New Pet in the House Flashcards
1
Q
Bringing a Pet Home
A
- Transition to a new environment can be stressful for any animal
- Adjustment peroid should be anticipated
- Allowing a new pet to have run of the house can be overwhelming
- Instill house rules the moment the animal comes home
- Be consistent
- Do NOT excuse poor behavior in a young animal
- Understand nutritional requirements
- gradual transitions
- Veterinary care should be established
2
Q
Bringing a Puppy/Dog Home
A
- Give a week or more to settle in ad feel comfortable in one area of the houseIntroduce other parts of the house on-leash and allow them to sniff and explore
- more able to establish what areas/behavior is “off limits”
- Expanded accessibility may make some animals nervous
- slow introduction process to match comfort level
3
Q
Bringing a Kitten/Cat Home
A
- Confine to a single, quiet room with a litterbox, water/food dish and bed
- create a safe and secure environment
- May hide underbed or in a closet
- important to to force interactions
- May establish an escape behavior rather than coping and learning
- Slowly introduce to other areas of the house
- Once they are comfortable, can more food, water and litterbox to their permanent location
- Establish house “rules” during the first home introduction
- Ie: not allowed on counters
4
Q
A
5
Q
3Days, 3Weeks, 3Months Rule
A
- 3 Days:
- Overwhelmed, scared/unsure
- Not sure of the rules yet
- Testing boundaries
- 3 Weeks:
- Started to settle
- Learning routine
- more comfortable
- True personality coming out
- 3 Months:
- Comfortable
- increased trust
- increased security
- Routine set
6
Q
Introducing a New Dog and a Resident Dog
A
- NO time limit on proper introduction
- Have dogs meet on leash
- Walk together at a distance of 10ft, so no greetings/interactions
- Get them acclimated to the sight of each other
- Have dogs meet with leashes draggin
- Choose a neutral territory, with lots of space
- Interact for a few minutes at a time, then call them away
- Leashes make iteasier to break apart fights
- Have the dogs meet at home
- First in the yard, them take the resident dog for a walk
- Allow new dog to explore the new home
- Keep dogs seperated when owners are away
- Work to prevent conflict (resource guarding)
- Give each dog their own beds and own dog bowls
- Introduce toys slowly
7
Q
Introducing a New Cat and a Resident Cat
A
- Selecting a new cat
- Adult cats accpet new kitten more easily than a new adult cat
- Temperment of cats is very important for successful introduction
- Cats may require weeks to months to adjust
- Create a sanctuary room fror the new cat with litterbox, bed, food and water
- Feed cats on opposite sides of the same door
- Once the new cat is comfotable, confine the resident cat and allow the new cat to explore
- New cat will smell the resident cat
- May exhange bedding for night
- Treats, synthetic pheromones may help encourage calm behvior
- Cats may bond or spend their lives avoiding each other
8
Q
Introducing a Dog and Cat
A
- Make sure cat has access to dog-free space at all times
- Separate room: litterbox, scratching post, water, food, toys +/- hiding space
- High areas in living spaces that cat can escape to
- Interactions may need to be managed for weeks
- Keep pets separate for the first 3-4 days
- feed on opposite sides of a closed door
- Allow pets to get used to each other without face-to-face contact (hear/smell)
- Allow animals to meet in a common area of the house
- Short session, dog on leash, cat has free access
- Neither should be in full body restraint
- Reward both pets for calm behavior
- End session before either pet shows signs of stress, agression
- Allow pets together loose, with dog on dragging leash
- Keep pets separate while owners are away
9
Q
Introducing Children and new Pets
A
- Children need too be taught how to behave around pets
- The most docile dog can cause harm if teased, frightened or prey drive is triggered
- Move slowly never encourage a dog to chase, avoid tug-of-war games, animas privacy must be respected
- Don’t allow young children to pick up, carry o put their face close to a dog or cat
- Young children should never be left alone or unsupervised with any animal
10
Q
Canine Socialization
A
- Critical period for puppies: 2-14 weeks
- Exposure to other animals and people is necessary for the development of normal social behavior
- Lack of exposure to these stimuli during this period may result in fear of members of the same or other species
- Behavior issues (anxiety, fear, aggression)
- Handlling (mouth, ears, feet), noises, smells, dogs, and other animals, people.
- Always in a controlled way
- Veterinarians have the opportunity to play an important role in informing new owners of the benefits of socialization
11
Q
Feline Socialization
A
- Critical Period: 2-7 weeks
- Run on a spectrum from truly feral to well-socailized
- Change with time, envrionment, and/or behavior rehab
- Truly ferl cats were not socialized with people as kittens and will remain wary
- Inadequate socialization or previous traumatic experience with people are the main environmental cause of fear-related aggression
- Many problem behaviors stem from inadequate exposure to crucial stimuli uring the socialization period
12
Q
How Cats are different from Dogs
A
- Cats are portrayed as easier to keep
- less incentive for ownersto learn how to optimize care
- Cats descended from a solitary, territorial ancestor
- During their domestication, cats evolved a simple, female-based, social system
- Default to be antagonistic towards unfamiliar cats
- Cats prioritize territory over social intraction with their owners
- Problem behaviors may be normal behaviors that owners deam unacceptable
- New owners gien basic information on what to expect of their cts, and how to manage their environment, report far fewer problems behaviors than owners left to find out for themselves.
13
Q
Feline Five
A
- Neuroticism: insecure, anxious, fearful of people, suspicious and shy
- Extraversion: decisive, perseveing, active, inquisitive, inventive, vigilant
- Dominance: bullying, dominant, aggressive to other cats
- Impulsiveness: erratic, reckless
- Agreeableness: affectionate, friendly to people, gentle
14
Q
Canine Housetraining
A
- Goal: teach puppy/dog when, where, and on what surface to eliminate
- Can take several weeks to months
- How often do dogs need to go out?
- Age in months +1 hour
- Punishment for accidents is ineffective
- Clean accidents with deodorizing product
15
Q
Canine Crate Training
A
- Safe, comfortable place
- Feed in crate, play with toys
- associate it with positive experience
- Learn how to be alone
