Skill (pet)

As with Sims, pets have skills as well.

The Sims
As with Sims, pets have skills as well. However, theirs are unsurprisingly different. Both cats and dogs have two common skills, as as well as one unique one each. They are as follows:


 * Tricks: Your pet, be it cat or dog, can learn a few tricks. When your pet is in a good mood, have your Sim teach it some tricks. Naturally, when it first starts practicing, it will be abysmal, but the more practice it gets, the more tricks it will be able to do. Soon, your dog will be crouching, lying down, and if you're lucky, performing back flips all over the house. If you can't be bothered teaching your dog or cat some tricks, you can always pay the pet trainer in Old Town a few Simoleons to do it for you.


 * Obedience: No matter how loyal your pet is, it will only follow your every command if its Obedience skill is high. The higher the Obedience skill is, the more likely they are to follow your commands, and the quicker they will learn new tricks. Also, pets with at least three points in Obedience can often be told to stop what they're doing. Therefore, it is essential to make sure your pet is obedient. Clicking on 'Sit and Stay' will start a session of teaching this skill. Additionally, a pet will gain a small amount of Obedience skill when a Sim calls it over.


 * Housebreaking (Dogs only): Cats know to do their thing in the litter tray, but dogs have no such instincts. Therefore, you'll need to give your puppy a crash course about where to urinate. The moment you see a puddle or a pile of poo, brought into existence by your dog, scold him if it's inside. This will increase your dog's Housebreaking skill. After a while, he will start doing his business outside, and if he does that, make sure to praise him.


 * Hunting (Cats only): The higher this skill, the better chances your cat will have of catching rabbits or any other pests that might be attacking your vegetable patch. A cat can learn this skill on its own, but if you don't want to wait, click on him and select 'Hunt'.

The Sims 2
Pet skills in The Sims 2 Pets are divided into two categories: Behaviors and Commands.

Behaviors
Pets can be Praised or Scolded for the things they do which help them learn behaviors. Scolding a pet discourages the behavior, and praising encourages it. Sims can encourage bad behavior as well as good behavior. Once behaviors are learned Sims can use them as commands.

Sims can only praise or scold the last behavior of a pet. The player can see if a pet can be praised or scolded by the circular arrow in the corner of their portraits.


 * Notes

Commands
Commands are tricks that Sims can teach their pets. Once a pet learns a command a Sim can give the pet that command at anytime.

Commands are necessary for a pet to advance in a career.


 * List of Commands
 * Sit
 * Stay
 * Come
 * Roll Over
 * Speak
 * Shake (paws)
 * Play Dead
 * Use Toilet (cats only)