Bringing home your rescue dog can be equal parts exciting, and overwhelming. That may be especially true of rescue and shelter dogs who may have been with that organization for a while. But, regardless of where your new best friend came from, the process of getting them settled into your home often looks similar.
Changing homes is a very stressful thing; and there's definitely a decompression phase that comes along with that. However, there are many things you can do to help the process go as smooth as possible. This post if going to cover:
What is decompression?
The animal shelter "rule of 3's"
Behaviors you're likely to see with your new dog
What stress looks like
How to minimize stressors
What to train them first
The most IMPORTANT thing you can do
What Is Decompression? - and how if affects your dog
Decompression is the process your dog goes through as they adjust to their new home and "reset" from their previous environment. Shelters can be incredibly stressful places and even foster homes definitely have their stressors.
The primary stress hormone, Cortisol, can take three days to leave your dog's blood stream; and that's three days from when they STOP feeling stressed. Not just three days from when they come home with you. Cortisol, adrenaline, and other hormones, are responsible for the bodies flight or flight response. They can significantly impact your dog's behavior as their body shifts them into "survival mode".
What Does Stress Look Like? - it has many forms
Stress can take on many forms. It's important to remember that each dog is an individual, and their personality, as well as their past experiences, are going to play a really significant role in how they behave and cope with stress. Some things you may see are:
Fearfulness of new people - otherwise known as "stranger danger". That can include people in the same household .
Reactivity - barking, lunging, and other things of that nature.
Suppressed behavior - suppressing the things they would normally do if they weren't feeling so stressed.
Destructive behavior - tearing up things around the house (whether it's appropriate toys or not)
Hyperactivity - difficulty relaxing or calming down
Excessive sleeping - being more sedate or tired than normal
"False Sleeping" - where they pretend to sleep, while observing their surroundings. Trying not to draw attention to themselves.
Resource guarding - claiming and defending items, scarfing food, or guarding a specific person in the home.
Being "touchy" - being more sensitive to physical contact, potentially lashing out
Suppressed appetite - not eating is common when in "fight or flight" mode
Mounting - can be used as play, to assert status, for stress relief, for procreation, etc...
Repetitive or excessive behaviors - licking, sucking, pacing, scratching, etc...
In addition to those behavioral signs, there are numerous physical signs of stress in dogs. Those can include things like:
Excessive panting
Pacing
Tucking their tail
Holding their ears back
Excessive licking
Yawning
Crouching or "freezing"
Dilated Pupils
It's a lot to look out for, but you don't have to memorize it all. Just keep an eye out for some of these things as it can often mean they are still settling in. Of course, all of these behaviors and more can occur for a myriad of reasons. When in doubt, reach out to a trainer or the adopting organization for help.
The "Rule of 3's" - advice from animal shelters
Many shelters will talk about what they call the "rule of 3's". In that, once you take them home, it tends to be ROUGHLY:
Three days of your dog feeling really stressed and overwhelmed. My Great Pyrenees spend his third night home barking into the sky at 3am for no discernable reason (though I'm sure he had one...) He insisted on continuing for several hours and very little could distract him. Those first few days can be rough for everyone involved. Thankfully, he slept straight through the next nights.
Three weeks until they start to "settle in". This tends to be when they start to come out of their shell, and you see a little more of their true personality. Certain behaviors may disappear, while entirely new ones may show up. For better...or for worse
Three months until you have really built trust, a bond, and a routine. This tends to be when they are fully settled and it's "their home".
What Can YOU Do? - bringing home your rescue dog
What are some things that you can do during this decompression period to help your dog succeed, and how can you minimize stressors?
The first step is often getting them home. Especially for a brand new dog, provide safe and secure transport from the shelter STRAIGHT HOME. New dogs may be really bolty, especially is they aren't used to cars. Provide your dog with a crate, a tether or seatbelt harness, or someone holding their leash who isn't the driver. Some dogs may also try to climb into the front seat.
Avoid placing your dog into tight quarters with potential stressors. This could be other animals, children, or other people they may not be comfortable with. Even once you are home, make sure your new dog doesn't ever feel cornered or forced into interaction.
Keep things calm and relaxed in your home. Avoid loud noises, commotion, music, etc... as they settle in. Make sure any children in your home know to give their new dog space and quiet. Always supervise a new dog around any children and provide separation when necessary.
Keep them primarily home in the beginning. Only take them out of the house for things like play and short potty walks, until they settle in some. Avoid things like pet stores, dog parks, etc... until they are acclimated and comfortable.
