What to expect when an adopted dog comes home

[Ursus]

We have had some really good posts on what to expect during the adoption process. I am feeling alot more confident about the whole thing.
Now what I am wondering what I should expect as far as the dog getting used to the new home. My past experiences have always been with puppys and normally with other dogs in the home to kind of help out with showing the new dog the ropes so to speak.
The dog I am hoping to get has been in foster for a long time. I would think that it would be a major transisiton for the dog. Going from a foster home with other dogs and more people to a home with no other dogs and only one person(who is probably alot different then the foster family) I would think could be hard for the dog to adjust to.
What are the best ways to combat the home sickness the dog is apt to have?
Is it better to give the dog almost constant attention in the begining or give the dog time and space to get a feel for the place on her own?
Would it be better to play it close to home in the begining or try to get out and see as much new stuff for the dog as possible(like going to dog friendly stores, walking in the park etc)?
How soon should I start working on training?
I'm sure there are many other issues when bring the dog home that I havn't thought of, so any more ideas are more then welcome.

[luvnstuff]

Congrats Ursus on your adoptive dog!! And ten paws up for adotping!! WhooHoo..
What to expect.

Expect the dog possibly to refuse food or eat very little for a few days, even up to a week to two weeks.
Expect diahrea and shyness.
Dont expect its true personality to shine for at least three weeks.
Dont bring it to many new places people or things at first.

For the first two weeks, work on just you and him/her. One on one. This helps establish that you are "the saviour" so to speak, you are the one that he can TRUST. This is the building time. Just you and him. If the dog is shy or nervous offer food by hand piece by piece at first. This builds , like a momma dog calm trust and of course yummy food. Use the kibble or even yummy treats. Let the dog know you are the one baby!
Think of your dog as a new puppy who has to again relearn all about life.

Once this time has passed (it doesnt have to be two weeks,..but when you see the dog begin to calm and trust.. maybe one week for confidnent dogs, even longer for very shy or nervous dogs)..then start to introduce other people in your household. one at a time. with food / treats.

Everyone must build this dogs trust..and too the dog will understand where it fits in the "pack"

Easy does it is the way. This helps alot to adjust and build trust. Dont bring your dog to parks, friends homes, etc etc etc.. as tempting as it all is to show up your new baby. Slow er down. And take it easy.
You dont want problems to creep up a month down the road when the dog becomes relaxed and confindent.

Work slowly on the leash, in the beggining time, as I said, just you and him/her in the back yard. no one else.
Then as you get along in time. move to the driveway.. then the front yard.. as you see the dog become more and more relaxed that is the time to move to a new scenerio..

is this making sense?

New dogs are exciting and fun.. dont forget as you work to enjoy each moment and think of her or him as your new baby, that you are now responsible for teaching the big world to!

[Maryellen]

Also, The first month is the honeymoon period. the dog will either be very good or very bad. they will show their true colors within the month. dont be surprised if the dog is great in the beginning and then after about 2 weeks the dog gets wild or jumps on everyone. when they feel comfortable they willl show their true selves. obedience is a must, i always tell adopters to use the NILIF program.(nothing in life is free) the dog must work for whatever he/she wants.

[luvnstuff]

Also, The first month is the honeymoon period. the dog will either be very good or very bad. they will show their true colors within the month. dont be surprised if the dog is great in the beginning and then after about 2 weeks the dog gets wild or jumps on everyone. when they feel comfortable they willl show their true selves. obedience is a must, i always tell adopters to use the NILIF program.(nothing in life is free) the dog must work for whatever he/she wants.

ooo so true!
And yes !!!! yes !! yes!! on the NILIF Program. So very true!

[Ursus]

So do you start the NILIF program right from the get go, even if there are eating issues etc, or wait untill the dog is comfortable?
Thanks for the excellent responses

[luvnstuff]

you can start out with "Find me for food"
Do you have a crate for dog or planning on getting a crate?
(I highly reccomend a crate for your new dog.. a place for her to feel safe from this big crazy world.)

and find me for food..
example...

