Strategies for Surviving the Initial Seven Days After Adopting a Rescue Dog
So you've chosen to bring a dog into your household and have opted to adopt a dog. Congratulations! Adopting a dog rescue may be a difficult move, so check out these helpful ideas for surviving your new doggo's first seven days.
Adopting a rescue dog gives a fresh lease on life to a dog that may have been abused in the past but still deserves a loving foster home.
There are several advantages to adopting a dog bed, but they will also require extensive rehabilitation and maybe rebranding.
The first week is critical for establishing excellent habits, creating a secure and loving environment for your new dog, and forming a relationship that will endure for years.
The first few days must be treated with care and intention to ensure that the basis of your new family dynamic, including your new dog, is properly set.
Getting Ready to Adopt Rescue Dogs
Before you bring your dog home, you must ensure that your home is puppy-proof. This entails keeping an eye out for anything that might endanger children and either eliminating it or making it safe.
Adopting a puppy is thrilling, but pups are known for being far too nosy for their own good. Consider the items they have access to, such as children's toys, household chemicals, and any wires or electrical equipment.
You'll also need to do the same in your garden: check for breaches in the fence and be wary of plants that might be harmful to your new dog.
When you've ensured the safety of your home, you'll need to purchase all of the dog equipment you'll require. You'll need a bed, dog food and bowls, a collar, a leash, some toys, and a crate at least.
Check out our new puppy checklist to ensure you have everything you need to get your new rescue dog off to a good start.
Day 1: Bring Your Dog Home
Your first day with a foster dog will be full of firsts for both you and your pup. Before you go to pick up your dog, make sure you have a safe spot set up at home for them, such as a crate or a bed that is only theirs. If you're picking them up in the car, consider a secure way to get them home as well.
On the first day, don't go overboard. Keep things as simple as possible. To avoid overburdening your dog, try to provide a peaceful atmosphere with plenty of leisure.
Avoid introducing kids to too many new toys or family members all at once. Take youngsters and other pets out of the house for the first several hours while your dog adjusts.
Try to limit the amount of area they have to explore to just a handful of rooms so they don't feel overburdened. Within the first several hours, you may gradually introduce your family members to your new puppy.
Wait until they are calm and relaxed before introducing your dog to them one by one. Let the dog approach new people and pets whenever they wish. With each new experience, this will assist increase confidence.
You should make sure that dogs sleep in their allotted sleeping area on the first night. Perhaps it will be in a box downstairs or in a basket at the foot of your bed.
Take them out to use the restroom before night, and make sure they are comfortable.
Don't be startled if your dog whimpers all night; this is natural behavior for a nervous dog in a new area.
When your dog whimpers, lean over and softly massage them for the first few times to try to settle them down. If this fails, you will most likely have to ignore the behavior until they learn to self-soothe and relax.
Day 2: Getting to Know One Another
The second day is the first day your dog will wake up in their new home. The second day should be spent getting to know your dog and letting them get to know you.
Keep the space that they are permitted to explore confined to only a few rooms for the second day also, they already have a lot of new things to assimilate so don't overwhelm them.
If you work, it would be ideal to take the first few days off to get to know your dog and help them acclimatize to their new life.
You should spend the entire day with them if feasible. Let them approach you if they like. Experiment with a few tactics to see how much they already know (or not know).
Take them on a stroll to familiarize them with your neighborhood and regular walking schedule. When you're getting to know them and their behaviors, keep them on a leash.
These initial few days are critical in forming a healthy relationship between the two of you and any other family members who will be a big presence in your new dog's life.
Day 3: Build Trust
On the third day, you may begin to increase the amount of area they have in the house to explore.
You'll still need to keep a tight check on them, and if you can't be with them, confine their exploration to a single room, or even better, a box or ex-pen.
If there are children or other pets in the house, instruct them not to approach the dog until she approaches them for attention.
This ensures that your dog does not feel overcrowded and can adjust to their new life at their own pace, free of stress.
Never yell or use any type of punishment to build trust between you two. Positive teaching approaches, rather than an alpha male approach, work well with dogs.
Day 4: Begin Creating a Routine
Now that your dog is starting to trust you and you know them a bit more, you can begin to implement a routine that will help them feel comfortable and secure.
For their schedule, you'll need to fit in meals, walks, time for training, relaxation times and brain games, which will keep them cognitively occupied.
A box can be used to encourage relaxation intervals. A good schedule will enable your dog to settle in fast; an uneven daily pattern might contribute to anxiety in your dog as they will be wondering about what to anticipate next.
Dogs want to have a consistent pattern, especially those canines who have been in a shelter and haven’t had the ideal start to their existence.
Day 5: Begin Training
It might be tough to teach your new dog because the possibility is that they’ll be carrying a lifetime of undesirable behaviors with them.
You’ll need to have loads of patience and a plethora of food and toys!
Try not to anticipate too much from your dog in the first few weeks, they’ll need to build up their level of confidence in you before they start to desire to please you.
