Pets really are an integral part of a family. Taking on a new furry friend means taking on responsibility for the health and happiness of a new family member. From training, to caring for allergies and health conditions, to managing a healthy home and the best way to approach stains when disaster strikes - we understand the challenges that come alongside a new four-legged friend.
We've put together a full guide that'll help you through the process of bringing a pet into your family from start to finish, with a few helpful cleaning tips and tricks along the way.
Researching the perfect pup for you can take a lot of time, so we've compiled a few of the perfect dog breeds to suit all sorts of living situations and help you select your ideal match.
For the apartment dweller, we’d recommend a Bichon Frise!
This cute little breed of dog are perfect for inner city living:
The perfect dog for a home-share with a group of people, is a Jack Russell Terrier!
These social creatures are perfect for flatting:
If you're a family living on a farm, we'd recommend a Border Collie!
Ideal for the farming family with young children and plenty of space:
The quintessential family dog:
If you're interested in finding out more about the ideal dog for you and your family in detail, take a look at our blog: How to choose the perfect pooch for your home.
You've picked the perfect pup, and you're ready to bring them home to meet the family - however, you know you're in for a few toilet-training challenges along the way.
You work hard to keep your home a clean and healthy space to live in, so it's a good idea to be prepared for how to effectively toilet train your new dog so the training stage doesn't completely thwart your efforts. Here's how.
Taking time to learn your pups toilet habits and routines will go a long way to understanding how to help them. If your puppy is whining, barking, sniffing, circling or scratching at the door, your puppy is letting you know it's time to go. Learn the cues so you know exactly when to whisk your dog outside.
Puppies respond to a clear and firm tone of voice. Make sure when you're telling your dog to go outside or to 'go now' you focus on your tone. It's also really important to reinforce good behaviour and let your puppy know when they've done a great job. Every time your puppy goes outside, make sure they're rewarded for their efforts with a little love - they'll be far more inclined to repeat the good behaviour.
The paper training method relies on three main facts:
All you need is a bunch of newspaper! Decide where you'd like your dog to go, and when you notice the signs that your puppy needs to go, pick him up and place him on the paper followed by a verbal cue. He'll soon learn that this is this bathroom routine to follow and be prompted by his own scent.
In the wild, a dog's den is its home where they find solitude, comfort, hide from danger and raise a family. It's naturally not a place they're inclined to soil.
Introduce your dog to a crate and begin to feed them their regular meals near the crate. Your dog will begin to feel more and more comfortable spending extended amounts of time there. After a little practice, you'll have a safe place to leave your dog where it feels comfortable, without the worry of a mess when you come home.
For more information about puppy training methodology with extra tips, take a look at our full blog: How to toilet train your new puppy: our top 5 tips
To help you out on your journey of being a new pup parent, we've put together a list of the most helpful habits to teach your new pup when they arrive.
There a few basic things that all dogs need to learn, and the earlier the better.
Getting your puppy familiar with both its new family and other animals is really important in the first twelve weeks, especially. Make sure you're frequently taking your dog out to meet other people and new dogs alike. A great idea is to stay down on your dogs level when it's interacting with stranger to help your dog feel more comfortable. The more positive interactions, the more social the dog will be!
Getting your new puppy house trained can prove to be the most difficult learning challenge. If you've already put our first four tips into play, you're well on your way!
For further tips and tricks around training your pup, check out our blog: Five helpful habits to teach your new puppy.
A dogs bed is a risky thing to clean, as you want to avoid using any harsh chemicals that your dog might react to, but also, they're usually quite large in size. There are a few ways to navigate around this sometimes difficult task.
Want to make sure the products you're using are pet-friendly? Check out our full blog on the topic where we go into detail about the types of products to use.
Check out our full blog: How to wash a dog's bed.
Try and recall the last time you had a seasonal allergy. The blocked nose, the drowsiness, the itchy skin - it's enough to make you want to hibernate for months at a time.
What we often forget though, is that allergies aren't just a human thing. Our pets can also feel the irritation of allergies - but they're much less able to do anything to help treat it.
If you notice one of the following things on your furry friend, they might have an allergy:
There are a few things you can do to help your pet out if you're noticing that they're showing signs of allergies, and luckily, they're pretty simple tricks.
Despite how much your pet might hate the thought of a shower or bath, bathing is crucial to clean off the allergens that can cause problems.
Often when a dog has allergies, it's something in their day to day routine that's making life a little difficult for them.
If your pet is prone to the seasonal sniffles and scratches, then it's best to avoid areas that may have high levels of pollen when taking them for a walk. That can include places like parks, fields, and gardens - so best bet may be to head to the beach!
When you have kids or pets at home, cleaning is no longer just a chore - it's a responsibility.
It can get really humid here in New Zealand sometimes; that's why you should keep the humidity in your home in check using a dehumidifier. Less humidity means fewer chances of mould, which can trigger allergies. Keeping your pets out of the humid spots in your home, such as bathrooms, can be helpful too.
In addition to keeping your home mould free, vacuuming your home is really important, especially if you have a lot of rugs and carpets that can collect dust and pollen.
