A Happy Homecoming for you and your New Dog!

When you invite a guest into your home, there are some key pieces of information you share with them probably without even thinking about it: “Please remove your shoes,” or “I’ll take your coat,” “…bathroom’s down the hall,” “Beer can go in the fridge,” “Everyone else is out back, you can just head out through the kitchen…” It’s also important you provide your new dog with information upon his arrival that will help him make the adjustment and feel comfortable in your home.

The rules and expectations outlined below are designed to help you from first impression through the first few months as it usually takes around four to six weeks for a dog to really settle into his new home and for his “true colors” to show. Meaning, once he’s comfortable enough around you and your home, he may have the confidence to engage in some unwanted behavior. By implementing clear and consistent structure and sending the right message from the get-go, you’ll likely be able to avoid many problems from developing at all.

The key concepts for the first day and several weeks following are consistent and controlled structure, clear and calm communication, and predictability. Lack of structure (too much freedom), and unpredictable circumstances including confusing expectations or punishment, will result in your dog feeling anxious and unable to adjust to your home in a healthy way.

Day 1: Proper introduction to your neighborhood
When you arrive home, go immediately from the car to a walk (on-leash) around the neighborhood so he can check things out, walk off any nervous energy, and take a bathroom break. Keep the walk moving at a quick pace, but allow a few sniffing breaks. Use this time to observe your new dog’s body language and energy: is he anxious, excited, or uncertain? If he is, practice being a good leader during this time; promote calm behavior and confidence by modeling it for him with your body language and energy. You don’t need to go too far, maybe a few blocks.

Day 1: Proper introduction to your home
When you return home, leave the leash on and enter your home in a calm manner. Begin to set some basic rules about the indoor behavior expectations by having your dog wait at the door, not bolt in ahead of you. With the leash on, take him on a tour of the home. As an exercise to define the expectations for yourself as much as for your dog, when you go to each space, verbally name the space saying it out loud, then briefly describe and/or visualize the behavior that takes place in that area. For example, when you come to the living room, you might say, “This is the space where everyone relaxes and unwinds together at the end of the day.” Picture that scene for a moment in your mind. Show your dog his bed and encourage him to check it out (since he’ll need a designated place of his own if he’s to share this space with you in a relaxed manner), then move on.

If, when you go through this process of designating the spaces, you realize the space is not conducive for the dog to be able to successfully meet your behavior expectations there, make a note to address this problem. For example, if the dining room is where the family eats and the dog will be allowed to share that space during mealtimes, he’ll need his own place otherwise he’ll likely default to begging or cruising underneath the table for scraps. If that’s not behavior you want, set up the space so it invites the behavior you do want.

Day 1: Proper introduction to your yard
As part of the walk-through (still on leash), head outside (requiring a “wait” at the door first to teach the rule of not bolting out the door). Take him over to the area in the yard where you want him to do his business and encourage him to eliminate there now. Praise and reward any successful efforts and show him around the yard a bit. If there are any areas you want him to leave alone, such as a flower bed, allow him to briefly check it out then lead him away saying, “leave it,” as you go. For the first few weeks, it’s a good idea to bring your dog outside on leash every time to ensure he hits the right potty area and does not develop any bad habits right away.

When it’s time to go inside, immediately take your dog to his crate and crate him for a brief period of time (maybe 20 minutes to half an hour or until he’s in a calm state of mind). He will likely feel stressed and maybe overwhelmed by the car ride and introduction to her new home, so giving him a chance to relax and regroup at this point is a good idea. While your dog is crated, don’t fawn or fuss over him. Allow him his quiet time and some space of his own. If he dozes off for a few minutes, that’s just fine! When his time is up, calmly release him from the crate and take him outside on leash to his spot for a bathroom break immediately.

Day 1 to 120: Crates and supervision
Even if you’ve adopted an adult or senior dog, he’s still a new dog to your home. You may not know much about his history (including why he was given up in the first place) so treat him like a puppy and supervise his every move unless he’s safely crated or enclosed in an area where he cannot do damage to your property or himself. If you have a puppy (for our purposes, defined as birth to 6 months) it’s vitally important to follow this rule to successfully potty train your pup. Even if you’ve been told your dog is potty-trained, he may regress in a new environment (or he may not have really been potty-trained in the first place). Inappropriate chewing can also be a problem for both puppies and adult dogs—so crating when unsupervised ensures he doesn’t inadvertently get his teeth on something he shouldn’t!

Crate your dog when you’re unable to supervise directly so he doesn’t have an accident, and get him outdoors frequently using words like, “Let’s go outside and do business/go potty.” You should also crate your dog occasionally when you’re home and can listen for signs of distress at being confined, just like you did after the home tour. If he barks or whines, interrupt the behavior in a calm but assertive manner—do not reward the behavior by releasing him from the crate or giving him attention by trying to calm or soothe. Providing an object in her crate such as a towel or blanket that smells like his previous home, pack, or littermates may help ease the transition to your home.

