Editor’s Note: This is a guest post by Monica Mizzi, a writer at petlifetoday.com.
So you’ve found a fantastic rental apartment or house, and it’s time to get settled in. With your pet in tow and all of your boxes unpacked, you’re all set to make your new rental a place to call your own.
Or are you?
As a pet owner, there are a number of additional considerations you need to make when it comes to renting a property with a pet. Unlike petless folk, you not only have to ensure you’re a good tenant, but you will also have to ensure that your pet is one too!
In the eyes of both the law and your landlord, the responsibility of your pet’s behavior will lie solely on you. It’s a responsibility you’ll need to take seriously in order to ensure your pet doesn’t cause any trouble in your home, and subsequently, with your landlord. After all, it can be a challenge to even find a pet-friendly home, so you won’t want anything – including your pet – to jeopardize your rental contract.
So, where should you even begin? Just follow these 5 proactive tips for taking care of your pet while renting, and you’ll be on the right track to becoming an ideal, trouble-free tenant with a pet.
1. Read and understand your contract
You must have heard the advice, “Never sign a contract without reading it.” This is particularly pertinent to pet owners when it comes to any stipulations in your rental or lease agreement about keeping pets in your rental home.
Make sure to carefully read what is stipulated to fully understand your responsibilities. Ideally, you’ll do so before signing the contract, however, if you already signed your contract only to realize you need further clarification, contact your landlord and ask.
We can’t stress enough the importance of reading, remembering, and upholding your obligations as a renter with a pet – especially considering that the consequences of breaking your contract can range from monetary damages to eviction.
2. Train your pet
Taking the time and effort to train your pet will make your life as a pet owner exponentially simpler. If your pet learns the difference between good and bad behavior and understands the implications of both, you will find yourself having fewer problems with your pet running amok in your home.
Training is something many pet owners know they would benefit from, but don’t make a conscious effort to start. Particularly if you’re renting a property, it is highly advisable to be proactive in teaching your pet how they are and aren’t allowed to behave in your house.
An untrained pet will likely pose many issues for you as a tenant, so save yourself the time, money, and problems with your landlord by beginning training as soon as possible.
3. Reward your pet for good behavior
As you’ll learn when you’re training your pet, similarly to humans, animals respond best to positive reinforcement. Scolding, shouting, or punishing your pet in any form for bad behavior will only exasperate it.
On the other hand, praising and rewarding your pet for good behavior will teach them the proper rules of conduct, while giving them an incentive to behave better. If you don’t know where to start, there are tons of resources on training through positive reinforcement. You can begin to read up on how to effectively incorporate positive reinforcement here.
4. Clean up any messes straight away
It’s almost inevitable that at some point, your pet will make a huge mess of your place. Sometimes, it can’t be helped, but usually, there are practical measures you can take to ensure your pet doesn’t get into the habit of it.
In any case, when your pet does make a mess, make sure to clean it up straight away. Leaving it could amplify the damage, especially when it comes to any stains or damage to the walls, floors, or facilities in the rental property. And as you should know when it comes to not breaking your rental contract, you should not leave your apartment any worse than when you moved in!
5. Buy all the necessary items for your pet
Providing your pet with all of the essential items it needs to lead a happy, healthy, and safe life in your new home will make a significant difference to your pet’s behavior. Not only will investing in certain items help your pet feel comfortable and settled in your home, it’ll also make it easier for you to take care of them.
Why? A pet which has its needs supported will be far more likely to behave in positive ways, and less likely to act out.
While the definition of “essential” varies from owner to owner, here are some ideas of items you may want to invest in are:
- A comfortable bed for your pet to sleep in and get a good night’s rest
- Treats for your pet’s positive reinforcement training
- A practical dog backpack for your dog or a cat carrier for your feline to make for easy transportation from inside to outside, or vice versa
- A variety of toys to keep your pet mentally and physically stimulated
If you’re busy with packing up and moving into a new place, you’ll need to save time and money when shopping for pet items, so save yourself a trip to the store and order your pet essentials online.
Read next: 13 Essentials for New Pet Owners
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