Start off with basic obedience training such as sit. Always carry out any training in an environment free from distraction. Keep the session cheerful, and never yell or become cross. Keep the sessions brief yet frequent throughout the day.
Day 6: A Visit to the Vets
Preferably, you will have already found a vet before taking your dog home. Taking home a shelter dog could even be able to provide advice from a veterinarian in the local region.
Your dog will require a checkup during the first week of your bringing them into your house. This might be quite a difficult experience for your dog, as the clinical setting could remind them of the rescue facility in which they used to reside in.
To prepare your new pet for this appointment, you may have a look at your dog’s ears, mouth and paws at home to get them acclimated to this sort of interaction.
It could help to just have a visit to the veterinarians as a social call, and perhaps offer him a treat while you’re inside speaking to the vet. Then leave and return a few days later for her checkup.
Your vet might be able to provide guidance on their food and nutrition and advised workouts as well as cater to any medical requirements they might have.
Day 7: Coping With Destructive Behaviors
Now that your new puppy has had a few days to settle in, you could start to see some destructive behavior come out.
Many dogs who come from hard home circumstances and shelters will have behavioral problems arising from fear and worry about their prior experiences.
It’s also likely that the reason they ended up at a rescue center was because their prior owner wasn’t properly prepared enough to teach them correctly.
Some of the most typical behaviors you may witness might include; “accidents” in the house, chewing, excessive barking, yanking on the leash, leaping up, no recall and occasionally even hostility.
Each of these items will need deliberate retraining, but here are some brief recommendations for each one.
Accidents in the house
If your dog isn’t house-trained, you’ll need to treat them very much like a puppy and teach them. Observe your dog frequently and look out for any indicators that they have to pee. Sniffing, whimpering and circling are all signals that they might need to go.
Take them outside immediately if you detect any of these indicators. It will also assist to keep to a regular feeding schedule and periodically take them out to use the restroom.
Don’t get upset with them or chastise them; always try to keep positive, even when there are mishaps.
If your new dog is still having accidents after the first few weeks despite a persistent attempt to house train them, take them to a doctor to check for any medical reasons for this.
If taking home a rescue puppy requires a little more help rapidly learning the ins and outs of toilet training, check out our Puppy Potty Training Guidelines.
Chewing
Something that not everyone thinks about when they acquire a rescue dog is the damage they may do to your house. Rescue dogs generally require a little time to acclimatize to their new home, and others come with anxiety from abandonment or abuse concerns. No matter how young or old your adopted dog is, destructive chewing is something you need to be prepared for.
Any detrimental behavioral disorders, such as chewing, need to be constructively redirected. If you observe them chewing the leg of a chair, offer them an appropriate toy instead. Don’t leave stuff on the floor that they can chew and puppy-proof your house.
Make sure they have hobbies and distractions to prevent bored and disruptive behavior while they are adapting into their new surroundings.
Barking
If your dog is barking a lot, there is typically a cause behind the barking. Your dog could bark if they are lonely, bored, not getting enough attention, agitated or feel the need to guard the house.
You’ll need to figure out which one of these behaviors is the core problem and then handle that issue. For example, if your dog is bored, you might attempt to cognitively stimulate them more and play brain games such as a treasure hunt or hide and seek.
Pulling on the leash
To train how long I should walk my dog calmly alongside me, reward training a rescue is typically the greatest technique. Each time your dog is walking, like you want them to, reward them with a goodie.
If they are struggling with this notion, halt each time he attempts to pull, and when he quits pulling, praise him. For more advice on loose-leash training, check out How to Stop Your Dog From Pulling on Leash.
Jumping up
If your dog attempts to leap up at you, ignore him and turn your back. Without any attention, they should eventually tire of this behavior.
Practice introductions regularly, and reward them when they approach appropriately. This won't happen quickly and will take a consistent effort from you and everyone else in your family to assist your dog grasp the acceptable habits for attracting your attention.
Aggression
Depending on the amount of hostility, you might need to seek expert help from Guard Dog Trainers. If they bite or snap at you, growl or snarl or do anything that makes you feel scared, then it is an opportune moment to get help.
The longer the behavior is permitted to carry on, the harder it will be to change it. Your dog is only behaving out of fear or anxiety, so a Guard Dog Trainers can help you pinpoint the issue and discover safe ways to make your dog feel at peace.
If your dog's hostility is confined to meeting people on your regular walks, then you could be dealing with leash aggression. Discover how to improve your dog's confidence and break this threatening tendency in Tips for Overcoming Leash Aggression in Dogs.
One Week Forward - Adopting a Rescue Dog
It might take up to six months for your new dog to really adapt into your house and their new life, so don’t be upset if, after the first week, they aren’t perfectly behaved and fitting in nicely.
Choosing to adopt a pet of any sort is a major commitment, and you should be prepared to put a lot of time and love into your dog. Rescue dogs typically arrive with some habits and patterns that you will need to teach them out of, so don't anticipate a completely trained dog simply because he's not a puppy anymore.
You need to consider all elements of your new dog's health and demands, including nutrition, training, routine, exercise, and don't forget fun!
