Remember & Enforce Your Ground Rules
Don’t make week one a free for all. There still should be some fairly strict ground rules as you and your doggo settle in together.
We said this in part 2 of our dog adoption guide, and we’ll touch on it again here:
If your dog won’t normally be allowed to sleep on the bed, don’t let her sleep on the bed in the first week – no matter how cute and cuddle she is!
It’s easier to stop a habit before it starts than it is to change one. Stand firm!
With my foster dogs, there is no presumption of innocence.
My new dogs are guilty until proven innocent, so I don’t trust them with just about anything for the first week. If your eyes aren’t on your dog, keep them away from all items and areas that can’t be dog-proofed.
This rule applies when you’re:
During these times, keep your doors closed to the bathroom and bedrooms!
Your next step will be to utilize indoor dog gates or x-pen to keep your new dog inside of the kitchen.
The kitchen cabinets should have child locks, the trash should have a lid (opt for a dog-proof trash can if your dog is especially nosey).
If you have a cat, move the cat’s litterbox to a separate area and consider investing in a dog-proof litter box.
Once everything is on lockdown mode, there’s really not that much for your new pup to eat or get into, and the tiled kitchen floor makes messes easy to clean – and that’s how it should be!
You don’t want your new dog to fail and get into bad habits. It’s easier to start with management and then transition to training.
When you have time to supervise your dog, start letting her explore the house. That way you’ll be there if she gets into trouble. You then can swoop in to show her what to do instead of chewing on those electric cords!
Don’t be afraid to get creative when it comes to containment methods, and remember that short-term confinement while your pooch learns the ropes is safest for her.
I started out keeping Barley in a crate whenever I wasn’t watching. I then started leaving him out in the kitchen for short times. Then – up to a full work day. Next, he got access to the whole house for a few unsupervised hours, and so on. If he had any accidents or chewed something he wasn’t supposed to, I moved back to the last step where he succeeded.
By setting your dog up for success, you’ll enable her to have more freedom in the house in the long term!
Keep It Chill: Don’t Overschedule & Overwhelm Your Dog
The first week or two is still a huge adjustment period for your rescue dog.
Remember that it takes more than just a single day or two to get to know someone, and much longer than a day to establish a reliable routine.
Don’t leave on a huge trip or have a house party during the first couple of weeks. If you had something pre-planned, try to arrange for your new dog to hang out in a quiet back bedroom with some CBD treats and lots of toys.
Putting her in a situation that is very stressful early will be too much for her!
You can start taking her out for adventures, but keep outings brief and relatively low-key.
If you eventually want to be able to bring your pooch to music festivals, don’t dive right into coachella. Instead, start walking her down busy streets and introduce her to a quiet outdoor coffee shop.
Keep an eye on her calming signals and listen to her if she says she’s ready for a break!
Group classes are a great idea, even early on! A good trainer will know how to adjust the class to keep your pooch comfortable.
Routine is your new best friend – right after management and confinement.
If you’re working on potty training, keep it regular and start working towards what your permanent schedule will be.
It will help long-term to make your life more predictable for your new rescue dog (this goes for housebroken dogs too – try to establish a potty routine and stick to it).
Barley’s routine includes a morning walk to the park for fetch, then a breakfast via training treats. He’s alone while I’m at work, then we do a post-work walk or run. In the evening, we do a training dinner and play a bit. Finally, he gets one more walk before bed.
He knows when it’s play time, walk time, nap time, or meal time. Implementing this regular routine shortly after Barley came home with us helped him relax and adjust more quickly!
Resist the urge to spoil your dog
When you first bring your newly adopted dog home, it’s understandable to want to show them with love, especially if you know they have a troubled past. But this would be a disservice to them. Giving your dog too many treats, cuddling them constantly, and letting them do whatever or go wherever they please is asking for trouble. This sort of coddling gives your dog the idea that they can do whatever they want and get rewarded for it now. It seems harmless during the first few weeks, but it could develop into long-term behavior issues.
Only give your dog treats when they’ve earned them. Don’t always show them affection when they ask for it. This could lead to clingy attention-seeking behaviors. If your dog isn’t allowed on the furniture, don’t make an exception during the first week. There’s plenty of times where cuddling your dog and rewarding them is appropriate and good for the both of you. But in the beginning, make sure the house rules are clear.
Surviving the first week with your Fearful Rescue Dog
This article was written by John Woods, the founder of All Things Dogs. John has had two rescue dogs himself, and also has plenty of experience in training and rehabilitating rescue dogs.