5 Tips For Pet-Friendly Apartment Living
Apartment living provides residents with access to many of life’s modern conveniences. With little home maintenance, easy access to stores and shops, and community amenities, it’s no surprise that apartment living is becoming increasingly popular! However, taking care of pets in an apartment can be a difficult transition. If you live in an apartment with pets, here are a few pointers to help you both enjoy apartment living as much as possible!
Learn The Neighborhood:
Just because you don’t have your own yard, doesn’t mean there isn’t anywhere for Fido to run free! Charlottesville offers many dog parks and dog-friendly paths and trails for you both to enjoy! Such as:
Discover what’s in your neighborhood and make a routine of visiting these parks to help get your four-legged friend plenty of exercise.
Keep A Routine:
Establishing a routine can help your pet adjust to apartment living more smoothly. Try to feed your pets at the same time every day, play around at the same time, and take them outside at the same times each day. This can help your pet learn when it’s playtime when it’s potty time, and when it’s time to settle down. Establishing a routine can help potty breaks go faster and avoid accidents since your pet knows when to expect their next walk.
Provide Entertainment:
Boredom is one of the common causes of destructive pet behaviors, such as chewing on doors or tearing at carpets. Keeping your pet adequately entertained while you are home and away is a great way to avoid boredom, anxiety, and potentially destructive behaviors. Try taking your dog on a walk around the neighborhood before you leave work to help them expel excess energy. Leaving them a chewy bone, Kong toy, or puzzle ball with food inside is a great way to keep them occupied while you’re not home. If you have to crate your dog before leaving home, giving them a favorite toy or bone to have in their crate can help them enjoy the time more. Long stretches of boring crate time may cause anxiety and crate avoidance, which will only make crate time harder for both of you!
If you have a cat, provide them with their own scratching post or cat tree to climb on to avoid clawing on furniture or curtains. Playing with your cat nightly before you go to bed can help reset their ‘hunting clock’ and avoid those 3 AM zoomies!
Equip Yourself:
Many tools and gadgets are making pet-friendly apartment living easier than ever. Poop bag holders for Fido’s leash ensure that you never leave home without your bags. Self-cleaning litter boxes reduce pet odor as well as the chore of cleaning out the litter box. Washable couch covers make cleaning the furniture a breeze! While you may not need every new gadget at the pet store, investing in a few tools that make apartment living with pets easier can be a worthwhile investment!
Top Up On Training:
Training can do a lot more than just improve your pet’s behavior. It can also teach you how to communicate with your pets, how to recognize when something is wrong, and how to better understand your pet’s specific needs. Training is as important for the pet parent as it is for the pet!
Training can not only reduce unwanted behaviors like barking, jumping, destructive tendencies, aggression towards other animals, and much more but can also help your pet be happier and more confident, once they know you understand their wants and needs.
You can find training classes at many pet stores, private classes, or self-teaching guides and tutorials online. With any new habit, consistency is key! Make training time part of your daily routine to achieve the best results.
If you share an apartment with a pet, keep in mind that it is their home as well as yours! Following these suggestions can make your cohabitation as purr-fect as paw-sible!
Looking for pet-friendly apartments in Charlottesville, Virginia? Look no further than Treesdale Apartments! Treesdale provides spacious, pet-friendly apartments in the heart of Charlottesville.