Pet ownership has skyrocketed in recent years. While many folks are making the step towards expanding their family, it’s important to do your research before bringing your new furry companion home.

1. Research the Best Kind of Food For Them

Before you bring home your pet, be sure to do your research on their specific dietary needs. Most grocery stores carry food filled with ingredients like food dye, corn syrup, Melamine, and MSG that could cause harmful long-term effects on your pet’s health. Plus, different animals require different amounts of carbohydrates and protein based on breed, size, and age. 

It’s important to remember that high-quality food doesn’t necessarily have to break the bank. Researching food beforehand allows you to pick out the most nutritious food that works with your budget.

Also important is to look at a brand’s recall history! Typically, brands that sell low-quality food for a low price get recalled more often than higher-quality food. Recall history can vary between a brand’s wet and dry food options, so make sure you check on the specific type of food you want to get for your pet. 

Doing this research before your new furry pal comes home can allow them to get acclimated to the good food faster.

2. The Importance of Playtime!

It’s no secret that animals are a big commitment, mentally, financially, and physically. However, certain animals require different levels of playtime than others.

Important questions to ask yourself before bringing home your pet are:

• How often do they need to go for walks?
• Or do they even need to go outside?
• How much playtime indoors do they need? 

Researching these questions beforehand can allow you to grasp the outdoor time commitment you’re about to take on and give you a clue as to what toys might be beneficial to your pet’s health. 

Speaking of toys, while your pet’s physical health should be your top priority, their mental stimulation is equally as crucial. Keeping your furry friend’s mind active can promote good behavior. Boredom causes pets to misbehave and likely cause depression. Preventing that with mental stimulation teaches them to channel their energy more productively.                                 

3. Think of a Game-Plan

Researching proper training techniques benefits not only you but your pet as well. Beginning the training process right when they are starting to get acclimated to their new environment gives you a better sense of control and helps them respect you quicker. If there are certain behaviors you know will be unacceptable, learn ways to prevent them before they begin. Are there sections of your home you want to be pet-prohibited? Do you not want them on your couch? Or maybe you want to prevent naughty behaviors like scratching the couch or getting into the shoe closet? Having these places pet-proofed beforehand trains them out of bad behavior before it even starts. Investing in locks, deterrents, and other forms of distraction teaches your pet to focus their energy elsewhere while keeping your stuff intact.

Having a repertoire of pet training techniques helps maintain your authority while quickly stopping poor behavior the second it starts.

4. Create An Assimilation Space

Bringing a pet home for the first time could be a very stressful experience for both the owner and the pet. Creating an assimilation space gives them a spot in your home they can call their own. Fill their space with necessary comforts such as:

• Their favorite toys
• A bed or a soft place to nap
• Water and some treats
• Close proximity to their bathroom
• If necessary, a place to hide
• And other pet-specific amenities.

If you have other pets in the home, a personal space for your new pet is essential, as meeting new friends could sometimes be a stressful endeavor. Having a safe space your pet can relax in can ease some of the stress of the adjustment. If your pet ever feels overwhelmed, training them to go to their area allows them to re-center themselves and gives them time to learn self-coping techniques.

5. Don’t Forget About Grooming

Grooming is quintessential in keeping your pet happy and healthy. Still, the kind of grooming frequency of it can vary by animal breeds. Grooming depending on how much and how often your pet sheds as well as their hair type. Special tools need to be bought to minimize the chances of your home being covered in the latest fur (fashionable or not). The right tool for your pet’s fur type paired with weekly, or in some cases daily, grooming can have your pet feeling fresh and energetic for a day of quality play.

Other important grooming aspects include

• Nail trimming/ Paw pad treatments
• Tick/flea prevention
• Ear health
• Other species-specific grooming requirements.

An aspect of grooming often overlooked by pet owners is your pet’s dental health. Cleaning your pet’s teeth prevents long-term issues such as tooth decay, liver and kidney disease, cancer, broken jaw, and diabetes. Prioritizing your pet’s oral hygiene is key to giving your furbaby a long, happy, and healthy life. Research the best dental treats for your pet and pair them with frequent brushing.

To ensure proper maintenance for your pet’s pearly whites, we recommend using Petsmile Professional Pet Toothpaste to keep your fluffy friend smiling from ear to ear.