Be Patient
Most Important Rule: Be patient and do not expect instant perfection.
When you first get your new dog, you can expect him or her to be out of sorts for a few days to a few months. Moving to a new home is stressful and your dog may be reserved when you get him or her. Your dog may pace or whine, which are normal signs of stress in a dog. This will stop once the dog settles into the new routine. Your new dog may be thirsty and not hungry, so do not be surprised.
When you get home, your new dog may be really tired or wired and ready to play – every dog is different. If you have a puppy, you will likely need to see your vet to continue shots as are age-appropriate and follow up with more fecal exams. Your dog’s medical records should be emailed to you upon signing the contract, but are also put in the packet you are given on transport or at the meet and greet. We will also let you know when the dog’s last flea treatment and heart-worm preventative were given. Talk to your vet about what is best for your dog to use in your environment.
When your new dog comes home, expect an adjustment period. We always advise adopters to avoid taking your new dog everywhere and introducing them to extended family and friends. Your new dog needs to know what its new environment is and what the routine is before you start introducing new people. After a few days when your dog is calm and relaxed is the time to broaden its horizons.
Use a Crate
We crate train our dogs unless you are told otherwise and we suggest you continue to crate your new dog until he or she earns inside privileges.
Crates are not cruel. Crates keep curious puppies safe and insecure dogs more secure.
Our resources page has some great information on how to crate train your dog and housebreaking rules plus information on introducing dogs, cats and kids to your new dog.
For many dogs, their crate is their safety zone. Changes create anxiety for a dog and the arrival of the dog will be stressful for the new dog. Crates can help.
Decompression
LET YOUR DOG CHILL OUT!
Remember that the dog is in a new place with new smells, new people and a whole new routine. Most likely, your dog thought it was in its forever home with its foster family, so this new place and new people can be stressful for them until they settle in. This is scary for a dog. The dog will figure it out, but dogs like to watch and observe to learn the lay of the land.
Remember you adopted an “inside” dog and until they are comfortable and have bonded to you, they may try to dig out, climb the fence, or find some other way out. In most cases, this period varies from dog to dog but you need to be on your guard for at least a month or more.
**Do not leave your new dog outside without supervision!**
Walking Your Dog
SLIP LEADS + MARTINGALES + HARNESSES are your NEW BEST FRIENDS!
DO NOT rely on a regular collar and leash to keep your dog safe. MANY dogs have slipped out of their collar and ended up lost in this situation.
Consider your dog a flight risk until they have adjusted to their new home. However, we would always recommend walking them (double leashed at first) using a combination of a slip lead, martingale collar and/or a well fitted dog harness. This will keep your dog much safer on walks.
We also recommend keeping them on a leash in your yard (fenced and unfenced) until they are settled. Many dogs dig under fences or climb over the top, which we do not want to happen!
DO NOT LEAVE martingales or slip leads on your dog when not attended as they are choking hazards.
Your new dog may dart out of an opened door.
Never open the door to an unfenced area if the dog is in the room and not crated or on a leash. While obedience training is optimal, you can never, ever trust the dog not to bolt. Teach your children to be aware of this and to not give the dog a chance to run out of the house and possibly be hurt.
Children
Never leave children unattended with any dog.
No matter how well behaved your child or the dog is, if you must leave the room, either the dog or the child goes with you. If a child bites someone at daycare, he goes home with a note. If a dog bites someone, he goes to a 10-day quarantine and then a possible euthanasia. It’s that simple.
Don’t put a dog in a situation where he could be at risk. The dog’s life is in your hands.
ID Your Dog ASAP
Your dog should have a dog tag with your name and number on it. Your dog is microchipped, but without that tag, the average person won’t be able to scan for the chip. Keep your contact information current with us and with the chip company.
We are always your back up contact for emergencies and if the pet recovery company cannot locate you, they always call us and that is why it’s important that we are notified of any contact or address changes.
Dogs Need Training
We work with them from the moment they come to us, but you need to continue to work with them.
If you experience a behavior issue, we want to hear from you. Most things are easy to address, but some need a trainer and you need to be prepared to get one if needed.
Do Nots
- Do not feed your new dog around your existing dogs until you know what they will do.
- Don’t put out high value treats with your new dog and your existing dogs. This causes fights.
- Don’t leave out your kid’s toys or your other dog’s toys.
- Do not simply open the door on arrival and walk in with the new dog. Introductions are the key to successful incorporation into their new home.
- Do not expect that just because your existing dog likes other dogs that he or she will love the new one. Typically it takes time, but pretty soon the dogs will be interacting and happy to have one another!
Health Issues Upon Arrival in Their New Home
Your dog is in good health when they leave our care. We have a strict medical protocol for every dog in our rescue, and we check them out from top to bottom. We send each dog to the vet for a health check up before they are transported to the Northeast to check for any issues.
Stress in moving can cause minor sniffles, diarrhea and similar irritating, but not life-threatening issues. We do vaccinate for kennel cough, but be warned it is very contagious and the vaccine does not cover every strain. If a cough is kennel cough, it will sound like the dog is trying to clear its throat and your dog may have a runny nose. If you see this, let us know.
We always tell people to pay attention to things that would cause concern. Examples would be a fever over 102.5, vomiting and/or a dark bloody stool. Diarrhea in and of itself is not a big deal and is fairly common. It happens because of stress and because of changes in food. If that occurs, switch a dog to a bland diet like chicken and rice for a day or so.
We treat all dogs for parasites multiple times while in foster homes. Due to the life cycles of parasites, they may need additional de-wormer in the near future.