Care

The player will have to **care** for their pets in various ways, mainly by petting, feeding, bathing, and brushing. There are various care supplies that can be bought at the Pet Supply (BARC in 3DS), as well as some items to be found on walks.

## Status

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Every adopted pet gets a status screen, which can be accessed at the Home Menu by clicking a pet's name. The status shows information about the pet, including how they're currently doing. From here the player can see whether or not they need to see to their pet's needs.

Pets have four levels of hunger and thirst. Hunger has full, normal, hungry, and famished while thirst has quenched, normal, thirsty, and parched. Additionally there is their coat status, which has five levels of cleanliness: beautiful, clean, normal, dirty, and filthy.

This is the only true way of telling whether or not a pet needs to be fed. However, if a pet is dirty the player will typically be able to notice, as the pet will have a darkened coat with the occasional flea jumping around.

## Petting

Although it is not required, the player is highly encouraged to pet their dogs and cats. Typically petting will occur after a pet has done something right (like performing a trick correctly), but the player can do it at any time. If the player pets an animal for a few seconds they may see some golden sparkles, which indicate that the pet is happy.

In *Nintendogs* the player may get a small golden bone that they can feed their dog with. This bone will disappear rather quickly after a short amount of time and only appears after petting a dog.

## Food and Drinks

The player must properly feed their pets in order to do certain activities. Neglecting to do so can reduce a player's friendship with the dog and it can result in a loss of Trainer Points (Owner Points in 3DS). Dogs will become more thirsty after going on a walk or participating in a competition, so the player should typically check their status after either of those activities.

Additionally, in *Nintendogs + Cats* their condition may also affect the way they perform physically. Feeding them too much wet food will make them overweight and results in a slower pet. Feeding them too much diet food would make them more easily exhausted. Feeding them premium canned food will adjust their status to ideal weight, whether or not they are fat or thin. The player can buy the right meals at the store and unlock higher quality meals when they have earned enough points.

## Baths

Pets will eventually get filthier as time goes on, so the player will need to buy some shampoo. This becomes more noticeable over time as their coat will darken and they may have fleas jumping out of their fur.

In *Nintendogs* the player will need either short-hair shampoo or long-hair shampoo, depending on how long their dog's coat was. In *Nintendogs + Cats* there are no longer fur length-based shampoos, but instead one regular shampoo and a higher quality premium shampoo which makes the cleanliness of the pet last longer.

Once the player has chosen the right shampoo for their pet, they will be taken to the bathroom where they can shampoo and then rinse their pet. After a minute or so their pet will be sparkly clean and the game will notify the player of this.

## Brushes

In addition to bathing, pets can be brushed, but the player must obtain a brush that corresponds with the pet's coat length. It is a cost-free alternative to washing a pet, but it will take longer to get the pet clean when brushing.

When the player has selected the type of brush they will use and then the pet they will brush, the player will be taken to a room where their dog will be sitting. The player must drag their brush back and forth with the stylus until golden sparkles eventually appear. The game will notify the player when the pet no longer needs to be brushed.

## Walks

While pets will show no signs of discomfort from never being walked, it is still highly encouraged that the player does so. This is the main way of accessing special areas like the gym or Cafe Petrov and a good way to find various accessories. Certain areas can only be found on walks and need to be visited if the player wants to compete in certain competitions. Cats are unable to go on walks.

When taking a walk, dogs may pee or poop and the player will be admonished by neighbors if they do not pick up a dog's droppings. The player does not need to let their dogs do their business, but there is typically no harm in letting a dog use the bathroom.

Additionally, the player's dog may meet other dogs, but their meeting may or may not be friendly. If the dogs become hostile the player will lose Trainer Points and the player can avoid neighbors if they wish. However, certain DLC characters may give the player special gifts when greeted, so if the player sees a special neighbor they should greet them. Besides that, there isn't much gained or lost when having the player's dog interact with others.