Skill (pet)

As with Sims, pets have skills as well.

The Sims

Tricks

A cat playing a keyboard for a Sim.

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: A pet, be it cat or dog, can learn a few tricks. When a pet is in a good mood, have a 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. Cats can learn to Box, Dance, and Play Keyboard. Dogs can learn High Flip, Low Flip, Bounce, Jump, and Play Dead. A higher obedience helps a pet learn tricks faster. Sims can also pay the pet trainer in Old Town a few Simoleons to do it for them.

• Obedience: No matter how loyal a pet is, it will only follow every command if its Obedience skill is high. The higher the Obedience skill is, the more likely they are to follow a command, 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 a 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, Sims'll need to give puppies a crash course about where to urinate. The moment a puddle or a pile of poo appears, scold him if it's inside. This will increase the 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 a cat will have of catching rabbits or any other pests that might be attacking a vegetable patch. A cat can learn this skill on its own, but can be initiated by the player by clicking on him and selecting 'Hunt'.

Note: Training a pet will make the pet lose its energy faster.

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.

Good Behavior	Bad Behavior	Command(s)
Calm	Disruptive	B: Sing/Run Around Crazily G: Sniff...
Stays off Furniture	Goes on Furniture	G: Lie Down B: Get on Furniture
Housebroken	Yardbroken	Go Pee
Eat Pet Food	Eat Sim Food	G: Go Eat Food
Stay off Sim Beds	Goes on Beds	Go to Bed
Clean	Filthy	G: Clean Self/Bathe in Water Wiggler
Playful	Hostile	G: Play With.../Use Toy B: Hiss At.../Fight With...
Respectful	Destructive	G: Use Chew Toy/Scratching Post B: Scratch/Chew Stuff

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)