You've decided upon a new pet and completed your application procedures.   Congratulations!   Before you bring your pet home, please read through the following to ensure that your pet has a smooth and stress-free transition into your household.

Supplies You'll Need:

Dog

Collar and leash Martingale and Gentle leaders are our preferred walking training tools. They will provide you with the amount of control you need to keep your dog safe and also will feel the most comfortable when worn by your canine. Choke collars and Pinch collars are very painful and unhealthy for you dog and are never needed to teach you dog to behave on their leash. Enrolling your dog and you in a basic obedience class is the best way to ensure proper walking methods for you and your canine. Secure clips, comfortable handles and strong material should be the things to look for when choosing a leash. Retractable leashes provide you with little to no control over your dog and their safety when out on a walk; a six foot leash offers your dog enough freedom while still allowing you the ability to be in control.

Water and food bowls every pet should have their own food bowl but can often share a water bowl. Stainless steel are the healthiest bowl you can use, they don not hold bacteria like ceramic and plastic bowls often do.

A bed to sleep on every pet should also have their own bed to sleep on. Even you pet will sleep with you at night in your bed they should still have abed of their own. Often dogs will go to their bed when they wish to be left alone and relate to their bed as their den. Make sure your bed is size appropriate for your dog and firmer beds can be better suited for old dogs or dogs prone to hip problems.

Food (we feed our dogs Canidae, but you may use whatever food you like) when switching to a new food, transition over gradually by mixing the new food with the old food and slowly moving away from the old, this will eliminate upset stomachs. Be sure to buy your pet food from a pet store and never a grocery store. Feeding your animal a high quality food is important for long term health care; many pet foods are full of chemicals and unhealthy bi-products.

Treats (for training!) Natural Balance rolls, freeze dried liver and chicken treats, all natural dog biscuits, these are all tasty and healthy treats for you canines diet. Remember the smallest treat is still a welcome reward, do not over treat your dog, an over weight dog can lead to health problems. Always make sure and have your dog work for his treats, sit, stay, down, all these commands will increase your leadership skills and earn your canines respect as pack leader. Which will make them feel more safe and comfortable in your home.

Toys rope toys, kongs, larger tennis balls, safe stuffed animals, these are all great stimuli for you dog and provides you with a tool to grow your bond with your canine companion. Playtime is an important part of your dog’s life and will provide them with exercise and mental stimulation. Rotating your dog’s toys will keep them interested in them for longer periods of time. Always make sure and have some special toys set aside your dog only gets to play with when they are playing with you. Make sure your toys are not made out of materials you dog can swallow.

I.D. tag every dog should have a city tag, a personal tag(with your home # and Address) and also you can get your dog a Micro chip and a 24 hour tracking tag is offered by many different companies. Always make sure your pets tags are on him or her at all times, even when in the home, earth quakes and fires are time many animals without Id are lost forever from their families.

Crate (for housebreaking and confinement) crating can be the most important thing you do for your dog during acclamation to a new home. Crates offer your dog the security of a den like atmosphere they would seek out on their own out in the environment. Crating is a great way to ensure house breaking to go smoothly and timely and will also reduce signs of stress during the first few weeks and months. A crate should be sized appropriately and one should fully understand the proper way to crate before ever putting a dog in crate. Please read Crating. A training crate is not a traveling crate with plastic sides, it is a crate that is wire and the dog can see out at all areas.

Baby gates (if you choose not to use a crate) make sure your dog can not jump over it and that he area you confine them to is not to big, read crate training (put the link to crating here as well)

Brush there are many different breeds with many coats and many different brushes. Obviously dogs with shorter hair will be easy to care for at home with a brush but longer coats will need grooming on a regular basis. If you have a dog with longer hair, you should consult a groomer for maintained information.

Veterinarian make sure and research for a good vet and taking your pet in for introduction and to pass along all medical records is an important way to ensure best care for your pets health in the future.

