Best Family Dogs and Cats - How to Welcome a New Pet into Your Home

A New Family Member! Choosing the Best Family Dogs and Cats

I am so excited for you and your family! If you’re reading this, I suspect you’re thinking about bringing home a new family pet or – even better – you already did! You’ve found the best family dogs and cats (we’re quite partial to standard poodles); for some it’s the beautiful lab, the golden retriever, and for others it’s the “pound puppy special”. I believe dogs and cats of all types can make great family pets. They add such wonderful (and curious) energy to a house.

If you have kids then a new family pet is extra special! A family pet is indeed like family. Read our family’s experience with our favorite dog breed.

Over the years I’ve had the opportunity to invite several new critters into my home. I grew up with a larger-than-life black lab, as well as a large family of semi-feral cats (we lived in a rural setting), chickens and horses. It’s no wonder that my life only feels truly complete when there’s a four-legged creature nearby.

As I write this, I’m four weeks out from having acquired my latest family members – three semi-feral cats from our local humane society’s Barn Cat Rescue Program. As we welcome them to our home to help us keep pests populations down, we’re back to Square One with welcoming in pets to our family.

My First Adopted Cat

As an adult I adopted my first cat, Aya, from a woman on Craigslist. Aya was very domesticated and calm – but very unsure about me for a while. I set out to create the ideal, safe home for her – litter boxes, wet and dry food and fresh water, toys, treats, a cozy bed. But she wanted nothing to do with me. This lasted nearly two weeks; we simply co-existed in my apartment together. Then one day, she jumped onto my chest as I lay to fall asleep. She put her face right up to my chin. I started petting her back which she really liked; she started drooling! That was how we bonded from that day forward – I pet her back, she drooled on my chest in happiness. All other times, we were just roommates together, peacefully co-existing. Each animal is so different from the next! I’ve never met another cat like her in that respect.

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How to Welcome the Best Family Dogs and Cats

Whether this will be a solo pet or you’re adding a member to an already-four-legged family, the important parts of the process are simple yet essential. Before you can truly get to know them, they need to feel secure. When their basic needs are met, our new family pet can calm down, relax into their new setting, and begin to reveal their unique and wonderful personalities to us.

Here’s some of my tried-and-true methods for making their Welcome Home as smooth as possible – for you and for them!

Shelter

There’s no place like home! That’s even more true for your kittie or pup whose looking for a soft place to land. New smells, sights, sounds – they are very overwhelmed with the newness of it all in the first few weeks. Therefore, establishing their very own space is, in my opinion, the first step in communicating that the new home is safe. It teaches them where to go when they’re scared or tired. Even the best family dogs and cats needs a safe place to land.

You’ve heard it before, and for good reason! For pups, crates are an ideal way to communicate where they can go…and where they shouldn’t. I was amazed at how quickly my first humane society dog took to a crate! We were instructed by our vet to throw a blanket over it and make it “den-like”. He took to it immediately and whenever he was startled or scolded, he self-selected to head into his crate. Crate training is a much larger discussion; check it out and talk to your vet to see if it’s right for your family. I’ve found that the best family dogs are those who love their crates.

Dog Beds

Now about dog beds! I once heard someone say, “Dog bed? The dog’s bed is my bed!” We all know that dogs love to get up onto “people beds.” And if we’re being honest with each other, I bet you (like me) have invited them up onto the people bed! Careful…it’s a hard habit to break, both for the dog and for us! If you have a puppy, it may not be too frustrating now to have them on your bed–but what about when they’re full size?

Our house has several dog beds for one dog – big, oversized, cushy dog beds that are way more inviting than the couch! We do this to deter him from being on our furniture, and it works really well. Redirecting them to their dog bed reminds them to stay off the furniture. Plan now and provide them “their space” so they know where to go. The best family dogs take quickly to a new, comfy bed.

Cat Beds

Cats also need a soft place to land and call home. However their preferences are often different than that of dogs! Cats are unique in that they are often looking for the best vantage point (think up high!) or a nice hidey-hole from which they can watch in safety. My first cat’s favorite location was on top of the refrigerator – I suspect he’s not the only one out there! He’d do a few acrobatic leaps and perch himself up there for hours. Eventually that’s where I served his food and water; that way it was safe from the dog who *loves* cat food more than his own!

When it comes to shelter and a place to call home, cat trees are a favorite among our feline friends. They hit all the marks: something to climb, something to scratch and often somewhere to hide. There are some really awesome entry-level cat trees out there, also called cat condos. (Cute!) And of course, you can work your way up to very complex and intricate. Chances are, whatever you choose, your cat will love it.

Cat beds are also a great idea, but perhaps more in theory than in application! You see, cats will make anything a cat bed. Laundry baskets full of clean, warm clothes; laundry baskets full of stinky dirty clothes; nooks under your dresser; the top of the fridge; the list goes on! Cats are all very unique and their actions are shaped by their genetics and their experiences. Wherever the decide to call home, work with them – go with it. A happy cat is worth it!