There are a few more tips we'd recommend if your pet is struggling with allergic reactions - you can check out our other suggestions, here: Helping pets with allergies: symptoms & treatment
When you bring home a new ball of fluff, to a certain extent, you expect there are going to be a few accidents here and there. A stained carpet seems inevitable, and marks on your upholstery are usually a given.
Luckily, there are a few things you can do as soon as disaster strikes that will help to remove the stains.
You might have noticed that people who own pets often have patches on their lawn that look dry and brown. This is because the PH level of dog or cat pee sits at around 6 - 6.5, meaning it's acidic in nature. Pet urine can quite literally burn grass.
With this in mind, it's pretty important to understand the nature of acidic pet stains before you tackle removing them.
Stay calm, and grab your bottle of Rug Doctor Stain Remover.
Here are some quick steps to ensure you successfully remove the stain:
If you want to know more about completely removing acidic pet stains, including how to deep clean your carpet, take a look at our blog: Quick-fire ways to remove pesky pet stains.
A common problem that cat owners face with toilet training is their feline friend peeing in one spot. There are a few things that might be causing the problem, and fortunately, a few ways you can solve it.
If you're cat is peeing in one spot in the house, they're likely trying to let you know that something is wrong. They could be sick, scared, territorial or unhappy with their litter box. Once you figure out the cause, it will help you find a solution, so you and your cat can be friends again!
Any of the following reasons can cause cats to become a repeat offender:
Alternatively, the problem might in fact be where your cat is going:
Here are a few things we'd recommend to help out your feline friend.
If you want a little more information on how to help your cat with this problem, or what to do when you have a mess to clean up, check out our blog on the topic: What to do when your cat always goes in one spot.
We've all seen those cute little pups out and about on the street wearing jackets cooler than we even own ourselves! If you've got a dog you'd like to buy a little something extra for, it's worth looking into the functionality aspects of dog outfits, as well as picking the cutest one available.
Check out some of these numbers!
If you feel the cold when the winter months roll around, your pup is likely to be feeling the same way too. This is particularly true for the breeds of dogs who are short haired. Do your pup a favour and grab him a little fluffy winter number so he's nice and warm when he goes on his morning walks.
This one goes without saying - wet weather is unpleasant to walk in, and if you're pup is walking 5 metres ahead of you, your umbrella isn't going to be doing him any favours. A little rain jacket is the perfect way to keep most of the damp off your dog when you're out and about - and prevent him shaking the water off on your favourite rug!
The main thing to think about here, is whether or not your dog is comfortable. If you pop on a coat and your dog looks like he'd rather wear anything but, or he has his tail down between his legs, chances are he feels insecure. If this is the case, don't force your dog to keep it on.
If he's happy, then just make sure it fits well and isn't too tight, and check in to make sure your pup isn't over heating. You never know, he may be the fanciest dog on the block, and love it too.
You can take a look at the full range of fashionable dogwear at our blog.
Check out the full, fashionable list, here: Fanciest Doggo on the Block: Top 5 Dog Outfits
If you’ve got dogs and cats at home, it’s important to make sure that your furry friends are well looked after and kept cool under the smouldering sunshine that comes hand and hand with a New Zealand summer.
We've put together a few nifty tips to help you keep your pets cool.
There’s an easy way to test if it’s too hot to take your pet for a walk - a five-second rule formulated by a US dog-training centre: "Place the back of your hand on the pavement. If you cannot hold it for five seconds, it's too hot to walk your dog."
First thing’s first, always (and we mean always) ensure that your pet has a full bowl of fresh, clean and cold water available to them, so they can nip back and rehydrate whenever they need.
An outdoor paddling pool is also a great idea for the back lawn, offering an easy option for your pup to take a quick dip and cool off when they need to.
Rather than a regular pet bed, there are plenty of cooling mats available, that give your cat or dog a colder option to lay down and stretch out on after a long day of play. If you don’t want to spend any extra money on a pet bed, no problem – simply take an old towel and saturate it in cold water.
Alternatively, grab an old tennis ball, make a small hole and fill it with a few dog treats and a little water, now pop it in the freezer for a few hours (make sure the hole is facing upright!), and you’ll have an excellent brand-new toy.
Take a quick look around your garden and check for shade. Trees are the best option as they allow for the most airflow and protection, but if you aren’t lucky enough to have a large garden sporting a whopping willow, making sure you have an outdoor kennel, shade sail or even an umbrella will do the trick.
For more easy ways to help your pet cool off, take a look at our full blog: Top four ways to keep your pets cool in summer
If you live on a farm, chances are you're familiar with the struggle of keeping the contents of the paddock from making its way indoors - especially when there are pets involved. As a family who lives a rural lifestyle, often the variety of pets you home may extend beyond a cat or dog. From chicken coops to children with pet lambs, there's a lot of fur, mud, feathers and dust involved.
Here's how to stop the barnyard from making it's way inside your home.
Even after you take all of the recommended preventative measures, there's always the chance that accidents will happen. If you find your barnyard pet problems are still making their way onto your carpets, there are some easy ways to tackle it.
If you're interested in a few more farm-related tips, check out our blog: How to keep your home separate from the barnyard
Want to know exactly how to tackle all kinds of pet stains? Grab our Pet Stain Removal Guide for FREE!