How to Suppress Unwanted Behavior in Your Neopet

Step #1 : Talk to your neopet! This is the most important step in correcting unwanted behavior. How can your neopet know right from wrong if you haven’t taught them the difference? Although this unfortunate mistake is quite common, it can usually be corrected with little more than a simple conversation. Is it possible that your neopet does not know that their actions upset you? If bad behavior has ever been overlooked in the past, they may think that what they are doing is perfectly acceptable. Explain which behaviors are unacceptable and why. Be calm and thorough, “Because I said so” is not a good explanation. Ask your neopet how and why they developed the unwanted behavior(s) in the first place, and what encouraged them to continue. Listen. Do not get mad. Try to achieve a mutual agreement, and promise to put consistent effort into working together to solve the problem.

Step #2 : Reward good behavior. Too often good behavior is completely overlooked. Doing the right thing should be expected, not rewarded, right? Wrong. Almost every neopet responds well to praise, however, when praise is not available, they may turn to less acceptable methods of getting attention. In other words, never let your neopet feel under appreciated. Your Shoyru is much more likely to take the trash out next week, if he is met on his way back in with a smile and a warm “thank you” this week. For more extreme cases, take advantage of your Neopets natural instinct to seek out things that are pleasurable. If your spoiled pet frequently barges into the kitchen just as you are cooking dinner, snatches an Iced Easter Chick Cookie, and then disappears without so much as an “excuse me”, assure them that next time, if they wait until after dinner, they can have three cookies. The offer will most likely be too good to pass up.

Step #3 : Enforce proper punishments. When used properly, and in moderation, punishment need not be cruel. A Gelert who doesn’t finish her asparagus at dinner need not be punished. However, if the same Gelert proceeds to *thwack* her baby brother in the ear with her leftovers, she may be due for a short time out. Very few Neopets would rather spend their afternoon cooped up in their rooms when they have the chance to play. If your neopet displays and unwanted behavior, do not feel bad about serving out the proper punishment. Although this may force both of you to break prior engagements, I can promise that your neopet will think twice before engaging in that behavior again.

Step #4 : Put your foot down. So your beautiful faerie Aisha is throwing another tantrum because you won’t hand over the last slice of Iced Chokato Cake? Don’t give in. No matter how adorable she is, giving into her will only make the problem worse. Stand behind your words, and insist that your pets respect your decisions. If you allow your pets to get what they want one time, they will soon expect it every time. Sure, it’s only a slice of cake this week, but next week it could be a trip to the Rainbow Fountain.

Step #5 : Introduce a new perspective. This step is reserved more responsible Neopets, and should not be taken lightly. However, if all else fails, your best bet may be to introduce your neopet to a new perspective; that of provider and caretaker. A petpet can help to teach your neopet responsibility, compassion, and patience. Just as you (hopefully) learned to fulfill your duties as an owner, your neopet can also learn a few things from being a petpet owner. Selflessly, you “work” to earn Neopoints so that you can feed your pets their favorite foods, provide them with their favorite toys, and afford to take them on lavish vacations all over Neopia. Allowing your neopet to experience some of these responsibilities for themselves will not only help them to become more well rounded Neopian citizens, it could also strengthen your relationship. Enlightening your neopet to this new perspective may allow you to finally achieve that strong owner/neopet bond that you have been searching for all along.

Step #6 : Take a field trip. This 6th, and final step should only be necessary in very extreme cases. However, if your pet seems unfazed by your prior attempts to correct their unwanted behavior, I do have one more tip for you. Take them on an “it could be much worse” field trip. Plan ahead to spend the whole day traveling with your neopet. First, visit the Neopian Pound and talk to some of the abandoned pets. Sit on a stone bench and enjoy a delicious bowl of lukewarm gruel as a lonely Blumaroo tells you about life inside a cage. After lunch, catch a shuttle to the Virtupets Space Station, where your neopet can chat with some of Dr. Sloth’s ex minions. Let them find out what it’s like to be bossed around by a real evil overlord. By now, your newly reformed neopet should be begging you to take him home so he can cook you dinner, and give you a nice foot massage, but if not, there’s still one more stop on our field trip : the Deserted Fairgrounds. Stroll over to the Spooky Food shop, and let your Neopet have a look around. Whether it’s the Blumaroo Tail Salad Extravaganza, Meerca Pie, or Wing of Korbat that catches their eye, your neopet is bound to get the point : nothing good will come of being bad.

So what have we learned? We need to talk to our Neopets Praise should be lavished when it’s deserved, and punishments should be given firmly but fairly. We need to gain the respect of our Neopets Petpets are more than just friends, they can also be teachers. And finally, no matter how bad your neopet thinks they have it at home, there’s someone out there who’s in a worse situation.