1. ID Tag …. 2. Transition …. 3. Housetraining …. 4. Feeding
5. Fleas & Ticks …. 6. Heartworms …. 7. Poison Control …. 8. First Aid Kit
9. Marker Training …. 10. Aggression …. 11. Resources & Recommended Reading
Excerpted from “Here’s How to Make Your New Dog’s Adoption Work for Life,” by Mardi Richmond in Whole Dog Journal.
Adopting a new dog is exciting and wonderful. But bringing a new dog home also has uncertainties. Everyone will go through an adjustment – dogs and people alike. What can you do to ensure that you and your new dog will settle into a long happy life together?
Have Realistic Expectations. In the first three weeks, behavior issues often come up that people aren’t prepared for and don’t know how to deal with. Realistic expectations can help you through the adjustment period with the least stress and the most success. How long the adjustment period lasts and what it is like depends on the dog, on you, and on your environment. Every dog is different. Some dogs settle in with few problems and many are even on their best behavior (a “honeymoon” period) for several days or weeks; they may experience stress, but deal with it by being cautious and responsive. Other dogs may deal with the uncertainty with other, more obvious stress responses, and the process of settling in could take weeks or months. Some common stress responses include:
—Pacing and other overactive behavior;
—Attaching to one person in the family, but being very shy of others;
—Mouthing people, jumping up on them, barking, and chewing; and
—Trying to escape or hiding.
Don’t panic if your new dog behaves in a less than desirable manner! In spite of the initial stress response, over the course of a few weeks dogs almost always settle in and become wonderful companions. What happens in those first few days/weeks is not necessarily indicative of what life will be like long-term. But how you handle the stress response can certainly affect the long-term outcome! There is a LOT you can do to make the transition easier and ultimately more successful. By being aware and redirecting any unwanted actions from the start, you can help your new dog become a good citizen.
Being Prepared is Key
1. Have basic supplies – like food, bowls, collar and leash, bed, and toys — already on hand.
2. Set up a confinement area, a place your dog will stay when you cannot provide supervision. Giving too much freedom too soon could set your dog up for behavior mistakes. Providing a safe, confined place to be when he is not being supervised will allow for a gradual and successful transition. Make the confinement area in a part of the home where you spend time together, where he gets his meals and favorite toys. A crate works well, but you can also use baby gates or an exercise pen to section off a small safe section of your home.
3. Get the whole family involved in deciding what the rules and routines will be, and help him learn those rules from the very first day. Will he be allowed on the furniture? Where will he sleep? What treats can he have, and when? Providing structure helps a dog learn the house rules and helps him feel safe.
4. Don’t be shocked if your new dog does some “naughty” things in his first few weeks in your home. Be patient with him while he learns the rules. Help him out by limiting his opportunities to do the wrong thing. For example, keep your counters free of food, keep garbage cans securely closed, and don’t put food items or wrappers into wastebaskets.
5. If at all possible, allow extra time in your schedule to help your dog adjust. At minimum, bring your dog home before a weekend so you can spend extra time helping him settle in. Ideally take a few extra days or a week off from work.
Introductions
1. When introducing your dog to his new home, leave the leash on him. This makes it easier to stop any unwanted behavior or to more easily get control of the dog if he is very skittish or scared.
2. Be calm. Talk to him gently while moving through your home.
3. Take him outside and spend time with him exploring the yard. Keep him on leash so that he will stay near you and you can continue to talk to him and demonstrate that you are in control of the premises. Praise him if he potties. After a half hour or so, take him to his safe area and let him rest there for 20-30 minutes.
4. Introductions to children should be done very slowly, gradually increasing the time they are together over the period of a week or so. Young children can easily overwhelm a dog with their volume and activity level, and a stressful experience on the first day can set a negative tone for the future, so keep initial meetings brief and very closely supervised. Never leave young children alone with a dog until you are confident you know the dog’s temperament. Do not allow children to grab at the dog, put their faces in the dog’s face, or blow on him. After a few days, allow the children to sit down and feed the dog Cheerios or small treats. First place the treats on the floor and let the dog pick them up; then put the treat on the flat of the hand and offer it to the dog very gently.
5. It is usually best to introduce your new dog to your current dogs outside in a neutral location so that your resident dog is less likely to view the newcomer as a territorial intruder. Each dog should be leashed and handled by a separate person. Allow time to see each other but not get too close. If all is calm, allow them to do all the sniffing and dancing around needed to check each other out. Use positive reinforcement: from the first meeting, help both dogs experience “good things” when they are in each other’s presence. As they sniff each other, talk to them in a happy, friendly tone. After a few moments, redirect the dogs’ attention to you and give each a treat. Take the dogs for a walk and let them sniff and investigate each other at intervals. Continue with the “happy talk,” food rewards, and simple commands.
