When it comes to bringing a new pet into your home, preparation is crucial in order for them to make a successful transition. It can take days, weeks or even several months for your pet to consider your home its new home. Here are our top tips for helping your new pet settle in.

Supplies and equipment

Ensure that you have all of the supplies and equipment that your new pet will need. This includes fundamental items such as a bed, water bowl and food, as well as toys and other items to stimulate their cognitive development and keep them entertained. Remember that your pets’ emotional wellbeing and mental stimulation is just as important as their physical needs.

Prepare any other pets in the home

Ensure that any other pets in the home are up to date with their vaccinations. Whilst shelters do their best to treat any viruses, occasionally re-homed pets do bring new diseases with them that could be transmitted to existing pets in the household.

You may also have to introduce existing pets to your new pet gradually until they get used to one another.

Register with a Veterinarian

As soon as you bring your pet home you should register with a veterinarian and make an appointment for your pet to have a thorough health check. Ideally, this should be done within a week of their arrival. They can advise on the correct vaccination protocol for your pet and ensure that there are no underlying illnesses or concerns.

You should also speak to your veterinarian about spaying or neutering your pet. There are thousands of animals in shelters across the country that are desperate for loving homes. Limiting population growth further by having your pet spayed or neutered is a responsible course of action for any owner.

Establish rules and guidelines in advance

Establishing some basic house rules ahead of your pets’ arrival can help create a routine that your pet will quickly adopt as his own. Knowing what to expect will also help him settle in much faster. Assigning specific responsibilities to family members can help them bond with your pet and take ownership of their commitment as a pet owner.

Being consistent with rules for your pet will make training them much easier. For example, do not start off by letting your pet sleep on the sofas if this is not a behavior you want to continue in the future.

Toilet training

When it comes to training your pet to do their business in the correct location, patience is definitely a virtue. Be sure to be consistent and stick to a routine. If you have a dog, let them outside at the same time every day. A good place to start is first thing in the morning, the last thing at night, and after meals. Stay with them to bolster their confidence, but wait ‘in the wings’ until they are finished.

Most kittens are trained to use the litter box before they go to their new homes, but if you need to reinforce this training, place them in the litter tray after waking and after meals. Using a litter box does go against a cat's natural instinct, so once they are settled, you may find that they prefer to do their business outdoors. With both dogs and cats, positive behavior reinforcement by way of praise, attention, affection, and treats is often the quickest and easiest way to get them trained.

Take the day off and limit visitors for a while

If you can, taking the day off to spend with your new pet is an ideal way to help them settle into their new home. It is crucial to give you and your pet time to get to know one another without outside pressures.

Try and keep new visitors to the house to a minimum until your pet has settled in. It is important that your pet gets to bond with you and your family first.

Prepare children

Children are naturally curious and will no doubt be extremely excited by the arrival of a new pet so be sure to explain to them that animals take time to adjust to new environments and may be scared, nervous or wary of them for a few days. Take the time to educate your children on how to treat your pet with the care and respect that they deserve.

Adopting an older pet?

If you are adopting an older pet it is prudent to try and find out as much history about the pet as possible. This will let you know what sort of temperament and behavior to expect. This will also help you make any adjustments necessary for the well being of your new pet. For example, some pets that have gone hungry when living with previous owners can be guarded, possessive or even aggressive at feeding times and need to be given space to eat.

Exercising your dog

When exercising your dog do not let him off the lead for at least the first 4 weeks. Begin training him to return to you when called by gently pulling his lead towards you. Be sure to reward his successful return with lots of praise and affection.

When you feel that your dog is ready to be let off the lead, begin in a secure, fenced-in location until you are completely sure that he will return to you when called. Also make sure he has a secure means of identification, either in the form of a collar and tag or ideally, a microchip.

Letting your feline outside

Before you let your cat or kitten outside for the first time ensure that she has adequate identification either in the form of a collar and tag or ideally, a microchip. Cats can wander quite far from home and you want to make sure you can be contacted if she gets lost.

You will also need to consider your immediate environment before you let your kitten or cat outdoors. If you live near a busy road then you may wish to limit her time outdoors to quieter traffic times.

Keep in mind that once outside, your kitten is vulnerable to diseases so you should wait until at least a week after she has finished her first course of vaccinations (approx. 13/14 weeks of age). You should also ensure that spaying or neutering has been done before letting them roam.

You can train your cat to respond to you calling her by offering praise and goodies such as tuna chunks or commercial cat treats.

‍