What to Expect From Your New Dog Part 2
A few days ago we talked about the 3/3/3 rule - 3 days to detox from shelter life, 3 weeks to settle and learn the routine, 3 months to finally feel "home." When you bring your new dog home, it’s important to do what you can to ease his or her transition. Patience and a sense of humor are critical for your new dog’s success.
Your new dog needs to be given an opportunity to adjust. To adjust to the new people, sounds, smells and environment. A dog that was quiet and confident when you met him at the ranch may all of a sudden be skittish and unsure in his new environment.
While your dog is decompressing, we generally recommend no long walks, car rides, pet store excursions, parties, and more. You will have lots of time for these things once your new family member is ready! All of these activities or events will be an over abundance of stimuli and are very stressful, especially during a time when your new dog still has no reason to trust you.
TIPS FOR SUCCESS!
Treat your new family member like a puppy
Keep them supervised, give them guidance on where to go to the bathroom, give them quiet time to be settled throughout the day, etc. Even house trained dogs may have accidents when adjusting to a new home and anxiety can be closely related to training lapses. You might consider leaving a leash attached to your new dog during this time as well.
Establish house rules (with your family)
Before the dog comes home, chat with your family about where this dog will be allowed. Is he allowed in all the rooms in the house? Having clear expectations from all humans will help your dog more successfully understand your expectations for him.
Set everybody up for success
If you have more than one dog, do not leave your new dog unattended with the resident dog, toys or bones, and don’t leave food bowls out (even if they are empty). Be sure to ALWAYS feed them separately. We recommend that you don’t leave your dogs together unsupervised until you are absolutely sure that they are safe together (could be a few weeks or a few months).
Actively supervise children and dogs, ALWAYS
When your child and your new dog are together, make sure you pay attention to what is happening at ALL TIMES. Always intervene at the earliest opportunity should either look worried or you see that things are getting out of hand. Puppies love to play, but they often may bite or nip during playtime. When children respond to puppy bites and nips by yelling and jumping, the puppy misinterprets this as a signal to play even harder.
If children are visiting your house and your dog or the child appears at all unsure or nervous, be safe and put the dog in another room or in his crate. Dogs should have a safe place in the house they can go to at all times. It’s always better to be safe!
Before you ever consider rehoming your dog for any reason please reach out to us to discuss this and see if all of your options have been explored and implemented. Visit our page on surrendering your dog to find out if this is the only choice for you.