Making New Year's resolutions for your pets – Spectrum News

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Plenty of humans make New Year’s resolutions, but have you ever thought about making one for your pet?
Charlotte dog trainers say it’s something to consider.
 
What You Need To Know
 
Sharon and Shawn Gantkowski opened the Charlotte franchise Dog Training Elite three years ago.
They say your pet’s health should be top of mind, and one of the easiest things you can do is take your dog for a walk every day.
“Animals are vessels of energy and that energy has to be displaced somewhere," Shawn Gantkowski said. “So whether it’s destructive chewing, whether it’s aggression, whether it’s fear reactivity, lunging at other dogs aggressively, biting, nipping. All the things that we want to rationalize as just normal dog behavior is really just pent up frustration, underemployment.”
“They need physical exercise, they need mental stimulation and they need structured leadership,” Shawn Gantkowski added. “In our experience, the walk is so profound in providing all three of those pieces.”
The Gantkowskis say they’ve seen a lot of clients with pandemic pets, and if your pet isn’t used to the outside world, training can help.
“Getting them out, not just working with your dog, is super important so that they build that, that trust in you,” Sharon Gantkowski said. “So that they see you as that, that leader, and then just getting them out there at like Lowe’s and Home Depot, places that are pet friendly, so that you can help show them the world.”
Learn more on Dog Training Elite’s website. 

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