Day one with your new pet

 Getting a new pet can be extremely exciting, but its also a lot of responsibility and its important to make their adjustment into your home as comfortable as possible. 

What to expect:

1. Lots of accidents: Even if told your new pet is potty trained, they may not be fully, or else they may become stressed during all of the changes; so its important to remember that accidents happen, and the best thing to do is stay calm and not get angry. 

2. Adjustment times: adjustments vary for animals just as it would for a person, giving your new pet space is ideal early on to allow them to adjust at their own pace. 

3. Costs and expenses: one of the most important things to make sure of is having all of their shots updated and ensuring you have everything they need on day one. Ie. Food/water bowls, collars, toys, their own bed space (or some other spot they can claim as their own comfy spot)

4. Potty training and routine building: If your new pet isn’t potty trained, then that will be one of the top things on your to do list! However, keep in mind that this training means you will need to get into routine patterns in order to help your new pet with their potty times. 

 

How to prepare:

1.  Before even bringing them home, it is important to ensure puppy proofing anywhere your new pet may be residing. 

2. Know what foods your new pet can or cannot have.

3.  Have a variety of toys for them to play with, not just one or two that are the exact same. That’s like having nothing but time to play video games and only having one game your entire life. (Remember that while you do many different things in a day, a dog or cat will mainly only stay by your side so try remembering they get bored too!)

4.  Ensure they will have a safe and comfortable place to retreat to in case they get overwhelmed in their new home, otherwise they may never fully feel comfortable in the new environment. An example of this would be having a doggy crate or house just for them with a bed and some toys, to go feel comfy and safe whenever stressed.