Kids Expecting a Puppy or Kitten Under the Tree? Here's What You Need to Know.

PETS are often welcomed into a family as a much-wanted Christmas gift, especially for children.

But taking on a new pet is literally taking on a new family member – and it can be a highly stressful experience for the puppy or kitten.

Remember – its whole world has just been changed totally. While we know this should be a change for the better – especially if you have adopted from an animal shelter – the new four-legged family member does not know this.

Especially if the animal is young, the whole experience of finding itself in strange surroundings, and being overwhelmed with affection and stimulation, can cause fear and distress.

And if your home includes small children and other established pets, the new member will be very unsure of itself.

It is vital to look for behavioral clues as to how the dog or cat is feeling and make sure others are aware – especially a highly excited child that just wants to play with the new arrival.

If your new pet seems wary and timid, give it space to come to you. If it is excited and wants to play hard, have the toys at the ready.

If you have welcomed a rescued animal into your home, be aware it will have likely been in a kennel or cage for possibly quite a long time and can be very overwhelmed if it is let loose to have the run of the house – maybe try restricting it to one room at first, so it can get used to its new surroundings and start to feel safe in its own space. Your new family member has to learn to trust you.

Dogs often need a week or more to settle in and understand the new surroundings – as he or she begins to relax, you can introduce new parts of the house to it, but do it slowly so it is not too much overload all at once. Keep rooms you want to stay out of bounds off limits, and it may be worth doing the tour on a leash to help provide context for the dog as to free areas and restricted areas.

Of course, reward good behavior with treats and give plenty of time for the dog to sniff each room, as that is how dogs gain an enormous amount of information.

Puppies may well need a longer time in a restricted area, especially while they are becoming house trained. If your new pet seems nervous, just back peddle the introduction of new space a while.

Cats, on the other hand, are much more independent animals and a new feline family member may literally hide in a dark and covered space for a while to protect itself – again, it has to learn to trust you and that it is safe, so do not force interaction against its instincts.

If there are areas that you want out of bounds, work to enforce that learning from the beginning – perhaps with double sided tape on table tops and counters for example, or make a noise as it approaches areas it is not allowed.

If your new pet is expected to make friends with any existing animals, remember your older pet has just had its space invaded by a newcomer. Both animals will need to get to know each other, establish boundaries and dominance as they would in the wild – you are effectively putting a pack together and they need to create their social structure. Cats are more solitary and may never fully bond with each other. Keep them separate at the beginning, start by feeding them on opposite sides of a door – they can smell each other and can start to link the pleasure of eating with the presence of the other. Introduce them slowly and with supervision, and be prepared to separate them quickly if need be.

New pets and children also need careful introductions – and the child may well need more training than the animal. Children – especially young ones – will be very excited around a new pet and want to play and hold it immediately.

Work hard to establish that the pet is not a toy, and can and will protect itself if it feels threatened – even if the child thinks they are trying to play.

Helping care for a new pet is a great experience for a child in teaching responsibility, care and respect for living things, but primary responsibility must still rest with the parent. Do not leave young children unsupervised with a new pet – a dog or cat is still an animal and has survival instincts that can cause it to lash out if provoked. Teach your child to watch for signals the animal is becoming distressed – just like humans, animals will send signals as they become increasingly aggravated.

But overall, offer your new family member love, food, security and you should all soon have a wonderful life together. Still have questions? Give us a call! The Retreat at Creekside is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to four legged family members.