Minimize stimuluses in the beginning. Don't shower them with food, toys, attention, etc... all at once. It's going to be too much, too soon. Especially right at the beginning. Make sure to give them some time to themselves. Have a safe and secure area where they can go to for some quiet alone time and don't force any early interactions with people or other pets. Open crates, playpens, gated areas, are all great options. Give them a space where you can supervise, but they aren't forced to interact.
Avoid early introductions to non-resident people or animals until they have settled in some. As I talked about in the beginning, they can be fairly on edge. You want all those early experiences to be as positive as possible; and it can be hard work repairing a relationship that's damaged because you went too fast.
Keep a consistent and simple schedule to start. It's way less stressful if your dog learns what to expect and doesn't get too many new routines or events thrown at them to get used to. Meal times, potty breaks, playtimes, and a routine sleeping schedule should all be as consistent as possible. As a bonus, this will also help with potty training.
Take note of anything that seems to cause your new dog stress, so you can adjust accordingly. Especially when you don't know them well, events that seem random or trivial may actually be a rather consistent pattern. Taking notes on anything and everything that stands out is a good idea.
The Foundation - consistency and expectations
Decompression is super important. There's one more piece to the puzzle though; and that's what you should train your new dog. While the possibilities are endless, there are a few places you should start. It's also important to note that training consist of so much more that just teaching cues to get certain responses. It's teaching your dog to live in your home alongside everyone.
The first thing you should do, is set early ground rules and expectations. Be aware of all the things you are going to expect from your dog in the future, and be on the conservative end of what freedoms you are eventually going to give them. For instance; if they aren't allowed on the bed, then that should be a rule from day one. Which by the way, that's clearly not me... I've get a bed piled with animals. The important thing is you don't confuse them by being inconsistent with your rules and expectations. Watch out for different family members allowing different things.
Realize that you are ALWAYS training. Every interaction you have with your dog, and everything they are allowed or encouraged to do, will shape both their behavior as well as your relationship with them.
Reward the good behavior. Don't just overlook good behavior, but rather, try to regularly reinforce them. Things like calmness, focusing on you, positive interactions, pottying outside, etc... are often overlooked. Reinforce the behaviors you see them do, that you want to see more often in the future.
Your first formal step, will probably be teaching them their name. Often, your new dog may be learning a new name. So likely, they will not respond to it at first. Try to associate their name with looking at you, and reward them for it. It can be useful to set aside 10 - 20 small treats each day to work on their name. You just want to say their name in an upbeat, excited voice; and if they turn and look? Awesome! They get a treat. They don't get punished or anything else if they don't respond, but every time the DO respond, they get rewarded. Try not to associate their name with anything negative. For my training at least, saying their name only means turn and look at me. It isn't a recall, sit, or any other cue. It just means "look at me, see what I need".
You want to avoid punishments, especially early on. It's important to note here that I mean the common use of the word. Punishments that are based in pain, fear, or intimidation; rather than the behaviorist definition, which we will cover in a different article. Punishment can be very stressful, and will greatly slow down that decompression phase. It is FAR better to focus on early management and reinforcing those good or alternate behaviors that you DO want, as opposed to punishing things you don't.
Understand that, just like with people, new habits can take several weeks or longer to form. A minimum of 3-4 weeks, sometimes even longer. So put in effort early, so you don't have to go back and try to fix it later.
The Most Important Step - giving it time
Arguably the most important thing you can do for your new dog is just to give them time. Their new home is going to be entirely overwhelming at first. It's really chaotic in the beginning as everyone gets used to each other and learns to live together.
It can take several months for a new dog to settle into their home. Especially if they've bounced around from multiple homes or shelters, or even if they've only been used to one home previously. It's a lot to get used to and they may feel out of place for a while.
Again, if you're struggling, reach out to local trainers or the adopting rescue for support. The sooner the better, before there's any ingrained bad habits, or built up frustrations.
One of the best things you can do early on is focus on problem solving, rather than any "failures". Think "I didn't like how that went. What can I do to either change, or prevent that in the future". Along with that, make sure to celebrate the small successes and enjoy the little things. Spend time with your new dog, play with them, and focus on bonding. Make sure it's a positive experience, but not JUST for them; but FOR YOU. It can be stressful and difficult bringing home a new dog, so make sure to give yourself the support and time that you need.
I said it before, but I'll say it again here. Each dog is an individual. Past experiences are going to shape how they interact with people and their environment. Everything is NOT going to go according to plan. Be flexible, and understanding. Relationships take time. There's not magic connection to be found. You have to put in the time, and the effort, to make this new relationship succeed.
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