New Pet Owners: Top Tips! Top Gifts for Pets!
You’ve decided that your home needs a furball of terror to run around destroying everything at eye level, and it’s the best decision ever! If you’ve thought long and hard about being a pet owner, and done your research into what you can provide for your furry companion, then it can be an incredibly rewarding experience for your whole house!
However, it is a huge responsibility that can’t be taken lightly. You need to ask yourself a few questions: can I afford a pet? Am I able to give it the time and attention it needs? Is my home safe and suitable? There’s a million and one blogs on the internet that go into the nuts and bolts of deciding on getting a pet, so we’re going to focus on what comes after you’ve made that decision.
How do we get ready to welcome our little (or maybe not so little) companion?
All the gear, no idea!
There are a few bits and bobs you want to have ready in the house before the arrival of your new pet. They will need appropriate food, something to eat that food out of (food and water bowls, plus spares), leads, carry cases or other forms of transportation, and a cosy place for them to sleep!
Your new pet may feel a bit discombobulated for the first few days in your home, so providing a safe area for them with a couple of cuddly toys may help to relax them into their new environment.
It’s also a good idea to have some pet appropriate shampoo and conditioner to keep your pet smelling and looking great, and relaxing them in the process. Hownd is our supplier of choice for our pampered pooch, the You Stink shampoo smells divine, much better than wet dog! And the gift box for dogs has conditioner, paw and nose balm and doggies own towels and brush!
Your new best mate is also going to need some stimulation too, so chew toys, scratch poles, and various interesting toys for them to play with. The Playful Puss cat gift set has a catnip mouse, crinkle bag to hide and play in and a springy toy to entertain a playful kitten for hours. We have also included a treat dispenser which is perfect for a cat or small dog.
Depending on how you’re planning on working on training, it might be worth getting a few different types of treats in. Having low and high prize treats, certainly for new pooches, can be a good way of grading behaviour.
Safety proof your home
New pets can sometimes equal sharp teeth or claws.
Sharp objects + plush pillows = feather explosion.
Sharp objects + wires = something a bit more serious.
Make sure that anything you don’t want wrecked is packed away, and anything that may cause your new friend harm is out of reach or sight. Like I said, wires can be particularly tricky, especially if your animal is a chewer, so a good hack might be to roll up the wires (for example, the ones behind the telly) together as small as you can, and buy a magazine holder to pop them in. That way they are still being used, but a little less enticing for chompers!
Agree your boundaries with your household
This one is the bane of my existence! Our lovely but incredibly stubborn dog Sykes just loves being on the couch, that just so happens to be cream (I know, an awful investment, you don’t need to tell me). I think about 99.8% of my day is spent telling Sykes to get off the couch, no matter how many boxes I put on the couch, or how many times I close the door (do you remember the scene in the kitchen in Jurassic Park?).
It certainly doesn’t help that my partner is ok with him being on the couch, and will allow him to snuggle up next to him while they think I’m not watching (I always am).
FYI, it’s totally fine if you are happy for your pet to get up on the furniture, as long as you’re all happy with it! Our compromise is that Sykes sleeps in my son’s ball pit. It’s not a great compromise, but it stops him getting on the couch!
So there you go, a couple of suggestions to help settle in your new little buddy into your home. It’s totally life changing, so enjoy it!