Open door to crate..call her to you.
offer a bit of food. There she just found you for food!
And follows thru with nothing is for free.
If she at first refuses, that is normal for alot of dogs..
Think of it as a stranger offers you a piece of candy.
what would you do ? take it or just sit and look at the stranger and the offering.

If she takes it great! That is a good start.
If she doesnt...dont make an issue of it.... just put her back in her crate and leave a bit of kibble in her dish.. this still follows NILF as she went into the crate.

Unless severly starved she wont hurt herself by not eating. If she doenst eat it in 15- 30 minutes go ahead and take it away. dont make it an issue. Just re offer it in a few hours.
Believe me most dogs are far from starving and a hungry dog may be a bit more ready to come to you!

And as you take her out about the house.. keep a leash on her and follow with the NILIF as you go about., when she looks at you or follows you offer a treat..let her know that following you is a good thing. I tie the leash right around my waist on new dogs. That way too I can catch them before they get in trouble. as they usually are a bit curious. She wants to be pet..then (if she knows sit) put her in a sit , not on the couch...(she hasnt worked her way to the couch yet!!! Think of eye level areas, the bed , the couch as your throne!!!) but as she sits calmly next to you offer food and pets and pats! even pets to the dog and your hands can be rewarding..as nothing is for free yanno!!!!! But she leaps and jumps and gets excited..dont pet -praise her or offer food , only if she is calm!!

I think this really all depends on how shy the dog comes in really...and where her level maturity is.

But yes I would start it from moment one.

[Maryellen]

NILIF is to be started immediately upon bringing the dog home. that also includes no beds/furniture for a while until the dog and you have a bond going . furniture and beds is a higher position for some dogs , as in dominance. leave the furniture and beds alone for at least a couple of months.

[Ursus]

NILIF is to be started immediately upon bringing the dog home. that also includes no beds/furniture for a while until the dog and you have a bond going . furniture and beds is a higher position for some dogs , as in dominance. leave the furniture and beds alone for at least a couple of months.

Wow, I never would have guessed that about the couch/bed thing. I'm glad I asked or it would have been like ok thats your side, this is my side the first night
The dog is crate trained, I wondered if it would be a good idea to buy 'her' crate from the foster instead of just getting a new one. I would think it would be good for the dog to atleast have 'her' space come with her as opposed to everything being new. I dunno, never used a crate before so I don't know if the dogs consider it 'their' space, or just a funny box thats no different then any other funny box I will have a crate one way or another though, may not use it much after the begining but it would be something I would keep her comfortable with using for her entire life. Just never know when it might come in handy.
Couple of months with no cuddle on the couch.....hmm...gonna have to get a comfy floor pillow for TV time
Now I plan on having a room that is "her's" for when I am at work. Basically because the 3 or 4 days I work its too long to expect her not to need to potty. I don't have any desire to leave her outside all day. I plan on putting a kennel(escape proof, complete with top, and inside a locked 6ft fence so outsiders cannot bother her) with a doggy door to her room in the springtime (or sooner if weather permits) so she can potty outside and come back in when she wants. I am hoping the puppy pads will work in her room until then so she doesn't loose her housebreaking. My fathers dog has done great with them and I'm hoping for the same luck. Knowing my luck though I am invisioning shreaded puppy pads floating in the air when I open her door but we will see.
Now should I crate her the first few nights in 'her' room or my room? Eventually her nights will be spent in my room, unless she prefers otherwise. So it better to start her out in there to get used to it, or in her room to get used to that? While I am waiting for the 2 months to be up for furnature access I figure I would let her sleep in her room but leave the crate open (after the first few nights).
Anyway, I've probably made myself sound a little unbalanced with all this but I just want to make sure I make it the best possible for the dog

[ammitnme]

oh...I love threads like this!

[luvnstuff]

Crate Crate Crate...
:0 )
yes keep her in the crate. If she pottys in it..then she pottys in it. Make it a nice roomy crate.. I use the big metal ones, but they arent the best for dogs that may panic. I have reinforcements (metal) on all the corners and doors as dogs CAN and WILL and DO break out of these, and once they do..look out.
I guess it depends on the size.. The big plastic crates are nice too, but I personally dont like to leave dogs in them all day long.
Kennels are nice, but i only use them when I am home.. I fear break outs.

