserve a reward, and it makes the process more enjoyable.
Go Easy on Yourself
We all come up short on goals we set. The key to making progress is to not beat yourself up when you don’t accomplish as much as you’d like. If you miss a few walks or training sessions, don’t get down. Just think about what you might be able to change to help you reach your target next time and try to do better.
Need help thinking of good New Year’s Resolutions for your pet? Talk with your vet. You can use health and behavior recommendations based on your pet’s health history to formulate positive goals for your pet. Then you can get started.