Day 1 to 120: Sleeping arrangements
I know it’s tempting to allow your new dog into your bed (or your kids’ beds) to snuggle at night, especially if he seems fearful or uncertain about his new living arrangement. Please try to resist this urge! Trust me, it will be well worth it to maintain clear expectations and roles at this critical juncture when, later on, you have a calm, well-adjusted, trustworthy pet. Then he can be invited up to the bed. For the next few months, crate your dog at night in your bedroom.You may have a few nights of interrupted sleep initially as he adjusts, but it will be worth it to help him feel safe and comfortable in his crate so he can be left alone for periods of time without concern that he’ll have an accident or be destructive. Remember not to give in and let him out if he whines or barks.

Separation anxiety is a real issue and one that can be difficult to fix once it develops. It tends to be especially common among dogs purchased through rescue groups and animal shelters and understandably so as these dogs may have been abandoned or shuffled from home to home. Creating positive crate associations by crating your dog for brief periods while you’re at home and together at night while sleeping, providing him a safe chew toy, treats, or food/treat stuffed toy while he’s in the crate, and never using the crate for punishment, will help him view his crate as a positive, relaxing place rather than a lonely, scary place.

If after a few days, he’s still not accepting his crate more calmly or his behavior in the crate is extremely urgent or escalating (pawing, digging, excessive salivation or foaming, incessant barking or “crying” for long periods of time, or doing damage to the crate or himself) please contact a professional trainer experienced in dealing with separation anxiety immediately.

Day 1 to 120: Consistent routine
To help your new dog feel relaxed in your home, especially during the first few months, implement a very consistent, highly structured daily routine. This routine should include specific times for meals (no free feeding), walking/exercise, play, training and socialization, and rest/crate/separation. Everyone in the family needs to be clear on this routine, so write it down if you must! Until he’s proven to be trustworthy, there isn’t a moment of the day when he’s not participating in an activity with you, directly supervised, or crated.

Unsupervised time may provide an opportunity for him to learn to potty under your dining room table, steal food off the counter, or behave in an anxious manner. It’s far easier to closely supervise, interrupt unwanted behavior, and completely avoid behavior problems than to re-teach a dog that has taught himself unwanted behavior while left unsupervised.

Use baby gates to keep your dog contained in one area of the home or attach his leash to you to keep him nearby so you can interrupt unwanted behavior and reward good behavior in a well-timed manner.

Day 1 to 120: Consistent behavior expectations
Everyone in the family needs to be on the same page in terms of how the dog is being treated and what the dog’s rules are. If even one person decides to “fudge” the rules once in awhile, it will be much more challenging for your dog to learn your expectations and could create confusion, uncertainty, and frustration for your dog, which will likely lead to unwanted behavior. Consistent handling will help your new dog learn the rules faster and more reliably, which will ultimately help him feel more relaxed in your home. Have the entire family participate in creating the behavior expectations and write them down and post next to the daily routine.

Day 1: What to feed
You may wish to improve upon what your dog was previously eating. Good for you! Many dogs are on a poor quality, nutrient deficient diet. Often, dogs in shelter or rescue groups simply eat what has been donated to the organization. If you know what your dog previously ate, transition him to his new food gradually by mixing in a small amount of new food initially and gradually increasing the amount until you’re feeding all new food. Learn what a healthy weight is for your dog.

If your new dog is underweight, do not over-feed him in an effort to fatten him up as this will cause digestive upset. Feed the recommended daily amount splitting it up between two or three meals throughout the day and keep close track of his weight gain.

Day 1: Introducing your new dog to your other dogs
Ideally, you’ve already had a chance to see if your new dog gets along with your existing dog or pack prior to their arrival. Your goal on Day 1 is to make the introductions a “non-event,” or in text-speak, NBD.

When you bring your new dog home, take everyone out on that initial walk. Make it a pack walk and keep everyone moving forward together. Make sure you have enough people on hand to safely handle all dogs, and leashes should be loose. Dogs do not interact at first; everyone simply starts walking together. At some point during the walk, when it appears everyone has settled in and become focused on the walk, stop briefly to allow some sniffing of one another on loose leashes, then proceed on your walk. Don’t get excited or force any interactions that the dogs are not ready to have, just give them the opportunity.

This is a bonding experience for everyone. You’re looking for the dogs to be interested initially, but to quickly accept this new addition and not become fixated or overly excited. Remember, a new family member is a big change for everyone and any or all of the dogs could easily become overwhelmed and stressed, which can cause otherwise uncharacteristic behavior. Walking together helps to redirect excitement and energy to a useful task, but it’s also important to always be closely observing all the dogs’ body language and responding appropriately to keep excitement levels in check. If anyone is getting overly-excited or fixated, simply redirect their attention to the walk and keep moving. Don’t allow the excitement to stay fixated on another dog for more than a few seconds initially.