Let’s Eat! Feeding Your New Family Pet

As we welcome our three semi-feral cats, it’s more obvious than ever that Home Is Where The Food Is! We serve them wet food so that we can overcome their wandering tendencies and convince them that living here is really great. Consider feeding as an important way to communicate to your new pet. You have some decisions to make: what is the best food for your pet? Why? When will they eat? How much will they eat? Where will you provide their food? Is it safe from little kids? Other pets? Definitely consult with your vet before landing on any final decisions here–they are experts on your breeds and what is best for their lifestyle. Here’s some awesome products that we use for our pets.

Fresh water is also a must. Cats and dogs need lots of fresh water to get them through the day. I must admit that refreshing their water every day is a chore. Therefore I’m a huge fan of the self-filling water stations that are available in lots of different sizes. I wash them with soap and water every few days but if I go a day or two without notice, I can trust they’ll have fresh water.

Keep in mind that if best family dogs or cats primarily live outside, it’s vital that their water be thawed at all times. There are lots of options out there for heated water bowls. It’s worth the $20 to invest in one so your friend has water even when the temps drop.

Potty Time

One thing is certain about welcoming home a new pet: pee and poo happens! Whether you’re potty training a little puppy or establishing litter box habits for your cat, this is something that you have to get right. There’s a lot at stake! Just ask anyone whose had to replace carpeting, throw out a rug, or (it happens) replace sheetrock due to urine damage.

Potty Training the Dog

For pups, you can’t overlook their tiny capacity for holding it, nor their need to go around the clock! When my current dog was just a tiny puppy, I got to bring him with me to the office (fortunately I had that luxury!) during the first month of his little life; otherwise I just couldn’t get home enough to get him out. Sure I could provide him puppy pads but since I was trying to train him that going in the house was not okay, this was what had to happen. I’m sure many of you have faced the same dilemma!

Don’t get me wrong, though. Puppy pads are a huge headache saver! When the inevitable happens, it makes cleanup a cinch and keeps frustrations to a minimum. After all, your new family pet is just learning a new skill. As an educator I am 100% certain that learning is never a straight line but is often several steps forward with one step back. Invest in a pack of puppy pads; use them, save your tile or carpet, and know that this short-lived season in your puppy’s life will pass soon enough! Even the best family dogs go through a learning period.

Another headache saver are the tiny puppy poop bags that are available everywhere. Walk down the pet aisle at your local pharmacy and you’ll find them! Same with dollar stores, pet stores and larger chains like Walmart and Amazon. These are definitely worth it. Stash them everywhere – your car, purse, backpack, trunk. Don’t be that guy or gal who leaves your puppy’s mess! Plan ahead by stashing these little bags anywhere you may need them. You can even buy cute little attachable carries that go on your dog’s leash. Easy as that.

Litter Box Training for Cats

Cats are (in my opinion) a little easier to “potty train” in that they have an innate instinct to dig–it seems like they just know how to go to the bathroom. I’ve had several cats over the years and (knock on wood) all I’ve had to do is give them the right place to do that – a roomy, clean litter box. There are lots of litter box options out there – closed tops, open tops, my dahlia garden! Talk with your vet about which choice is best for your kittie.

For as many types of litter boxes out there, there’s as many types of litter! Self-clumping, scented, scent-free, odor reducing, antimicrobial, the list goes on! Each family has their own preferences and this is for you to decide, with some input from your vet.

What I feel strongly about advising is this: you get what you pay for when it comes to litter! Specifically I have bought the super cheap, bottom-shelf litters at Walmart or similar stores. What I find is that my cats don’t like it, it doesn’t trap odors well, and I end up donating what remains because I go buy something better. Pound per pound, decent litter (I’m not talking the BMW of litter, just the Toyota) is not that much more expensive and will keep you and Kittie much happier. This is not the place to cut corners; trust me.

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Play Time and Entertainment

This is our family’s favorite part about having a new pet – playtime! I’ve seen even the grumpiest of cats get really excited at the shaking sound of treat bags or the automatic-spinning feather ball. Deep down, there’s just a little kitten in there! And puppies–that’s all they want to do is play and chew, it seems.

Providing our new pets with plenty of entertainment will help keep their young energy quenched and their curiosity at bay. (Why is it my dog always wanted to eat ONE of each pair of shoes? He’d literally move from one pair to the next, rather than destroy both of them.)

Some of our favorite entertainment for our best family dogs included super heavy duty chew toys (like Kong), puzzle feeding dishes (so they can’t devour their food quickly) and dog frisbees (as they were learning to retrieve). For cats, any old shoelace will do! Seriously, there are great cat toys on the market and you really can’t fail. For when we’re away, I like the ones that are battery operated. They will move suddenly during the day, providing Kittie with instant entertainment even when we’re away.

Congratulations on welcoming home you new family pet! I hope your new friend has a smooth transition and you come to find that you were meant to be together. After all, they often choose us!

Take care!