That said.
CRATE
Her acceptance of a crate is part of her accepting you. No she doenst need the door open. She will gain her own confidence about being in there alone soon enough. some dogs will whine and complain.. ignore them.. dont do what I did with my fist dog..
open the door and hug him.. ..yes I did it.. I actually TRAINED this dog to sleep in bed beside me, and I have all kinds of probems of battling his decisive nature.. why listen to me, right?

How many hours are you gone during the day.
And yes I think any dog here wouuld shred to pieces any thing in there .. I have put some fleece blankets in there..but went back to old towels.. unless you have a serious shredder.. they soak up any accidents and can be tossed into the laundry very easily. Old good will blankets work too, as to old sheets to cover if you have a nervous dog.

A dog will feel this crate is its safe zone. If others live in your house.. and the dog goes to its crate..tell everyone to leave her be.. Keep that door open in out times and if she puts herself away. so be it! She may need a break from YOU!!! L O L.. I know we dont like to think that..

Crate at night.
Crate at first when you arent working with her. Make it her puppy den...she will feel safe and secure here.

[Maryellen]

if she will eventually be sleeping in your room then crate her in your room. once you and her have established a routine and she knows you are the boss you can then decide for her to sleep with you in bed. all my dogs were not allowed on the furniture inthe beginning, after awhile they were allowed up as long as they did something for me (NILIF) and that when i said off the couch /bed they got off the couch/bed. all our dogs sleep in bed with us sometimes, but they mostly prefer to roam the house and sleep on the couches and our bed and rotate. i see no problem with my dogs sleeping on the furniture, they are trained and when i say off the couch they immediately get off the couch. all my dogs started ina crate in my bedroom for nighttime sleeping(helped ALOT with housebreaking for those wee hour in the morning/night potty breaks outside) . i however do not agree with letting her potty in her crate. dogs will usually not potty in the space they sleep in. now, if you are going to confine her to a room for your working long hours, maybe you can try either housebreaking pads, or even try to train her to use a litterbox . or put newspapers down in one corner of the room for her. most dogs sleep while you are gone anyway. make sure you exercise her alot before you go to work and let her go potty too before, so that this way she will sleep most of the time you are working:)

if your new dog had a crate from the foster, see if you can buy it from them, it is a familiar object for your new dog, and the transition to your home might go easier with her crate fromher previous house. always praise her if she goes inher crate by herself, and yes, tell everyone if she is in her crate to leave her alone thats her space:)

[Ursus]

Well I work a 12 hour shift, so you factor drive time etc I would be gone just under 13 hours, which is way too long not to expect a need for going potty. Don't think you could call it an accident when talking that lenght of time, more of an expected outcome. Thats why I thought the room idea would be good, it would basically be a 12footx10foot 'crate' with plently of room for the expected potty issue and room to play. And since its just me as the only human, I can't think of another workible option. No real dog walking service availible (plus don't know if I could trust someone else to be responsible for/with my dog) and I can't come home during the workday But as I said its only 3 or 4 days a week(and on those days there would still be a couple of hours of fun dog time), which leaves 3 or 4 days a week for complete doggy fun time
So really think the room is a no go and small crate is better given my situation? Or let me ask this, what size crate are you talking? Again no real idea on proper sizing ect. And I havn't met the dog in person to get a real feel for her size. Just know she weights 45 pounds @ about 2 yrs old. I see crate and I get this mental picture of a pet taxi type thing or a big bird cage looking thing which never seems big enough for the animal inside to me to spend that length of time, but again I don't really know and am more then willing to be educated on them. currently seeing a poor pitty on Animal cops that was kept in a milk crate, definatly dont want to do that Poor little girl.
Anyway, looks like I need more crate info. I will do a search, but please feel free to add anything at all to this.