Cat

Water and food bowls every pet should have their own food bowl but can often share a water bowl. Stainless steel are the healthiest bowl you can use, they don not hold bacteria like ceramic and plastic bowls often do. Always make sure to locate your cats food bowls away from your cats litter box, after all who wants to eat where they go to the bathroom?

Food (we feed our cats Chicken Soup for The Cat lovers soul but you may switch to whatever food you like) ) when switching to a new food , transition over gradually by mixing the new food with the old food and slowly moving away from the old, this will eliminate upset stomachs. Be sure to buy your pet food from a pet store and never a grocery store. Feeding your animal a high quality food is important for long term health care; many pet foods are full of chemicals and unhealthy bi-products.

Toys laser pointers, featherlike pole chasers, tinfoil balls, these are all wonderful toys cats enjoy. Remember some of the basic things like the ring off a milk carton lid will keep you cat busy for hours. Cats love to play and they love to play with you, make sure and have special toys that are only brought out to be played with when you are playing with your cat, also rotate toys frequently to keep your cats interest. Playing provides exercise and bonding time with you and your pet .Make sure toys are safe and do have materials that can be swallowed.

Litter box & Litter you should always have the same # of boxes that you do cats, even though they might share they need to have a clean litter box at all times and having more boxes can make this easier to maintain. Your litter box should not be placed in a high traffic area but should also not be placed in a hard to get area. Boxes with lids provide your cat with some much needed privacy and also keeps down kicking litter out side the box. There are many different litters to choose from, some of the best are the corn, recycled newspaper and cedar. Many clay litters are unsafe due to cats licking left over amounts left on their paws and the dust the breathe in when using it. Play around with different litters if you are having litter box issues but if all is going well it’s best to stick with the litter they like.

Brush although cats will take charge of most their grooming needs all on their own, longer hair cats are prone to getting mats and should be brushed on a regular basis. The Zoom Groom is a great brush for shorter hair cats and the wire prong like ones are good to break away mats.

Adjusting to a New Home

Whether you bring home a dog or cat, it's important to restrict your new pet's access to your home for the first few days or even weeks. This will allow your pet to get used to its new environment and slowly gain confidence in its new surroundings. Particularly with dogs, this can be crucial as confining the dog to one area in the house will speed your ability to housebreak the dog. Some people use baby gates in tiled or non-carpeted areas of their house, such as a kitchen or bathroom, or, you can use a crate. Using a crate is also beneficial for the dog as it allows the dog to have a space it can call its own and feel secure in, until it is ready for further exploration in its new environment. When allowing the dog to explore the rest of the house, keep him or her on leash so that you can swiftly bring them outside if they try to relieve themselves.

If you already have other pets, keep your new pet separated and allow the pets to meet each other under your supervision. You can increase the length of time for each play and meeting session until you feel secure with your new and current pets' relationship. It is not uncommon for cats to hiss at each other when they first meet, and even continue this behavior for the first few months. If you are introducing a dog to a cat, be sure to keep the dog on leash and consult with a trainer or with our office if you need assistance. It is important to allow the cat access to a safe haven where the or she can get away from the dog, such as a tall cat tree or shelf. If you are introducing a dog to a dog, try to have the meeting on neutral territory, such as the sidewalk in front of your house or a nearby park.

If there is more than one person in your household, discuss your pet rules before the pet comes home. Decide who will be in charge of feeding, cleaning, walking the dog, changing the litter box, and other pet care needs. It is also important to decide on training issues, such as whether or not the dog will be allowed on the couch. Nothing is more confusing to a dog than getting mixed signals.

If you are bringing a dog home, schedule your time with the new dog so that you can make small entries and exits throughout the first few days, slowly increasing the amount of time that you are gone. Do NOT over-emotionalize your greetings and exits, as this can cause the dog a great deal of stress and anxiety. Your comings and goings should be calm and quiet, so that your dog realizes that your leaving is not a big deal. Doing this will go a long way toward helping your dog to not develop separation anxiety, a behavioral problem that is common with many rescue dogs.