So you’ve indulged your Sims with a new pet! Your Sims’ lives are sure to be richer for it. Now you’re looking to master the nuances of Create a Pet or maybe you’re searching for tips on how to teach your Sims’ dog new tricks. Read on to get some helpful tips that are tail-waggingly good..

Pets with Personalities

Pets are not limited to a certain number of traits. They start out with three, but they’ll have more or less depending on their training. Your Sims can reinforce traits in their pets. For instance, if Scout scratches his scratching post, your Sim can praise him for being non-destructive (because he scratched where he should). If Rocky knocks over the trash bin and decides to play in the contents, your Sim can scold him for be being piggy. Make sure your Sims reinforce good behavior (or behavior that they want to reinforce), and scold those that they want to discourage.

Horseplay

Sims with the Equestrian trait will be the closest to their horses. They build long-term relationships with horses faster, learn to ride sooner, and can teach their horses to race and jump faster. They also get the Horse Playtime! positive moodlet when interacting with horses.

Horses with the Agile trait make excellent jumpers. Horses with the Fast trait make the best racehorses.

Puppy Love

Dogs also have a hidden Hygiene need. Dogs don’t really care if they get Grungy or Smelly, but their Sims may become Disgusted.

Keep your dogs’ dishes filled so they can eat whenever they’re hungry. This helps keep them from digging in the garbage.

For the Birds

Teaching a bird to talk gives Sims not only a talking bird, but Charisma skill as well. And, the higher the Sim’s Charisma, the faster the bird learns to talk!

Beware of the bird! If your Sim tries to handle a large bird while it is mad at them, hungry, or tired, they may get bitten!