Bringing home an adopted dog: the first week

1 Before your dog arrives

• Set up a quiet resting place away from the busiest room: a bed or open crate, water, and a chew.
• Check the yard, gates and fences for gaps; many new dogs slip out in the first days.
• Put an ID tag with your phone number on the collar before the drive home, and update the microchip to your details.
• Agree the house rules with everyone at home: where the dog sleeps, which rooms are open, who feeds.

2 The first day

• Go straight home. Let your dog explore one or two rooms and the yard on a leash.
• Keep visitors away for now, however keen friends are to meet them.
• Offer meals in the same quiet spot. A new dog skipping a meal on the first day is common.
• Let your dog sleep and withdraw when they want to. Resting is part of settling.

3 Build a routine

Shelter staff often describe the first days as decompression: a dog needs time to learn that the new place is safe. A common rough guide is days to decompress, weeks to learn the routine, and months to feel fully at home; every dog is different.

• Keep meals, walks and bedtime at similar times every day.
• Use short, quiet walks at first rather than busy parks or dog parks.
• Reward calm behavior; save training classes until your dog has settled in.

4 Introducing other pets

• If you have a dog, introduce them on neutral ground, both on leashes, with a short walk side by side before going home together.
• Pick up toys, chews and food bowls at first; these are common sources of early tension.
• For cats, keep the dog on a leash or behind a gate and let the cat choose to approach. Go slowly over days, not minutes.
• Supervise every interaction until you are confident, and separate them when you are not home.

5 Watch, and write down what you see

Signs a dog is uneasy include lip licking, yawning when not tired, turning away, a tucked tail, freezing, or showing the whites of the eyes. These are a request for space, not misbehavior.

• Note what seems to worry your dog (a sound, a person, a place) and avoid it for now.
• Share what you notice with the shelter or rescue: they may know this dog's history.

What to avoid

• A welcome party, a trip to the dog park or a long car outing in the first week.
• Leaving a new dog and a resident pet alone together before you know how they get on.
• Punishing growling. A growl is a warning; removing the warning does not remove the worry.

Common questions

Is it normal for a newly adopted dog not to eat?

Skipping a meal or two in the first day can happen with the stress of a move. If your dog will not eat or drink for longer, or seems unwell, call your vet.

What is the 3-3-3 rule for rescue dogs?

A rough guide used by many shelters: about three days to decompress, three weeks to learn the routine, and three months to feel at home. It is a reminder to be patient, not a schedule.

When should I contact the rescue?

Whenever something worries you. Organizations would much rather hear early about a problem with food, sleep, other pets or behavior than learn about it when someone is ready to give up.