Although every dog owner likes to think their dog is perfect, the simple fact is that there is no such thing as the ‘perfect’ dog. So, when you adopt or foster one (or two!) of our dogs, you can't expect them to be ‘perfect’ from day one.
It's a big day when you open your heart to a dog from Labrador Welfare and the door opens for them on the new life they’re about to begin with you. Bringing the new addition to your family home for the first time will be an exciting time for you (and us) but let’s not forget that, for your new dog, this may be a big life change that they might find a little daunting at first.
One of the most stressful things we humans can go through is moving house and it’s no different for the new dog you’ve welcomed into your home. To you it’s all old hat but to them it’s a whole new world – one full of different smells, sights, sounds and unfamiliar people too. If you’re anything like us, there’s a place for everything and everything in its place but to help your new dog settle in what’s now their happy place, we’ve put together some information which we hope you’ll find useful in helping you and your dog start your new lives together in the place you both now call home.
Your first few days at home together are possibly the most important as this is when you’ll start to build your bond with your new dog who’ll need time to place their trust in you. It’s important to take things slowly in the first few days and weeks and taking ‘baby steps’ to make sure your dog feels safe, secure and welcome can go a long way to helping them settle and start to feel right at home.
Don’t put yourself or your new dog under pressure. Each of you will need time to get to know each other so focus your time in the first few days on keeping the pressure off and helping your dog feel comfortable in their new surroundings. It’s perfectly understandable that every man, woman, child and their dog will want to meet your new canine housemate but your dog needs to get to know you and any other resident household members first so try to put visitors off for the first few days at least as this will help to avoid your dog becoming overexcited or perhaps a little overwhelmed.
Each of you will need time to adjust to sharing your living space and while it’s all familiar to you, your dog may welcome a little space where they can take themselves if they need some time to work out what’s where.
In most cases, we’ll have been able to tell you what your dog’s been used to sleeping on (or in) and whereabouts in a previous life and this might be helpful in working out where to create a space for your dog to take themselves for some quiet time alone and undisturbed if they need it when they first come home.
You’ll probably have your own house rules but, until you help them understand, your dog won’t necessarily know what they are. There’s a lot for a new dog to take on board in the early days but don’t forget these days are as much a learning curve for you as you’ll have a lot to learn about your new dog too. Every home has different ‘rules’ and it’s worth remembering your dog may have left a life of comfortable living behind before spending time in our care at kennels and then landing in what to them might feel like paradise having landed a home and a new life with you.
You’ll need to start to gently teach your dog your routines and introduce them to your house rules from Day 1. Even if they’ve never sat on a sofa before coming to live with you, they’ll likely try just to see if it’s allowed. The same goes for begging for food or sleeping on the bed and any number of other things some dogs do but …. it’s not the done thing to chastise or punish a new dog for choosing to do something you’d rather they didn’t. It’s perhaps far better that you limit your dog’s choices so they’re not unwittingly put in a position of being able to make the ‘wrong’ choice simply because they may not know any better.
It’s really important that you and every other resident member of the household helps your dog start to understand what your expectations are from the very beginning while understanding it might be unreasonable to expect too much too soon from a dog that’s brand new to your home.
TThey say good things come in 3’s and the widely accepted 3-3-3 Rule is a general guideline that marks out the 3 milestone phases your new dog will likely go through as they settle into their new life.
Loosely speaking the 3-3-3 Rule relates to the first 3 days, 3 weeks and 3 months after bringing your dog home from kennels or foster care. Also known as the ‘rescue dog honeymoon period’, some dogs will naturally follow the 3-3-3 Rule to a tee while others may need several more months or longer to feel completely at home. Dogs live in the moment and don’t live by the book so there’s no hard and fast rule as to how fast or slow they’ll settle.
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It’s worth remembering that many dogs come to us for rehoming when their owners find that they don’t have enough time to dedicate to the dog so walks may only have been short ones while, in some cases (and for many reasons), the dog may not even have experienced the simple pleasure of being taken out for a walk at all.
Whatever their previous experience, keeping their world small to start with can help your dog begin to feel comfortable in their new surroundings and familiarise them with the local sights and sounds. There is no harm is not walking your dog for the first few days while they begin to adjust to their new home and, in some cases, this can really help them to settle until they and you are ready to step out into what, for them, will be a whole new world. It can really pay to begin at the beginning with short walks and gently broaden your dog’s horizons and social circle with longer walks that you can build up together over time.
In terms of how much exercise your dog will need, much will depend on the age of the dog, and how much exercise they might already get in your garden and home. Some dogs will run around the house and garden using up energy whilst others might prefer the lazy life of a sun-lounger on the couch! Lead walking will help to keep muscles in trim and walking on roads and pavements will keep nails short. However, many dogs can benefit from some free running exercise to stretch muscles and burn off excess energy. It’s worth remembering that Labradors are a working breed and will enjoy the mental stimulation that varied walks can provide. Born to retrieve, most dogs will enjoy retrieving a ball or a dummy but just as many will also savour a sensory sniff walk which, believe it or not, can be mentally just as exhausting as a full-on chase after a ball in the park.
You’ll have been advised what your dog has been used to walking on in a previous life eg type of lead, collar, head collar or harness. Extending leads or long lines can be useful in open spaces until you’ve established your dog’s ability to recall whereas flexi leads aren’t perhaps the greatest or safest for street walking where you’re more likely to need to keep your dog close.
Labrador Welfare do not advocate the use of choke or semi-choke check collars or indeed any collar that will cause a dog discomfort or pain - not least because some can cause damage to a dog’s larynx and also because there are far kinder alternatives to help to make a walk more comfortable for your dog and perhaps for you too.
In accordance with the Control of Dogs Order 1992, you’ll need to make sure your dog is wearing a collar when out and about in a public place and it’ll need to have your family name, address (including your postcode) and telephone number on it - whether written (eg embroidered) or by way of an attached, engraved tag – in order to comply with the law.
Whatever collar you use for your dog, it doesn’t have to cost the earth but walking your dog without one and the ID the law requires can cost you dearly.
And don't forget those poo bags!!