The Sims 4: Cats & Dogs
Training furry friends in The Sims 4: Cats and Dogs is fun and keeps wild pets tamed, so here’s how to train pets.
Pets are a beloved part of many households worldwide, and players can share that joy with their Sims with The Sims 4: Cats & Dogs. As the name insinuates, the Expansion pack only has cats and dogs as pet options. Players can have other pets like hamsters, hedgehogs, rodents, llamas, and cows with DLC content, but cats and dogs are the only animals that count towards a household limit. Sims can interact with their domesticated pets in fun ways, including playing with them, dressing them up, and training them.
Training cats and dogs is optional, but it has perks. The methods differ for each animal, but adequately trained pets can learn to be friendly to strangers, minimize household destruction, or do cute tricks. So whether Sims have one pet, run an animal shelter, or love all things animals, here’s how they can harness their pet training skills in The Sims 4: Cats & Dogs.
Pet Training Skill
Training dogs is more accessible than cats, but they have a more complex system. Whenever Sims train their dogs, they earn a new minor Pet Training Skill that they can maximize at level 5. The Pet Training skill consists of standard tricks, and as Sims level their skill, they can teach their dogs more tricks. These tricks mainly focus on social interactions rather than animal behaviors. Pet Training is a lot like teaching toddlers skills, and Sims can keep working on a trick consistently until their dog has mastered it. A breakdown of the Pet Training skill goes as follows:
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Pet Training Level 1 |
Sims can train dogs to Sit, Speak, Fetch, Roll Over, Lie Down, and show off their pets to other Sims. |
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Pet Training Level 2 |
Sims can train dogs to Heel, Shake, and Play Dead, |
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Pet Training Level 3 |
Sims can send their dogs to go exploring. |
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Pet Training Level 4 |
Sims can show off their pet’s tricks to others and command their dogs to attack. |
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Pet Training Level 5 |
Sims can have their dogs perform tricks for Sims and can train dogs faster. |
Cat and Dog Behavioral Training
Sims can also teach their pets manners and house etiquette. This type of training is separate from the Pet Training skill and affects cats and dogs both. It takes a little more time and is on a case-by-case basis rather than something Sims can do one time. While behavioral training is similar for cats and dogs, there are differences.
Pet behavior varies and depends on what traits they have. Pet traits include the following:
Dog Exclusive Traits
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Icon |
Trait |
Description |
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Active |
These dogs are very energetic. They really like running and enjoy frequent walks. |
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Adventurous |
These dogs will sometimes leave the house to go on solo adventures but are also happy to adventure with their owner. |
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Aggressive |
These dogs will be more hostile when greeting others and might attack unless properly trained. |
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Couch Potato |
These dogs are low-energy creatures that like to relax and unwind with their owners rather than run around. |
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Hairy |
These dogs will leave hair piles lying around. Brush their fur to keep things tidy! |
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Hunter |
These dogs are easily frightened and like to hide more often. As a result, they will often shy away from things like fights. |
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Independent |
These dogs are less likely to need constant affection and can even walk themselves. |
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Jumpy |
These dogs are easily frightened and like to hide more often. They will often shy away from things like fights. |
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Loyal |
These dogs want to be closer to their owners and love to be pet. They like to follow their owners around. |
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Playful |
These dogs love toys and want to play all the time, even when they’re not excited. |
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Sleuth |
These dogs are naturally more curious and like to investigate different objects around the house. |
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Smart |
These bright dogs are easier to train and pick up tricks quickly. They might even understand Simlish! |
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Stubborn |
These dogs don’t like being told what to do. Scolding doesn’t do much to change their misbehavior, but you can try begging them to stop. |
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Troublemaker |
These dogs are always up to no good. They will often misbehave and can even be encouraged to do so. |
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Vocal |
These dogs like to howl occasionally and can even sing on command. |
Cat Exclusive Traits
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Icon |
Trait |
Description |
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Affectionate |
These cats really love their owners. They’ll try to stick close to them whenever possible. |
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Aloof |
These cats don’t need owners; they’re just here for free food. |
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Clever |
These cats are fast learners, and some say that they c even understand Simlish when spoken to! |
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Curious |
These cats are more curious about their surroundings. They like to search different objects around the house. |
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Fluffy |
These cats are more fluffy than normal! They’ll hack up hairballs more often. |
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Free Spirit |
These cats enjoy wandering around the world, almost as if they were wild animals! But don’t worry, they’ll always come home for food. |
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Frisky |
These cats are more active than other cats. They really like to pounce and run around. |
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Lazy |
These cats really enjoy their catnaps. They are less likely to jump from place to place since it takes too much effort. |
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Mischievous |
These cats are always up to no good! They will often misbehave and can even be encouraged to do so. |
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Playful |
These pets love toys and want to play all the time, even when they’re not excited. |
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Prowler |
These cats enjoy prowling around the neighborhood. Send them out, and they might come back with something they’ve found. |
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Skittish |
These cats are scared of everything. Okay well, almost everything. They also like to hide a lot. |
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Spoiled |
These cats are spiled creatures. Scolding them hardly ever changes their behavior. |
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Talkative |
These cats love to yowl along with other Sims. They’ll even try to sing upon request. |
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Territorial |
These cats are fairly protective of their territory. They will be aggressive to anyone new they meet. |
Cat and Dog Traits
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Icon |
Trait |
Description |
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Friendly |
These pets tend to be friendly towards Sims, and will happily greet other Sims around them. |
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Glutton |
These pets will eat significantly more often, and much more messily. |
Dogs and cats in the Sims are just like animals in real life, and without proper social and behavioral training, they can exhibit a wilder personality type. Sims will occasionally catch their dogs doing things like going potty inside, drinking from the toilet, getting in the trash, barking at Sims, and other unruly behaviors. Cats, on the other hand, are prone to jumping on counters and scratching furniture. While those aren’t the only misbehaviors pets will do, Sims can teach them better manners so they aren’t disruptive.
Anytime a pet is doing any unwanted action, Sims get the social interaction to lecture or scold them. Do this enough times, and eventually, the pet will learn not to do that action. Lecturing animals is a friendly social interaction; they react with curiosity until the behavior is unlearned. On the other hand, scolding pets does not garnish the same feeling and is a mean interaction that makes pets dislike the Sim. However, either method works for stopping the bad behavior.
The Sims 4: Cats and Dogs is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, and Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S.
