Be Prepared!

You have taken on the responsibility of a rescue dog and this is intended to help you avoid some of the common pitfalls and to help the new addition to your family settle in. This is a guide and therefore not totally comprehensive, if you are experiencing any problem behaviour with your new rescue you should seek the help of a behavioural counsellor, or in the first instance speak with people on this forum - help is always at hand.

Be Prepared!

Before you go to collect your new dog make sure you have everything you are going to need over the next few weeks, the rescue centre will gladly advise on what diet your dog has been receiving so check with them and have food in ready. If you wish to change your dog’s diet it will need to be done gradually, so at first stick to what he has been used to at the rescue centre, remember that it is very stressful at first for a dog to be moving in with a new family, changing his diet as soon as you get him would only add to the stress involved.

Other things you may want to consider are a lead and collar, identity disc with your contact details, dishes, toys and a bed. Decide where he is going to sleep and have it ready, this will minimise the stress your new dog will be feeling

Make sure all members of the family know the rules!
You should decide a number of things before you collect your new dog.

Where he is going to sleep?
Who is going to be feeding and exercising him?
Is he allowed on the furniture?
Is he allowed upstairs?
Is he allowed on your beds

Stick to these rules! The biggest pitfall that those of us who have had a rescue dog before fall into, is allowing the new dog privileges because we feel sorry for them; especially if he has had a tough life before you adopted him. This is a perfectly natural human reaction to our new rescue dog; unfortunately all we generally achieve is confusion and stress for the dogs. A good example of this is where we allow a dog on the beds or to jump up at us in the beginning, then, a few weeks later we come home in perhaps our best work clothes and the dog jumps up or leaps on the bed with muddy paws! We start shouting at him to get off but how is the dog supposed to know they are our best clothes? Or that we don’t want mud all over the bed? He doesn’t!

All it achieves is confusion, stress for the dog, at worst the dog will just learn that his new owner is unpredictable and may start shouting at any time! We have all been there, myself included!

The best start is to always remember that whilst the dog may have had a pretty rough time before, he now is a lucky dog because he has a home where he is going to be properly cared for and loved for the rest of his life. Make rules at the beginning and stick to them, a dog that knows and understands his boundaries is in general a happier dog. It is so important that you teach your new dog what is expected of him from day one and reward him for behaving correctly. If he gets something wrong simply ignore it. If you consistently reward the correct behaviour he will learn the rules very quickly.

The next pitfall we often fall into is when some members of the family do not stick to the rules and allow the dog privileges, perhaps like getting on the furniture, this again will confuse and cause stress for your new dog so make sure everyone in the house understands to stick to the rules you have agreed.

When you collect your new dog you should make sure that you have a little time to settle him in to your home. A few days is all that is normally needed, another common pitfall is to allow too much time to spend with him!

Rescue dogs often suffer some degree of separation related difficulties probably because they have never had the stability of a single home and some may have had the upset of moving between a few homes before they found a home that will work through any problems. “Separation related issues” is purely a descriptive term, it means a dog who cannot cope without his owner and suffers stress as a result. Often we collect our new rescue and then spend perhaps an entire week or more being constantly with them. Then we go back to our usual routine and perhaps start going out to work for let’s say four hours, three days a week. The dog is supposed to understand that we are working and will be coming back? Why? Because we tell them before going out the door? They don’t understand! Allowing them to become totally dependent in the beginning is not a good idea. As soon as you can, get your dog used to a normal household routine, even over the first few days pop out just for a few minutes and then back so that your new rescue gets used to the idea that you will always return. Build the time up gradually. Leaving him for a few minutes at first does not give him enough time to become totally stressed so to teach him from the beginning is kinder and less stressful for him.

Do remember that it will take time for your dog to learn what life is about in your home. It can take at least two weeks for a rescue dog to settle in properly and in some cases up to six months before they show their true character. Be patient over this time, he will undoubtedly make mistakes, just ignore them and consistently praise and reward things he does right. Consider taking your dog to a well run training class, even if he seems well trained.

The training you do with him will strengthen your relationship and build a good bond. To find a good training class speak to your vet or the rescue group you adopted your dog from. Phone the trainer in advance and ask if you can visit to have a look without your dog. If the answer is ‘no’ forget that group and find another. When you do visit one watch how they teach, there should be no punishment involved in today’s training classes and everyone, dogs and owners should be happy and having fun.

Problem Behaviour

It is not uncommon for rescue dogs to display some problem behaviour whilst settling in to their new home. Some dogs arrive not house trained; some might never have been trained at all. Many problems may be minor and will resolve over time with your patience and understanding. Others may be more difficult and you may require some help to resolve them. Even if the problems are difficult to deal with please do remember that the dog is not being difficult or misbehaving on purpose. Some problems can be difficult to deal with but I can promise you I have never met a dog that is ‘doing it on purpose!’ Contact the rescue group you adopted your dog from or seek the help of a good trainer or behavioural counsellor for help and advice.

I have worked with many dogs with difficult behaviour and I can honestly say the rewards I have gained from knowing I have worked through the problems with a dog are immeasurable. The joy of helping a rescue dog is incredible. The only thing left for me to say is:

Well done on adopting your rescue dog, enjoy every minute you have together