Adopted dogs can take time, patience, love, commitment and understanding to settle.
Please give them the chance they deserve.
Rescue dogs can and do take time to settle into their new home, environment and with their new owners. Some dogs may adjust quicker than others but nonetheless each will need time to decompress, learn their new routine and feel truly at home.
The 3-3-3 rule of rescue dogs is a guideline framework which helps new owners manage expectations by acknowledging the adjustment period, which can vary depending on the dogs individual personality, background and experiences.
3 days - decompression
Dogs may feel overwhelmed, scared or unsure of what's going on. They may not feel comfortable, they might be shut down or seek places to hide and be reluctant to eat or drink.
3 weeks - learning the routine
Dogs may start to feel settled, more comfortable, they may have figured out their environment and begin to let their guard down. This is also the point where they may start to test boundaries or behavioural issues begin to appear.
3 months - feeling at home
By 3 months the dog will have learned to trust you and formed a bond, their full personality begins to emerge, they gain complete sense of security and feel at ease.
The 3-3-3 is a guideline and not a rule, some dogs may adapt faster, while others need more time. Remember patience is key.
Although it's a positive thing for a dog to be rehomed finally finding their happily ever after it can also be quite a stressful time for them. They may have had a lot of upheaval prior to coming home, they may have been in kennels for a long time, they may have built bonds with the kennel staff they are leaving being and will be undoubtedly unsure of where they are going, what is to be expected and what is going to happen to them - it's a bit like starting a new job, it might be an amazing advance on your career but to begin with you will be unsure of where everything is, who everyone is and what the days will entail until your fully settled into your role.
To help this transition and indeed allow the dog to feel relaxed, set up a safe space for them this might be a crate, a separate room, a bed in an adjoining room, an area separated with a stairgate or even a bed in a corner, ideally away so they don't have to feel overwhelmed by anyone passing/coming too close but not too far out of the way that they are secluded. The dog then has the option to take themselves for some uninterrupted time in their safe space.
When taking on your new rescue dog it is important to establish a routine as soon as possible so the dog can then learn when to expect what which in turn will help them settle much quicker.
Consistent feeding, walking and toileting/garden times all contribute to helping a new dog pick things up and adjust.
Positive reinforcement is a brilliant way of instilling values and behaviours in your dog that are good, this can be used from housetraining, to socialisation to general behaviour. Rewards don't always have to be treats, for some dogs who aren't food motivated the positivity could be play, a toy, fuss or even just praise.
Any dog can develop or have challenges irrespective of their age, where they have come from or their upbringing, rescues may have more baggage than others so any new owner of a rescue dog must expect some challenges. Such challenges could be mild such as jumping up or could be more drastic such as reactivity and some challenges may not present themselves straight away.
We always give owners as much information as we possibly can on each dog including any history and assessments made in kennels but sometimes dogs are different within a home environment or different situations.
If a challenge does arise then it is advisable to contact a dog trainer should it be something the owner is unable to deal with themselves, should the problem/s persist or unable to be rectified with a dog trainer then please contact us, we always offer behavioural back up where we pay for the first 1-2-1 session with our behaviourist - all it costs you is your time.
All we ask is to give the dog a fair chance and to try to work with them, we do acknowledge some unforeseen challenges may not be suitable for the owners to contend with and other challenges may pose a risks/unable to be rectified which mean the dog has to be returned to us however if owners can put in the work to help the dog the reward at the end will outweigh the negatives and allow them to live their happily ever afters with their families!
Every dog will require different amounts of exercise, older dogs may require less strenuous or shorter walks whereas higher energy or younger dogs may require plenty of longer walks! Some dogs may even develop into needing more walks as time goes on whether that be due to confidence or weight loss but it is important to tailor your dogs exercise in line with their needs as well as regularity as all dogs will need some amount of outside active time.
We do always advise new owners to enroll their new rescue dogs in to training classes whether that be puppy training, obedience classes or socialisation classes irrespective of their age, breed or current training status as not only will this extend their existing knowledge, build new skills, provide mental stimulation, help bond with their owners but also form a relationship and contact with a trainer who may be able to help with any other training needs outside of the classroom - and let's not forget old dogs CAN learn new tricks!
When out walking your new dog it is inevitable that you will encounter another dog at some point, if you have a dog friendly dog then this won't be an issue but if your dog isn't well socialised or has anxieties this may be more of a problem.
It would be lovely if all dogs got along with each other, said hello and were happy to see each other but unfortunately that's not the case. Some dogs struggle with on lead interaction, some dogs don't like particular types of dog, some dogs are anxious, some simply aren't friendly with dogs whereas some love all dogs.
It is of upmost importance when walking your dog that you are mindful and respectful of other dogs/owners and keeping your dog under control is key.
Things to bear in mind;
and lastly, don't set your or anyone else's dog up to fail - if in doubt clip your dog back up, give space and pass by, a few minutes on the lead won't be detrimental to either dog but a few minute interaction with a dog who doesn't wish to be greeted may be very problematic.
