Because you never get a second chance to make a first impression, be sure to take some time to settle in with a new pet. Add a new pet when you can be home day and night for at least one week, preferably two.

You want your new pet to learn that life in your household is all about gentle handling, contented confinement, interactive play, learning a new vocabulary and understanding the house rules. By providing 100 percent supervision, a structure and a schedule, you can meet your new petŐs needs in ways that shape good behavior for life.

In the first two weeks, even young pets can learn to come and sit for everything they want, to play with appropriate toys and to be relaxed in a kennel.

Animal behavior experts Susan and Roland Tripp are the authors of "On Good Behavior." For more information, visit their Web site at AnimalBehavior.net.