Have you recently adopted a pup from a rescue or are thinking about adopting? We have a guide on what to know before bringing home a puppy, but sometimes the transition is a little different for rescue pups moving into their forever home. So we sat down with our partner Muddy Paws Rescue to compile a list of tips to help make sure the transition is smooth and your pup feels as comfortable as possible!
4 tips on adopting a dog:
When adopting a dog, Give them time!
Our most important piece of advice is to give your dog the time that they need to decompress and adjust. Even if they’re a puppy, they’ve likely bounced around a few times– where they were born, the trip they took in the van to the shelter, ending up in the shelter, to their foster family, and finally to you. So while we don’t want to say that they have baggage, it is still important to recognize that your puppy has been in a lot of different situations and needs time to figure out this is where they’re going to be and that their forever home is indeed, forever.
When it comes to an adult rescue, giving them time is even more important. Even if they are absolutely perfect in terms of behavior, you need to give them time to acclimate and settle into this new environment and routine.
Mutual Patience and Understanding
If your pup is an adult dog, their routine might be different than yours– figure out how they can fit into yours and how you can be flexible with their schedule to set them up for success. Say you go to bed late and your pup is used to going to bed early and getting up really early, that clearly won’t work. But it’s important to be patient with each other as they shift their schedule to yours.
No dog is going to walk into a new home and be 100% ready to be perfect in your life. You might have to work with them on housetraining if they used to live outdoors, or get them used to the sights and sounds of an apartment if they came from a rural place before. But this goes both ways, just as you need to gain trust in your pup, they need to gain trust in you.
Train Together
There’s no shame in hiring a dog trainer! One great way to instill mutual trust and patience is to train together. Rather than just sending your pup off to a boarding program expecting them to come back perfectly behaved, we suggest you get back to the training basics and work with your pup so that they trust and understand you. Another great benefit of participating in quick daily training sessions with your pup is that you can see how your pup is progressing and view their intelligence as they think through each situation and provide positive reinforcement as they progress. You love your pup, that’s why you’re adopting them. But it’s important to remember that while they are cute, they’re also complex creatures with emotions and potentially different triggers that you need to learn and work through with training.
Give them lots of love and check in
This is an obvious one but give your new pup lots of love and watch as they become more comfortable in their home with their new family. A great timeline to follow for reassurance that your pup is doing well is the 3 days, 3 weeks, 3 months marks. First, 3 days after adoption, make sure there are no alarm bells and your pup is healthy and safe. Then at the 3 week mark, hopefully you (the adoptive parent) and your pup are more settled and developing a routine. It is completely normal for your pup to still be acclimating at this point. Finally by 3 months, you and your pup should be in a good rhythm and feeling comfortable together.
Thinking about adopting a dog? Feel free to send in your questions to whatthepup@spotandtango.com.
