You did the right thing - you adopted a dog from a rescue or a shelter. You have bought all of the wonderful dog toys and treats and the best food and your expectations for a wonderful life together are flying high.
You have visions of your first day together. A trip to the dog park (Marymoor Park sounds like fun!), followed by an outdoor latte at Starbucks, dog companion close at hand, and finally, rest time - nose to nose, paw to hand, lying on the floor or couch together.
Sound nice? Perhaps, but realistic? Nope. First of all, if you adopted from a rescue organization, you may have had the opportunity to see your new dog at his/her foster home. You probably had the chance to see him playing with the family, their dogs, or just hanging out, relaxed on his dog bed.
Reality check time. The dog that you observed with his foster family was comfortable there. He knew the routine, had bonded to the family and knew the dogs in the household. You?? You're new.
It is important that when you come home with a newly adopted dog, that you allow for bonding time. Some dogs will meld into your household quickly and seamlessly. Others? They require time and patience.
Heading immediately to an off-leash area is a mistake. Not only does the dog not know you very well, but you do not know the dog. You do not know the dog well enough to anticipate (correctly) his reactions to other dogs, in new situations. The dog doesn't even know you well enough to guarantee that he'll respond when you call his name.
Taking the dog to an outdoor cafe to socialize with a mass of new faces and smells can be a mistake too. Again, there is no bond there and you are unable to anticipate reactions. You might think that your dog will welcome all of the pro-offered hands from well-meaning strangers, but you don't know this for sure.
In the beginning, it's best to tell strangers that you have just adopted the dog and that you are getting to know each other, so please, no petting. This is not the case for all dogs, but if you aren't 100% certain that your dog will happily accept the touching from strangers, skip it initially. Do you really want the risk of your dog snapping at a perfect stranger? Probably not. This is especially important for large breed dogs in areas where there are children (playgrounds, parks, crowded beaches).
Head over heels in love with your dog and wanting to plant multiple kisses on that adorable snout?? Step back and take a moment. You might get away with the kissy face antics right off the bat, or you might get a tooth through your nose. Again, take some time, build a bond and get to know your new dog (and let him get to know you).
The first 24-48 hours often brings some pacing, whining, or otherwise uncomfortable behavior from your newly adopted dog. This is normal and you should not panic. So many people expect to bring home a rescued dog and have him be perfect from day 1.
Again, while this can happen, it's not the norm and you shouldn't be upset if Rin Tin Tin or Lassie isn't channeled through your dog immediately.
Your best first day routine? Take a long walk together in an area that you are familiar with. Don't take your dog where there are known fence chargers or off-leash dogs roaming. Head out somewhere comfortable and quiet - build a bond together.
Allow your dog sufficient down time. After your lengthy, quiet walk, allow your new dog to have some quiet time in his crate.
Establish the routines that you want to see followed from day one. Don't make the first week all about coddling, spoiling and breaking rules. If you don't want your new dog to take up residence on your bed or couch, don't allow it in the beginning "just to make the dog feel more at home" , and then change the rules a couple of days later.
If you have another dog, be sure to feed the dogs separately until you are aware of any food guarding issues. The same thing goes for toys, treats and dog beds - observe and monitor the dogs until you know how they are going to react to one another, in varying situations.
Most of all, have patience and allow time for the bond and love to grow. Have no doubt, the bond and the love will grow - just don't rush things. Plan on taking time to get to know one another. Enjoy the relationship as it blossoms.
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Comments
Well done and good advice. I'll be sharing this with others in the rescue community to share with their adopters.
My family lucked out. We adopted an old, overweight beagle with the sweetest personality ever. We're working on getting him down to his correct weight through a proper diet and exercise. The only problem we've had is stolen food. Adopt, Adopt, Adopt.
Oh my gosh... You forgot the MOST important of all issues! If you are bringing a new dog into your family and have other dogs already, it is imperative that the first introduction is with each separate dog to meet on common grounds. This means, bring her home and go get one dog at a time with perhaps the meeting being in the front yard. Allow them to greet one on one and don't tug on their leashes, this is a negative tool! Remember, never introduce a new dog in the home. The established dogs will feel threatened and be expected to protect their turf.
I shared this information regarding introductions because I am a canine behaviorist and trainer. Hopefully , my previous post will help some of you. And please, go adopt at your local humane society.
In their service.
Any ideas on how I can get my newly adopted 6 month old pit bull puppy that was supposedly fully house trained to stop urinating all over the place?
I rescued a Mom, 4 yr old, & her son, 7 mths old, from alabama. They had been strays & son, now Koda, was born as a stray & not socialized. They both urinated in the house. I went back to basics with them. They were also very, very timid but not aggressive at all. I started training as if they were a new puppy. Starting every 2 hours round the clock, this also, unknowingly helped with bonding too. I limited there access to one room in the home, as you would a puppy, & gradually increased this as they progressed in training. It took a lot of love & patience, something that they were not used to, but I have the most loving, well-trained dogs I have ever had because they came to trust me. I NEVER yelled at them when they messed up, I simply would say no if they started to go & would quickly usher them outside. They came to trust me so much & they still stay at my side all day long. These dogs have been through so much & maybe he was trained but this is a new place & he needs the time to learn the rules in a loving, patient home. there are plenty of sites on the internet to help with house-breaking. Please go to them, if you have never trained a dog, & remember that he is essentially a baby & just needs your patience , love & guidance to become your best friend.
Is the dog crate trained? If not, you need to do it immediately. Keep the dog in the crate most of the time. When you open the door to take the dog out of the crate, snap on the leash and say 'Wanna go out?" Take the dog outside where you want him to relieve himself. Tell the dog to "Make" or whatever... and when he does praise him. Keep him in a contained area of the house until he can be trusted not to urinate in that contained area. Restrict the water. If you have been outside playing, bring him in, fill up the water ball and and say "drink?" When he is done drinking, pick the dish up, snap on the leash and say "wanna do out?" do the same thing after eating, playing, napping etc. When you cannot be in the room with him, watching him, put him in the crate and then take him out when you open the crate door. He will get the message. Another thing to do is buy sleigh bells for the door where you go out, Teach him to ring the bell if he wants to go out. Soon - he will be banging on those bells to be let out! Be consistent and housebreaking will be quick. Good luck!
I don't get this crate stuff. People successfully bonded with and trained dogs since the bond first occurred without putting them in a cage,. This is a relatively new fashion that I think will go away when people realize they are just following a fad. No cages!! (forget the den thing, that's not why people are doing it.)
bringing home our recued IG went very well although he was very timid. We spents weeks just lesrning our little piece of the world together. Foster was glued to me the entire time. I fact he still is today. Although it took him months to bark or make any noise, now he is a yippy boy! Comfort level finally acheived? I hope so.
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