Bringing Home Your New Dog

1. SAFEGUARD AGAINST SEPARATION ANXIETY

Dogs bond quickly with their new owners, a quality we love, but that may lead to separation issues if you spend 24/7 with your dog the first few days and then suddenly go back to work. To help your dog adjust to your schedule, make sure that you leave them alone for bits of time starting on the very first day you bring them home. When you leave, turn the radio on and give the dog a food-filled Kong or hide treats around the house to keep them busy and form a positive association with your departure. Don’t make a big deal about leaving, and greet your dog calmly when you get home.

2. HOUSETRAINING

Before you bring your new dog into your home, take them for a walk so they are “empty.” Keep your dog on a leash when you enter the house for the first time. Walk them around on a leash so they get to know the house. Supervise your dog for the first week or so. You can only reprimand a dog for eliminating in the house if you catch them in the act, so supervision is important. If you catch the dog starting to eliminate - say “et et” sharply and then take them outside to finish. Make sure you take your new dog outside regularly and praise and give a food treat for outdoor elimination.

3. INTRODUCTION TO RESIDENT CAT/S

Make sure that your new dog never has the opportunity to chase your cat. Bring them into the house on leash and keep them behind a baby gate when you are not there to supervise. Once your new dog and cat seem fine together, you should still make sure that your cat always has an escape route to get away from your dog. A baby gate in a doorway that your cat can jump over or run under to escape the dog is best.

4. INTRODUCTION TO RESIDENT DOG/S

You should introduce your new dog to your resident dog/s off territory. Take them for a walk in the neighborhood to get started. After the walk, take them into your yard and let them wander around together (still on leash). If all goes well, you can remove the leashes and let them play. Then, put the leashes back on and take them into the house. Walk them around the house together. If all looks okay, you can let them off-leash. Supervise the dogs well for the first few weeks as they learn to share the house and other resources.

5. PHYSICAL EXERCISE

All dogs need aerobic exercise (a leash walk is NOT aerobic to a dog). Make sure your new dog gets at least 20 minutes of aerobic exercise each day. Suggested activities include fetch with a ball, jogging with you, and playing the recall game where the dog runs back and forth between two people for treats. A tired dog is a good dog!!

6. MENTAL STIMULATION

A bored dog can get into trouble as they try to entertain themselves, so you want to provide your dog with some mental exercise, too. The best mental stimulation for a dog is using their nose. Take your dog for a walk and let them sniff things. Hide treats around the house for them to search for. Lay a trail of treats through the yard or house for them to follow. Additionally, putting your dog’s meal inside puzzle feeders, feeder balls (an empty soda bottle will do), or a Kong toy can make it a challenge to get the food, thus providing mental stimulation each day at feeding time.

7. TRAINING

Dogs do not come knowing what you want them to do. You need to teach them to be polite members of the family and the community. Reward the behaviors you like (with praise and/or a food treat) and ignore the behaviors you don’t like. Dogs learn through the consequence of their behavior – if the behavior is rewarded, it will happen again; if it’s not – it will go away. Resist the urge to punish the behaviors you don’t like, or your dog will learn that’s the only way to get your attention. Find a good positive reinforcement training class to help you understand how to train your dog.

8. KIDS AND DOGS

Kids sometimes do things to and around dogs that make dogs nervous or afraid. Things like hitting and kicking a dog can cause the dog to defend themself. But even behaviors like hugging, kissing, and laying on top of the dog can also trigger fear and cause the dog to act aggressively to stop the unwanted interaction. Please teach your children to respect the dog and not to hit, kick, hug, kiss, or lay on top of your new dog.