One of the most worthwhile realizations any pet owner can have is that while their pet is simply part of their lives, you are everything from your pet’s perspective. You provide their home, where and what they eat, their access to healthcare and good sleep, their ability to have fun, to explore the world outside, to socialize, and to cap off each day knowing they’re in a safe and loving home. While they might not be able to conceptualize and vocalize this, their actions implicitly show that they know and love you.
For this reason, it’s important to make certain you adjust your life accordingly. The last thing any worthwhile pet owner wants is to inadvertently harm their cherished furry friend, but if you’ve never owned a pet before, there are a few little alterations to make. For example, no longer can you leave the house for days at a time without thinking about your pet and their wellbeing. Moreover, financial concerns are not only difficult for you, but could potentially threaten your ability to take care of your pet, and must be planned for.
It’s not all about doom warnings, however. Sometimes, we may just need to alter our conduct a little more or rearrange our house as needed. With that in mind, let’s consider ten little life adjustments to make after finding (and cherishing) your first pet: In the interest of relevance, we’re going to broadly discuss tips suitable for cats, dogs and puppies, or other pets with similar needs.
Daily Routine Tweaks
Our daily routine may be relatively fixed or it could be quite chaotic and change from day to day (although qualifying this as a “routine” may be a little much). However, one thing is certain, pets thrive from routine. If you want to encourage good behaviors and optimal health, your pet needs a good amount of time to sleep at night, and they need space to conduct their business throughout the day (potty-training as it were, not taking conference calls).
This means implementing a routine where they can rely on regular feeding times, relax with your family when you have free time, can explore the garden or go on walks for exercise, and feel like part of the family. If you spend too much time away from home it can be cruel to leave them alone for long periods, even if you have more than one pet for company. These little tweaks make a big difference, so plan them in advance and stick to your schedule.
Your Home Environment
Curating your home for a pet isn’t always the same thing as protecting it from a toddler. You won’t have to install catches on the cupboards and draws, because luckily, you’re unlikely to purchase a monkey or other pet with opposable thumbs.
That being said, you may want to add a doggy or cat flap in your doorway so they can enter and exit the garden at will, put up fencing to keep them in (this mostly applies to dogs), or add auto-closers to certain doors. This way, you can prevent small irritants or health hazards from being aided and abetted by your current home design. For some, purchasing an air purifier to help filter out hair and the smell of wet dogs can be enough.
Get On Good Terms With Your Neighbors
When you purchase a pet, you won’t need approval from your neighbors. However, it is important to make sure they’re understanding of what it’s like to have a pet, and a couple of the challenges you may face. For example, if you need to head on a business trip for two days, you might ask your neighbor to come and feed your cats and make sure they have access to their water bowl – perhaps giving them a nice bottle of wine or another treat as payment.
This way, you can also apologize if your dog was howling while you were grocery shopping, and work towards correcting that behavior. Maybe your cat “conducts their business” in their garden, and you’re working on preventing that behavior too. Being communicative, warm, welcoming, and fair is a good way to start that relationship because most people are fine, some aren’t but can be placated with techniques like this, and others are simply unreasonable, and knowing that ahead of time gives you fair warning.
Travel and Vacation Planning
It can be healthy to head on a small local trip with your dog to get into the habit of transporting them from place to place. Of course, this is more realistic with a dog than it is a cat, as they’re usually quite happy to follow you around all day and walk using a leash.
Using a small pet cage where needed, making a comfortable and safe space in the car, getting used to picking up their business after them, planning ahead for portable meals you can use, communicating with pet-friendly accommodations, these are all valuable skills for someone looking to travel with a furry friend.
Alternatively, getting in touch with local private kennels can be ideal, as they’ll often provide temporary space for pets to help families who might not be at home for a little while. This way, you can guarantee their care. Of course, sometimes family, friends or neighbors will be a good option, but don’t just assume, make certain they know how to care for a pet and are willing to put the appropriate time in. Over time, this will be a skill that comes as second nature to you.
Bonus: Training Is For You, Too
We tend to think of doggy training as a skill we pick up to better negotiate and lead our pets around as they need to be cared for. But the truth is that doggy training is just as important for us to set boundaries, give commands, and become respected in the eyes of your dog (yes, this is a thing), that further directions are understood and followed. If you can accept that dog training is for you, too, you’ll get more out of your starting sessions.
With this advice, we hope you can make all the little adjustments possible for pet ownership. We’re certain you’ll do an amazing job.
