Bringing Your New Dog Home
Bringing your new dog home – Single dog household
Being re-homed is a period of a conflict of emotions for dogs. They feel happy and excited that they have found a new family. Yet, they may also be very nervous, frightened and scared and so you need to be particularly sensitive, patient and understanding with your dog and yourself as they settle into their new forever home.
Your rescue should provide you with any information that they have on the dogs previous home, behaviours and how he/she responds to stimuli such as children, dogs and cats. Your rescue will only give you the information that they have been provided or observed and it is common for many dogs to show behaviours in their new home that were not previously observed or recorded. These are my recommendations for introducing your new family member to their forever home.
In the house
Exercise
It’s important to not overly stimulate the dog as they settle into their new home. During the initial stages of settling in avoid any activities such as rough and tumble play, chase, tug or ball play. If the dog picks up a ball then let them play with it but do not try and take it away from them, just let them explore the new item. I would recommend that you initially focus on relaxing, calming and trust building exercises with your dog. Chewing and licking are relaxing exercises for dogs, they reduce stress hormone levels, and you should provide appropriate outlets for your dogs to chew and lick. These may include;
*I have recommended five days as a generic time period however, each dog is an individual and some dogs who may be fearful of other dogs, people or new environments may need longer to settle into home before going outside for a walk.*
Common Questions
Q – How long will it take for my dog to settle into their new home?
A - There are no set periods for this and each dog as an individual will respond differently to their new environment. Factors such as previous life experiences may impact on the period of time dogs may take to settle in. In my experience settling in periods can last between 6 weeks to 12 months dependent on the dog.
Q – What should I do if my dog takes an item ?
A - If your dog has taken an item that is dangerous or important then at this stage swap for a high-level treat.
Q – My dog is growling at me what should I do?
A – Growling Does Not necessarily mean that your dog is aggressive
Support Contacts
If you are concerned about any behavioural issues please contact Adam Dunn - 07780 471638
For any other issues you may contact Mandy on – 07977 375454
Adam Dunn.ISCP.Adv.Dip.Canine.Prac
Being re-homed is a period of a conflict of emotions for dogs. They feel happy and excited that they have found a new family. Yet, they may also be very nervous, frightened and scared and so you need to be particularly sensitive, patient and understanding with your dog and yourself as they settle into their new forever home.
Your rescue should provide you with any information that they have on the dogs previous home, behaviours and how he/she responds to stimuli such as children, dogs and cats. Your rescue will only give you the information that they have been provided or observed and it is common for many dogs to show behaviours in their new home that were not previously observed or recorded. These are my recommendations for introducing your new family member to their forever home.
In the house
- Let them explore your garden and areas of the house that you are happy for them to be in.
- Do not force them into new areas of the house give them the choice to explore
- Restrict access to areas that you do not wish them to go in.
- Provide them with a safe place to relax which is warm and comfortable where they have access to water and will not be disturbed.
- Do not introduce the dog to any new people other than household members
- Your dog needs to develop trust with you and other close family household members before being introduced to other people -
- Do not attempt to take the dogs food away from them whilst they are eating
- Feed them in a quite area where they are not going to be disturbed
- Follow your rescues recommendations for the type of food that your dog is eating, feeding times and quantities.
- Once the dog has finished their meal wait for them to move away from their bowl before you pick it up.
- After meals and every time that the dog becomes restless or wakes up take them outside for the toilet
Exercise
It’s important to not overly stimulate the dog as they settle into their new home. During the initial stages of settling in avoid any activities such as rough and tumble play, chase, tug or ball play. If the dog picks up a ball then let them play with it but do not try and take it away from them, just let them explore the new item. I would recommend that you initially focus on relaxing, calming and trust building exercises with your dog. Chewing and licking are relaxing exercises for dogs, they reduce stress hormone levels, and you should provide appropriate outlets for your dogs to chew and lick. These may include;
- Scattering part of their meal( dry food) onto the garden grass and let them sniff to find the food. 35% of your dog’s brain deals with processing smell, so get their noses working. This is weather dependent and when the weather is inclement, I would recommend that you use a Snuffle mat for indoor use.
- Soak the dog biscuits and stuff them into a Kong, then seal the Kong with some squeezy cheese or dog friendly peanut butter. You can deliver this part of their meal when you are sitting down to relax in the early evening.
- Provide your dog with a natural chew such as treated wood, Yak chew or any other natural chews. Avoid any products that have derivatives in them as these are particularly unhealthy for your dog.
- *Walking the dog for the first time is always exciting however, I would recommend that for the first five days you stay within the confines of your garden.*
- If you do not have a rear garden, then walk your dog on a lead in the front garden for short periods of time only
*I have recommended five days as a generic time period however, each dog is an individual and some dogs who may be fearful of other dogs, people or new environments may need longer to settle into home before going outside for a walk.*
Common Questions
Q – How long will it take for my dog to settle into their new home?
A - There are no set periods for this and each dog as an individual will respond differently to their new environment. Factors such as previous life experiences may impact on the period of time dogs may take to settle in. In my experience settling in periods can last between 6 weeks to 12 months dependent on the dog.
Q – What should I do if my dog takes an item ?
A - If your dog has taken an item that is dangerous or important then at this stage swap for a high-level treat.
- If your dog guards’ locations and has settled into one, move away and leave them there do not attempt to force them off.
- Withdraw access to areas that your dog may guard such as furniture or bedrooms.
- Do not shout or show any frustration, remain calm and follow the above steps.
- Contact your rescue for further support.
Q – My dog is growling at me what should I do?
A – Growling Does Not necessarily mean that your dog is aggressive
- Growling is a form of communication and many dogs growl when they are playing, excited or communicating with other dogs.
- What were you doing when your dog growled?
- Could your behaviour have caused your dog any anxiety, fear, stress or over- aroused them?
- In the initial settling in period, I would recommend that if your
- Calmly stop what you are doing with them or walk away from them and leave them alone.
- Do not shout or show any frustration towards them, remember growling is a perfectly acceptable way for your dog to communicate.
- Make a note of what you were doing when your dog growled
- Observe and note your dog’s body position and in particular their ears and tails
- How did your dog respond when you moved away from them?
- Contact your rescue and provide them with as much details as possible so that they can support you.
Support Contacts
If you are concerned about any behavioural issues please contact Adam Dunn - 07780 471638
For any other issues you may contact Mandy on – 07977 375454
Adam Dunn.ISCP.Adv.Dip.Canine.Prac