​Socialising your pet is an important learning step

PDSA vet Nurse, Nina Downing, said: “Socialisation has a big influence on the behaviour and temperament of your pet. What they learn at a young age will likely shape their character for the rest of their life.

“A well socialised pet will be more likely to grow up to be friendly and confident; whereas a pet that doesn’t experience everyday sights and sounds, both indoors and outdoors, when they’re young may be fearful and anxious as an adult. Sadly, in some cases this can lead to aggression through fear of what they come into contact with – sometimes with devastating results.”

While the saying ‘you can’t teach an old dog new tricks’ isn’t strictly true, it’s much easier to get pets used to new experiences at a young age.

Nina continues: “For both puppies and kittens, the first couple of weeks of life with mum and siblings are precious. Calm and occasional handling, under mum’s watchful eye will often be tolerated, but it’s important not to upset her. Once their eyes and ears are open, puppies and kittens begin to explore and try to find out more about their world, so having normal household noise and activities going on around them, will help them to feel comfortable in a family home from the very start.

“As they get more adventurous, other experiences can be introduced, such as welcoming visitors to their home, seeing the post coming through the letter box, witnessing the vacuuming, being left at home without human company for a short time, will give them broad experience of life. These early weeks are the basis for their future, and after this time they may become more nervous of new experiences and back away, so this grounding is vital.

“This is just one reason why choosing a good breeder is important, as they should have started the process from as soon as the little ones become active. It’s important that they have lots of positive experiences of everyday sights and sounds.”

Things your pet should get used to:

Wide variety of friendly, healthy, vaccinated pets – such as those belonging to family or friends.

Children and young people (always under supervision).

People of different ages and appearances.

Loud noises, such as vacuum cleaners, washing machines, thunder and fireworks.

Travelling in the car – let them spend time in the stationary car.

Being alone - gradually get them used to being alone – build new experiences.

PDSA vet nurse Nina Downing answers all your pet questions

​Dear PDSA vet, can pets get Seasonal Affective Disorder? I think my cat Ernest is missing the sunshine! Thanks, Brad

Hi Brad, there’s no evidence to suggest pets actually suffer with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). Most pets will be happy to go outside whatever the weather, but if Ernest is choosing to stay indoors more often than usual, he may be put off by the weather, preferring indoor comforts or he could be being bullied by other neighbourhood cats, which would also discourage him from going out. If you have a garden, make sure it is open and welcoming, where there aren’t places he could be ambushed. As you become more active outdoors in spring, Ernest may be more keen to accompany you. If the problem persists though, see if you can spot anything else unusual about him such as off his food and then seek advice from your vet as there might be something else going on that they can look into.

Dear PDSA vet, I’ve started to find small teeth around the house. My kitten is three months old, is this normal? Thanks, Jen

Hi Jen, don’t panic, this is completely normal. Kittens lose their baby teeth at around three to four months when their adult teeth start coming through – sometimes you’ll see them around the house like you have, other times our cats will swallow them – which won’t cause a problem. Other signs your kitten is teething include eating less, grooming less, approaching food cautiously, or sometimes redness of gums and bad breath. There are some things you can do to help your kitten while they are teething such as being gentle while playing and not pulling toys from their mouth, avoiding brushing their teeth (as their gums are sensitive at this time), and temporarily avoiding kibble. Visit www.pdsa.org.uk/what-we-do/blog/vet-qa-should-my-kittens-teeth-fall-out website.

Dear PDSA vet, my puppy, Coady, won’t stop crying at night, we’ve been going down and letting him outside then sitting with him, but a friend told me to just ignore him. What should I do? Thanks, Matt

Hi Matt, Coady has spent his life until now sleeping in a pile with littermates and mum, so it must be a shock to suddenly have no one there at night. It’s common that that some owners make to leave their puppy in bed to ‘cry it out’ but we don’t recommend ignoring your puppy when crying at night, especially when they’re new to your home. Visit www.pdsa.org.uk/what-we-do/blog/vet-qa-why-do-puppies-cry-at-night website. Your pets may need the toilet, so it’s important to take them outside, praising them when they do go, then place them back in bed, without any fuss or chat, leaving him to settle while you are still around.