Welcoming a Pet to Your Home: The First Few Weeks

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Bringing your new pet home is going to be exciting and rewarding, but the first few weeks are also going to be very challenging. Things will be much easier if you know what to expect. Here are some tips to help you get through the trying times.

Before You Bring Your Pet Home – Before you bring a pet home, you need to decide which areas of your home will be theirs. If you’re planning on letting them have free run of your home, it’s best to start things off slowly by introducing them one room at a time. Make sure you’ve got all the supplies you need, and your home is suitably pet-proofed.

Establish Rules and Guidelines – These should be discussed with other family members before you bring your new pet home. For example, will they be allowed to sleep on your bed, or get up on the sofa? Establishing some basic house rules is going to help you create a routine that your pet will quickly get used to. Remember to be consistent with the rules or training will become a nightmare.

Upon Arrival – When you first get home, take them to the area in which they’re going to be spending most of their time. Letting them run around the whole of your home to start with isn’t going to help when it comes to trying to train them in the future.

Helping Them Get Acquainted – It’s far less stressful for your new pet if you introduce them to your home one room at a time. Spend time with them in the early days as it’s going to help them get used to their new home.   

Register with a Veterinarian – It’s a good idea to register with a veterinarian as soon as possible. If you’re bringing home a dog or cat, you’ll want to get them micro-chipped and vaccinated as soon as you can. An early introduction is advisable because it’s possible you might become a regular visitor.     

Socialisation – Getting your pet used to other people is important, otherwise nobody is ever going to want to come and visit you again. As well as introducing them to new people it’s also important to give them lots of new experiences. If you’ve got a dog, for example, you may need to use the services of a dog walker for those times when you’re busy working. If your dog is well-adjusted and not fazed by anything around them, they’ll be a pleasure to walk. Dog walking services such as those provided by premierdogwalkers.com are proving very valuable for busy dog owners.  

Exercising – Dogs need regular exercise, but for the first few weeks you shouldn’t let them off the lead. Start to train him to come back to you by pulling gently on the lead and rewarding his successful return. When you’re confident he is ready to be let off the lead, start by exercising in a secure fenced location.  

Toilet Training – Patience is a virtue when it comes to training your pet to do their business in the correct place. To make a success of it, you need to be consistent and stick to a routine. Kittens tend to be house trained before going to their new home, but dogs require a little more training.

Follow these tips, and your first few weeks will be a pleasure.

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