Once you’re home, assuming all went well on the walk, continue the “walk” in your yard and allow a couple of sniffing breaks. If a problem is going to arise, it’s most likely to either happen at the initial interaction on the walk or once you’re on your home turf so watch for stiff or fixated body language. If the dogs seem to be accepting one another, drop the leashes and continue to move through the yard. Keep moving and invite the dogs to move with you, but allow them to become distracted by scents or to naturally interact with one another at this point, only intervening if excitement levels are getting too high.

For the first few weeks, your dogs should only interact under direct supervision. Packs are constantly in flux, so it’s absolutely imperative during this time that you take the lead with all your dogs and reward and promote the dog that models the best behavior at any given moment, not the dog you perceive to be the “top dog.” All the dogs in your pack should be subject to the same rules and expectations (within reason for very old or very young dogs).

If during the introduction any of your dogs demonstrates any behavior that raises concern for you, seek professional help immediately before pursuing further interaction.

Day 1 to 120: Socialization to people, objects, places, and body handling
Socializing your dog to places, people, other dogs, objects, and handling will be an on-going effort for the rest of his life, but should be a primary focus during the first few weeks he’s with you as it will help you get to know him better. You want him to have positive associations and become comfortable with the people you commonly interact with (friends and family members), places you frequent (the vet, groomers), objects in your home such as the vacuum cleaner, and other dogs he will come in contact with regularly (follow the same process as introducing him to your own pack). He should also become comfortable having his body gently handled, including feet for nail trims, ears and mouth for cleaning, and tail. The key is the dog must not feel forced into a situation in which he’s uncomfortable as that will elicit a negative response (growling, trembling, urination, snapping) and a negative association.

Go slowly with these introductions and interactions, allow him to go at his own pace whenever possible and don’t physically force interactions that he’s clearly not comfortable with.

Day 15 and beyond: Socialization to other dogs
The impulse is to cart your dog over to the dog park immediately or show off your new pup to all your friends or invite them over with their pooches for a play date right away. Remember, your dog’s world has just been turned upside down and generally speaking we want to try to keep his work as calm, predictable, and relaxed as possible to ease his transition. While many dogs with outgoing personalities, especially puppies, will be happy to meet other dogs right away, some individuals are more sensitive. Listen to your gut and if there’s a hint of doubt, wait on the doggy play dates for a couple of weeks.

At that point, you’ll have established a level of trust with your new dog and he’ll look to you for help if he’s confused or concerned rather than feel like he has to “deal with” the situation on his own. Also, you’ll be familiar with your dog’s individual quirks and signals such as what he does when he has to go potty (don’t want him messing on Aunt Clarice’s new rug), and how he looks when he’s getting tired or impatient so you know when to intervene before a play date goes sour.

In addition, there can be a very real concern with some dogs as to their level of immunity and vaccination status. If your dog came from a shelter situation, it’s never a bad idea to keep your distance from other dogs for a couple of weeks to ensure your dog isn’t carrying any disease or worm that he could transmit to another dog.

One word of caution: dogs do not become socialized by proximity to a large group of dogs such as those found at a dog park or doggy daycare. In fact, for the wrong dog, these environments can be over-stimulating, scary, or downright dangerous. The best way to conduct dog socialization is to gradually introduce him to known, stable, friendly dogs one-on-one in a relaxed, supervised, neutral setting and allow the known commodity, the stable dog, to set the tone and lead by example as much as possible with proper intervention if the situation becomes overly-stimulating or tense for either dog.

Some “artificial” boosts
These are some additional supplemental therapies that may prove helpful in easing the transition to your home and reduce anxiety in general:

• A dog appeasing pheromone (DAP) diffuser
• Pet Rescue Remedy (Bach flower remedies)
• Calming lavender essential oil
• Massage, Reiki, & Chiropractic
• Classical music

If you’ve followed the advice included here and are experiencing problems with your new dog several weeks after bringing him home or new problems arise within the first few months, contact a professional dog trainer that will come to your home and conduct individualized private training.

Unwanted behavior does not improve on its own. In fact, most often it actually becomes worse over time if proactive steps aren’t taken to counter it. The best time to address unwanted behavior is as soon as it surfaces!

Additional reading to help before and during the transition, and beyond

“The Latchkey Dog” by Jodi Andersen

“A Member of the Family” by Cesar Millan

“My Smart Puppy” by Sarah Wilson and Brian Kilcommons
Your Newly Adopted Dog lesson

“Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know” by Alexandra Horowitz

“The Nature of Animal Healing” by Marty Goldstein

“The Whole Pet Diet” by Andi Brown