Getting a new pet can be an exciting experience in anybody's life, especially if it has been a little while since you have owned a pet. However, before getting carried away in the excitement, you need to stop and really think about how you will successfully introduce a new pet into your home. The process can be a steep learning curve for everyone involved, and it is important that you enter the process with your eyes wide open.
Managing Your Expectations
To begin with, you have to learn to manage your expectations. Those first few days and weeks of adding a new family member can be stressful, and they can be tiring. Accidents in the house may happen, and you have to be prepared for this. Keeping your expectations small and realistic will ensure that you do not place unnecessary stress on yourself or the situation.
Think About Security
You may think that your home is secure, but how secure is it really - especially for a new pet such as a dog? Dogs can scale small fences and escape through the smallest of spaces. Ensuring that all areas outside that will be accessed by a pet is secure, needs to be one of the jobs on your to-do list. If you are getting a dog, you may well look at getting an electric dog fence installed because this will let your dog know where the boundaries are. If you are getting a smaller animal, you may well consider roping off (or sectioning) an area of your outdoor space to ensure that they are safe, even if left unsupervised.
Taking Things Slowly
It is not a race to get your pet introduced into your life or into the lives of others in your household. Being prepared to take things slowly and actually taking things at a steady pace is what you have to be prepared to do. If you try and rush things, you may scare your new pet, which may make building bonds and relationships difficult. Try and put yourself in the shoes of your new pet, and think about how they must be feeling. Trying not to overwhelm them is important, especially during the settling-in period.
House Training
Getting your new pet house trained (or clean in the house) may be one of your main aims as a new pet owner. However, constantly focusing on house training can be detrimental to your wellbeing and to the wellbeing of your pet. Introducing house training slowly, and over a period of weeks and days is important. Constant praise together with a positive tone of voice will help ease and smooth the process.
Sleeping Arrangements
Establishing
where your new pet will sleep is crucial to your new home setup. If your pet
does not have a place or area to call their own, then you could find they
struggle. If they have nowhere to retreat to, then you could find that they
struggle to adapt (or even settle in) as well as you have hoped.
