If you’ve decided to adopt a pup from a dog rescue, we need to congratulate you! It’s a noble decision that your new family member is going to appreciate.
Your new buddy is going to love you no matter what, but he will need some time to adjust to his new home. And the period of adjustment can take several months, which can be pretty stressful both for him and for you.
Although no dog can adapt to a new home and a new owner instantly, there are some methods through which you can speed up this process. And most of those methods require you to do your job even before your new pal arrives. With that in mind, here are 10 things you need to take care of before welcoming a rescue dog to your home.
Prepare Your Current Dog for the Change
If you already have a dog, welcoming another one to your home may prove tricky. Your cyrrent dog thinks of himself as the ruler of your home, so he might become aggressive when the other dog arrives. To get the two of them to start their friendship on the right foot, a good idea is to have them meet at a neutral ground. Taking both of them to a park to play could be the right solution.
Make Your Home Safe
Are there any hazards in your home that could injure or kill the new dog? Are there are some holes in the garden that he could fall in or some electric wires that he could bite through? If the answer is yes, you need to make the hazards disappear. And even if your current dog is keeping himself from the danger, it doesn’t mean that the new one will do the same. So, better play it safe.
Make Sure His Home is Ready
Whether you’re planning to keep him in a dog house or have him sleep in a kennel, you need to have everything ready before he arrives. Otherwise, he can get confused, which is something that’s always bad when it comes to adjusting to a new home.
Prepare Enough Food
One of the things dogs love the most is eating. Eating their favorite food, such as lean meat, can make a dog happy and calm. So, if he’s feeling stressful the first day he arrives to his new home, giving him a treat could make him feel better. But, make sure there’s enough food for all of your dogs, because food can be something they can start a war over.
Prepare the Toys
Most rescue dogs feel confused once they come to a new home. Often, this feeling turns to stress and anxiety, which is why many of them start biting or scratching parts of their body. And this is something that can cause serious injuries.
To calm your pup’s nerves, you need to get him a chewable toy. It’s a great stress-relief for them and considering that such toys are cheap, there really is no reason not to buy them.
Supply Yourself with Dog Toiletries
If you’re adopting a dog from a rescue shelter, the chance is that the pup hasn’t yet lived a very happy life. They probably won't want anyone to groom him and keep him clean. And those things are among the first ones you will have to do once he arrives at your home.
Before he arrives, make sure to buy anti-flea spray and dry dog shampoo. Why do you need to buy an anti-flea spray? Because the chances are that he has some in his coat and that they’re making him feel bad. Furthermore, by using the spray, you will make sure the other dogs don’t get fleas in their coat as well.
And why we’re suggesting that you need to buy dry dog shampoo? Because many dogs are afraid of water. This means that bathing a rescue dog can scare him even more. A much more sensible alternative is to rub dry shampoo into his coat and your job’s done!
Buy Everything Needed to Give His Immunity a Boost
A dog shelter definitely isn’t a 5-star hotel, which means that your new furry friend probably hasn’t been eating the healthiest diet possible. Preparing nutrient-rich food for him is a must, but we don’t thing that’s enough.
You also need to buy some vitamins and minerals for him, which will give his immune system an instant boost. We also recommend getting some dog medication for deworming, because many rescue dogs have tapeworms and roundworms in their intestine.
Make Sure There are Some Cleaning Tools Nearby
If he’s coming from a rescue shelter, the chance is that your new pup isn’t potty-trained. And this means that he’s likely to soil himself at a place where he isn’t supposed to. But, you can’t blame him. You need to understand that dogs are simply pets which need love, care, and attention. So, instead of blaming him, the only thing you can do is clean the mess.
Take a Day Off from Work
Getting a new family member is always a big deal, even if the member in question is a furry four-legged creature. And you need to treat his arrival as a big thing. Not because of you, but because of him. The thing is that the first day of his new life is going to be emotional for him, which is why you should be there to help him go through it.
Leaving him alone could make him feel even more scared. At the same time, this doesn’t mean that you should organize a welcome party as this could have basically the same effects on his emotions.
Prepare Yourself for a Sleepless Night
Most dogs sleep at daytime, while getting active during the night. So, if your new pup seems calm on the day he arrives at your home, it might be only because he’s too tired and sleepy.
But, when the night comes, he might start to panic. As you surely don’t want your new buddy to feel scared, you need to check up on him at least a couple of times during his first night in his new home.