[luvnstuff]

I said that wrong.. nice catch Maryellen..and you made some great points too.
potty in the crate.. I should of said..accidents to happen. it depends on how long the dog is crated, Mine are crated for 8 hours plus when I am at work.

Some dogs if they have any anxiety will rip and shread a room apart. I had a foster dog that took apart my window treatments..shredded the blinds ..
Scooter took apart the evil vacumn.. I mean TOOK IT APART.. I was able to put it back together.. but how she do that ??

And oh my ..Dexter.. Dexter tore the mouldings off the walls..and literlly stabbed the molding THRU the drywall.. thru the insulation..and all the way to the inside of the siding on the last layer of the house!!! He had seperation anxiety. He tore apart every spot he was at.. I found this out when one day I came home and it looked like a tornado went thru my house.. we tried putting him in a small laundry room (this is where teh dry wall incident happened) it was amazing what he could accomplish. He cracked the tiles on the floor from banging his crate up and down on the tiles..
I might add we did overcome this.. but this is the time frame when my dog trainer came into the picture.

And yes to... on the beds .etc.. They can in time be allowed to sleep or be with you. But you have to call them up and able to shoo them away if you want.
You dont have to be a hard butt forever.. just to get your grounding in so they know who is king or queen of the hill.. YOU!!!!

[Ursus]

So it sounds like I'm on the right track then, if I follow the posts correctly. Sometimes its a bit confusing when people all post at the same time but as long as we end up in the right place its good.
So regular potty in crate=bad (which is what I though) so crate while at work probably not good, and room idea is better given the time length
Unless she is a destucto demon while I'm away...then what, big real crate?
Excersize in the mornings, good for her and wouldn't hurt me either
So morning time workday schedule....potty, eat, excersize, potty then bye bye? Or should the events happen in a different order? Not sure if better to eat then excersize or excersize first then eat. This is assuming a 2xday feeding schedule. Could be wrong there on whats proper.
BTW I thought about the litter box before but A.) figured people would think I was crazy for even thinking it and B.) have no clue as to how go about training that. If it could work though it would be great
Oh what are some things to help with seperation issues? Say something I could do to help prevent it from starting to become a serious issue?

[luvnstuff]

it does get confusing..as some posts at the same time then an answer doesnt make sense.. !

My Dexter to overcome his anxiety I just had to make his crate escape proof and let him get over it.

lets see a schdule..

I guess it depends on you and the dog.
I have a dog that is a "straight shooter" as in ..he eats and has to poo like a few minutes after. Another that likes to romp a bit to get things a moving..

So just a few minutes of time in the morning of what works best for you guys is best

Could be..pee.. throw ball or play gently for a few mintues..offer a bit of water. bring dog to crate.. offer a small breakfast in crate and leave.
If you do big excertion excercise my only concern is the dog will be very thirsty..but then again she will be nice and tired too...hmmmmmmmmm

REmember tho not to make the crate an issue.
just in you go..and leave.
No awww poooor doggy etc etc ..try to clear your mind or the dog will pick up YOUR anxiety and guilt.
no guilt..you just gave your dog a wonderful SAFE home for the day.

I dont offer water in the crate.. for one they just spill it. There are dishes that attach to barred crates that might work , but dont offer to much, just asking for a faster "i gotta go!"
12 hours..
yea that is a long time..
I dunno about that..

If you DO leave her in a small room be maybe leave her crate in there too.

I would worry leaving a dog runing free in a room..but that is a long time in a small area..

If there is enough room and the dog doesnt shred them, you might be able to leave piddle pads in the crate. I use the big fold down wired crates available at most dog stores or pet stores.. I know when Scooter has had accidents in there it usuall is in one corner and she pretty much shoves her towel over it.. guess tehy arent as dumb as we thought, huh.

Mine have been in there (too long) when I got stuck at work or something..but we all live. I feel bad..but dont make an issue when there is piddle in the crate.. I know they couldnt help it.. I just take the dog outside and clean the crate..

no issue to the dog.. I think for the most part they feel bad enough.

does that help
i have been watching tv and thinking critters all night i probably am past making sense..