Bringing home a new dog

Jamie Flanders CDBC FPPE CFDM

— 

Congratulations on your new companion! Your new dog may be confused about where he/she is and what to expect from you. Setting up some clear structure with your family for your dog will be paramount in making as smooth a transition as possible. Be prepared for various behavioral concerns and personality swings to occur, moving to a new home is very stressful and if your new pet is coming from a high stress environment like a shelter, they will be carrying that stress with them for several days or potentially several weeks. It is important that you keep your expectations low and use management everywhere possible while your dog is settling in.

Ensure you have the supplies you need

  • Exercise pens or baby gates. These are vital for keeping dogs out of off limit rooms or away from off limit items such as Christmas trees and litter boxes.

  • Food and water dishes.  Ceramic or metal is recommended.

  • Collar/harness/leash. No metal or remote collars.

  • Toys. Interactive toys are a more enriching way to feed meals. Please avoid feeding out of a bowl.

  • Poop scoop and poop bags.

  • Kennel/crate.

  • Dog bed. In the crate and/or out of the crate.

  • Grooming supplies; brush, shampoo, nail trimmers (if you’re comfortable with grooming).

  • Quality dog food.

  • Pheromone diffusers

    • *Optional - calming or appeasing pheromones diffused into the home can help ease or reduce stress in dogs/cats.

Preparing your home (inside) – Dog proofing

  • Scent plays a major role in your dog’s feelings of security and safety. Keep in mind your home smells completely foreign to your new dog. And if you have other pets, your home is going to smell like someone else’s territory, thus, you may encounter some resource guarding as your dog tries to find their sense of security. If your new dog came with any beds or blankets which should have their scent on them, avoid washing them and leave those things out in the common area.

  • Put anything breakable, valuable, or off limits, up out of reach from the dog. This includes books, shoes, clothing, kid’s items, cat toys, rugs, electronics, eyeglasses, dangling towels, garbage cans, medications, and electrical cords. Keep in mind some dogs are crafty enough to climb on chairs or jump right onto tables to get to things.

  • Place baby gates in doorways or close doors to rooms the dog is not allowed.

  • Identify any house plants that are toxic to dogs and put them in a secure room.

  • Store any toxic household cleaning chemicals in areas that are secure from the dog.

 

Preparing your home (outside) – Dog proofing

  • Examine the perimeter of your fence and look for any holes the dog could squeeze through. Look for potential places your dog could jump over the fence. Make sure the latches to your gates are intact and secure. Some dogs are crafty enough to figure out how to unlatch gates and open doors. New dogs may look for ways to escape your yard.

  • Identify any plants that are toxic to dogs and gate them off with exercise pens. Gate off any gardens you do not want the dog to get into.

  • Remove any toxic chemicals such as; antifreeze, gas cans, rodent/insect/weed killers.

  • Roll up your hoses and block them off.                                                                

  • Always monitor your dog while outside and remove them from the yard if they begin digging, barking, or chewing on things they shouldn’t.

 

Preparing your resident pets

  • First impressions are very important. Get help from a certified behavior consultant to help you introduce your new dog to your established pets properly.

  • If you have other dogs pick up all the toys, bones, chews, and dog beds for the first few days while your established dog/s and new dog acclimate to each other. This may help prevent any fights over resources during an already stressful time. Have multiple water bowls around the house and feed them in separate areas.

  • Use baby gates and exercise pens to keep the new dog and your resident pets separated when you are not available to actively supervise.  Never allow them to be alone together until you are sure they can cohabitate together safely. Safe cohabitation can take several weeks or several months. There’s also no guarantee that they are good match and they may never be able to safely cohabitate.

  • Allocate equal time to spend with each animal, avoid focusing solely on your new dog at the expense of the time your current dog/cat is used to spending with you. Give the dog who is waiting their turn something to do such as a Stuffed Toppl, lick mat, or food sniff hunt.

  • If you have cats ensure their food, water dishes and litter boxes are out of reach from the dog. It is helpful for cats to have other rooms and plenty of high places to escape from the dog if needed.

  • Pheromone diffusers may help relieve the stress from a new animal coming into their home as well as help the new dog with the stress of coming to a new home.

  • If you have accessory pets such as; ferrets, rabbits, rodents, birds, or reptiles, keep their cages in areas that are secure from the dog. Do not allow the dog access to interact with your accessory pets.

 

Preparing your family and friends  

  • Moving to a new home is stressful. For the first few weeks remain calm and quiet around your dog. Limit their exposure to potentially overwhelming environments such dog parks, dog day cares, neighborhood walks and new human or dog guests.  Not only will this allow your dog to destress and settle in easier, it will give you more one-on-one time to get to know the dog and his/her likes or dislikes. Do not worry about asking your new dog to perform any behaviors for several weeks. Concentrate on building a routine that includes consistent opportunities for decompression walks. Decompression walks are a great way to start bonding with your new companion! 

https://youtu.be/cgt1oMZNPL4 - what is a decompression walk?

