How to Know if Your Pet Has a Favorite Person

There are typically two different kinds of people in the world – those who prefers dogs and those who prefer cats. No matter what kind of pet you have, you want to be their favorite, right? Of course, we all know that pets have favorites, but is there a way to know who their favorite person is?

How does a pet pick their favorite person and what can you do to make sure that it’s you? It comes down to attention, positive association, socialization, and personality. It is important to keep in mind that every pet is different, but most factors apply to all pets!

Socialization

Pets like cats and dogs will typically bond the most with whoever takes care of them during the first six months of their life. During this time, their brains are super receptive and early social experiences are extremely important for their development. You need to make sure your pet has positive interactions with not only you and your home, but other people and places, too.

If you adopt your pet at an age older than six months, don’t worry. You can still become their favorite through continued socialization. With dogs, it is important to play with them and take them on nice walks as a bonding exercise.

Attention and Affection

Pets will also bond closely with those who give them the most attention. For example, a dog or cat might bond most with whoever fills their food bowl and takes them on walks. Pets can pick up on your energy, so if you are nervous around a pet for some reason, the pet will be nervous around you.

You also need to make sure you aren’t just giving them a lot of attention, but a lot of quality attention. If your cat likes to lay on your chest, then it will be extremely happy when you allow it to do so. If your dog wants to lay across your lap for pets, let them!

Positive Association

Dogs especially will pick favorites based on positive associations. For example, if you give your dog treats for being good, they will associate you with happy treats. This will strengthen the bond between the two of you.

When it comes to cats, positive association is more like positive reinforcement. You want to reward your cat for coming over to you. This will make them aware that you are pretty cool, and they will begin to come to you more willingly.

Personality

Your personality and that of your pet will need to mesh if you want to become their favorite. Dogs will usually pick a favorite person based on how close the personality of that person is to their own. They want the same energy level or level of reserve.

Every cat is different, and pretty unpredictable, when it comes to their personality. This can be extra tricky when you adopt a cat that is older, but they are easy to learn. If you watch a cat’s body language, you can learn what they like and what they don’t. You can learn their personality and what you need to do to mesh with them.

Conclusion

If you are wondering how you can tell who your pet’s favorite person is, there are a few things that come into play. These factors are socialization, affection, personality, and positive association. You need to learn your pet as they learn you in order to mesh together.

If you are trying to become your pet’s favorite person, you can never go wrong with some treats! This will help them associate with you positively and they will want to be around you!