6. Be aware of body posture. The “play bow,” where one dog will crouch with front legs on the ground and hind end in the air, is an invitation to play and a posture that usually elicits friendly behavior from the other dog. Watch carefully for body postures that indicate an aggressive response, including hair standing up on one dog’s back, teeth-baring, deep growls, a stiff-legged gait, or a prolonged stare. If you see such postures, interrupt the interaction immediately by calmly getting each dog interested in something else. It’s important to prevent the situation from escalating into aggression. Once things are calmer, try letting the dogs interact again, but this time for a shorter period and/or at a greater distance from each other.
7. When the dogs seem to be tolerating each other’s presence without fearful or aggressive responses, take them home. But keep your new dog on a leash while around your current dog for the first several days. It is not at all unusual for dogs to be snarly or growly with each other upon first meeting; they will almost always work out their relationship in that unique doggie fashion and become best friends (or at least tolerant of each other) within a few days.
8. If you have more than one resident dog, it is usually best to introduce them to the new dog one at a time. Two or more resident dogs may have a tendency to overwhelm a newcomer.
10. Keep stress to a minimum for the first few days or weeks. Just moving into a new home is stressful for most dogs – not to mention stress experienced during the rescue process. It can take several days or longer for a dog’s stress hormones to return to normal levels once he feels safe and calm. Don’t rush to introduce your new dog to friends, friend’s dogs, the local dog park, or the pet store. Remember that you will have this dog for the rest of his life! Give him time and space to settle in and bond with you before he is exposed to the world. Have him play and exercise in your yard and take him for walks in a quiet low stress area for the first few days or weeks.
Basic Training
1. Start a housetraining routine right away. Even if your dog was housetrained in his foster home, simply being in a new environment can cause confusion as to where he is to “go” now. Set up a routine, confine him when you cannot supervise, take him out on a regular schedule, and praise or reward for going in the right place.
2. Within just a few hours of bringing your new dog home, get him used to short absences. Take him for a short walk or bathroom break. Then introduce him to his confinement area (with a great chew bone or a stuffed Kong) and leave him there for a few minutes. Throughout the first few days, leave your dog alone in the confinement area for several minutes at a time. Vary the time you leave him from 30 seconds to 20 minutes. Start by leaving him in the confinement area for a few minutes while you are home, and gradually build up to leaving him for 10 to 20 minutes or so while you leave the house. By keeping your absences short, matter of fact, and pleasant, your dog will learn that being alone in the new home is safe. You can also make your departure a good thing for your dog by giving a special treat each time you leave.
3. Basic training – sit, down, stay, come, and walking on a leash – can begin the very first day. This helps dogs understand that you will be taking care of them and that they are safe. It will also help build confidence. Training games can help them de-stress and settle in quicker. Some dogs, however, will be “shut down” at first and may have a hard time learning a new behavior or even doing something they already know. Don’t worry if your dog is not as responsive at first as you might like. If your dog seems reluctant, make training games very easy, fun, and rewarding. You can begin by simply hand feeding a portion of your dog’s meals to help him learn to trust you. Use only positive training methods.
4. Although training right away is beneficial, wait a few weeks before taking your dog to a class. If you need help right away, consider having a trainer come to your home instead of starting a class. Waiting to start a class until your dog has settled a little and you’ve had time to bond can help you both get the most from the experience.
5. All dogs have behavior quirks or issues. With an adult dog, you may suddenly be facing an unexpected behavior issue that feels alarming or overwhelming. Being alert to any issues your new dog may have, you will be able to address them as soon as they arise, before they become a habit. Dogs can be very impressionable in a new environment, especially the first time they try a behavior. Setting your dog up for success, rewarding the behaviors you want and redirecting those you don’t want from the first day home, can make a huge difference in the long run.
6. Imagine what your emotional state might be like if you were suddenly plucked from your current life (leaving everything you know and love behind), put into a shelter environment where you were forced to live with noise and uncertainty, then suddenly placed in a new family where you not only don’t know anyone, but you don’t know the rules or speak the language. Be patient with your new dog. Give him the best start possible in his new home. And remember: with time and patience, everyone will settle in.
1. ID Tag …. 2. Transition …. 3. Housetraining …. 4. Feeding
5. Fleas & Ticks …. 6. Heartworms …. 7. Poison Control …. 8. First Aid Kit
9. Marker Training …. 10. Aggression …. 11. Resources & Recommended Reading