You’re Adopting Fido! What’s Next?

We brought home our dog Lily a year and a half ago and it changed our lives..Did you know August 18 is Clear the Shelter Day

Bringing your new Dog Home

 

 adopting a dog
Lily

Bringing home a newly adopted dog is truly one of the greatest feelings in life. Not only have you saved the life of your precious pooch, you’ve also opened up space for another dog to be rescued at the shelter or foster home!

When bringing your new pup home, there are many things that you will need to remember and prepare for.You may need to go shopping for a few things to get you started.

Dogs can easily become stressed when changing environments, so it’s important to keep a calm household to lessen any stress that your pet may feel when coming into your home. Perhaps this means limiting visitors for the first few days. Your dog will thank you for creating a warm, welcoming, and stress-free environment.

If you already have another dog at home, conduct dog introductions in the backyard or at a neutral meeting place. You can even start by taking the dogs for a quick walk around the block. If the dogs do not have food aggression, bring out some yummy treats and make it a very positive and happy environment. Bottom line, don’t force things. Allow the dogs to get to know each other at their own pace.


Determine where your dog will stay while you are away at work or while running errands. Will he or she be in a crate? In a bedroom with a baby gate set up? Will they have free range of your house? If a crate, make sure to make it a positive place and give your dog plenty of positive praise when they go in their crate.

When it comes to meal time, grab some food or a few meals from the shelter or rescue you are adopting from. If you are planning to switch to a new food, make sure to do so over a period of a few weeks. Start by introducing the food slowly (25% new food, 75% old food). Gradually work toward 50% new food/50% old food. Then, move on to 75% new food/25% old food before finally feeding the new food only. This gradual change will be much easier on your dog’s stomach.

Don’t forget to take care of all of the essentials as well. Ensure that you obtain new tags for your pup (and don’t forget to put them on your dog’s collar), update microchip information (or get your dog microchipped if he/she does not have one), get your dog licensed with your town/city, and set up an initial vet visit for your dog. Bring all of the vet records and history that you were given on your dog so that your vet can make copies for their file.

Lastly, love them! Enjoy every moment. As much joy as you will bring to their life, your pup will return that joy ten-fold. Thank you in advance for making a difference by choosing to adopt!

Also find a few good Dog training books to help you with your new family member.

More Great General Dog Training Books

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