It is particularly important that young children don’t overwhelm the dog, as this is when bites inadvertently occur. Always let the dog choose to interact and respect the dog’s decision if they choose not to.  

  • Avoid having people from outside of your immediate family petting or approaching the dog. Politely explain that he/she is a new dog and therefore likely to require space and limited attention. The dog needs to always be the one to initiate any interactions.

  • It’s recommended that children’s rooms are off limits to the dog. All children’s belongings should be kept in their rooms away from the dog.

  • Show the children the space that will be designated for the dog such as a crate or certain area of the home and help them to understand that this space is for the dog only and off limits to children. Teach children not to poke at the dog through the holes or bars of the crate.

  • Educate children on dog body language and how to safely and respectfully interact with a dog (see related links below).

  • Instruct children not to feed the dog food from their plates during meals as well as to leave the dog alone when the dog is eating and sleeping.

  • Instruct children not to run and rough house around the dog as this may encourage the dog to join in an inadvertently scare or injure the children.

  • A good rule of thumb is to teach children to offer the dog a treat but let the dog CHOOSE TO APPROACH THEM. Never let children approach handle, reach for, or cuddle a dog they do not know. Never leave small children unattended with a new dog! 

 

Setting up a space and routine for the new dog

  • Decide on an area and set up a crate where your new dog will stay at night and when alone for under 4 hours.

  • A long-term confinement area is recommended if the dog is going to be alone for more than 4 hours. Exercise pens, bathrooms, laundry rooms and mudrooms, are great for creating long term confinement zones.

  • In long-term confinement, your dog should have access to water and safe interactive toys to keep busy with such as Kong brand toys.

  • Do not force your new dog into a crate if you are not positive that they are crate trained.

  • If your dog is not yet crate trained, set up and dog proof a small room such as a bathroom, mud room, laundry room or use an exercise pen. Your dog should have access to water and safe appropriate things to chew on or interact with to keep from getting bored.

  • Leave the crate open so that the dog can go in whenever they feel like it especially when overwhelmed. Your dog’s crate should be a safe place so please avoid using it as a doggie time out area.

  • If your dog is going to be alone for 8+ hours, it is recommended that you find someone who can let the dog out to potty and play halfway through the day.

  • Be prepared for accidents. Potty training doesn’t necessarily generalize to new places and if your dog came from a shelter, they may have lost that skill all together. Your dog will need to go outside in the designated potty zone when they first wake up, after each meal, after sleeping and playing, and before bedtime.

  • Feed your dog once in the morning and once in the evening. For enrichment you can feed meals from a puzzle or toy. Don’t worry if they choose not to eat it initially.  Many dogs do not eat when new changes to their environment occur. Just take up the food and try again at the next mealtime. Your new dog may not poop for the first 1-2 days. If it goes longer than 2 days take your new dog to the vet.

  • Avoid off leash areas and dog parks. Keep your dog on a leash outside of your yard.

  • Do not let your new dog off leash on walks until you have trained them to recall reliably, and you’ve had time to build a good bond.

 

Body language: what your dog is trying to tell you

Dogs do not have words to communicate with us, instead they use their body, face, and use of space. It’s important for everyone to understand the basics of canine body language.  It is especially important that children are taught how to recognize dog body language as well as how to safely and respectfully interact with dogs. Understanding, recognizing, and respecting what your dog is trying to communicate to you is one important key in building a strong positive relationship with each other.

Please visit the following links with your children:

·   https://youtu.be/ABDrhNBwdpk

·   https://youtu.be/MYDW2KV_TzE

·   https://youtu.be/VPEwHhXF6pU

·   https://youtu.be/8AaNg1rMjak

·   https://youtu.be/DuA7SZ_XPSU

·   https://youtu.be/bstvG_SUzMo

·   https://youtu.be/-cGDYI-s-cQ

 

Body language: Is that normal? Is that okay?

 There may come a time when you are watching your new dog play with other dogs, and you are unsure if what you’re seeing or doing is okay, safe or appropriate.  Please visit the following link to watch learn about appropriate dog vs dog interactions.  

·    https://youtu.be/HOiAwIxpt1c?list=PL7RMph8rOeaWvnWS6rizCDPrf_bqtkDUU

 

Please visit the following links to learn about appropriate dog vs human interactions.

·    https://youtu.be/69S797ZfsRM

·    https://youtu.be/8YuAD8zqAIQ

·    https://youtu.be/ShsA5M57Yic

 

Jamie Flanders