Two Week Shutdown: The Best Approach for Bringing Home a Rescue Dog
This is a GREAT method for anyone who brings a new dog into their home. Using, or not using, this method can be the difference in whether or not a dog’s transition into his/her new home is a success or a failure.
The Typical Approach
So what are you planning to do when you finally get your new family member? Often we hear things like:
We’re headed straight to Petco.
Then we might stop by the in-law’s place.
Then there is my best friend who has a dog too, and we KNOW they’ll get along beautifully!
Then when we go home she meet her new family and we’ll let him/her out with our other three dogs and the cats so they can all meet.
Ask Yourself These Questions
Say What?! We are sure your plans are well intentioned, and we know you are excited and want to share this new member of your family with everyone - and show him/her all the love in the world - but let’s look at this from the dog’s perspective for a minute first:
Does the dog *KNOW* you? (Sure he/she know’s you are a human, and likely enjoys your pets and belly rubs. BUT….)
Does this dog know that you will feed it?
Does this dog know you will protect it, and that he/she is safe with you?
Does this dog know you are a leader?
You may feel inclined to answer yes to these questions but step back for a moment and think how you might feel if you were never going back to your “home” and the people you consider family. You were put in a car and were now expected to live with new people who didn’t understand your language.
Thinking From Your New Dog's Perspective
What if these new people took you to all sorts of different places, expecting you to greet everyone happily and feel comfortable with an overload of attention all at one time? At the end of all that you are then expected to go to your “new home” and immediately feel at ease with a house full of strangers.
It’s likely that you’d feel exhausted, overwhelmed, and ready to retreat but really have no safe space to go to and call your own. You might begin to act out, to yell at people or try to push them away and find a safe place to hide.
Many dogs find themselves in that VERY position on the day they go home, and the only way they know to communicate and express their need for security and space is to “act out”. The dog who feels stressed may nip at children, growl, start fights and/or destroy property. These are all normal reactions to stress and can be minimized or avoid entirely with a proper approach to integration.
So what IS this “Two Week Break”?
Two weeks is a general guideline of the amount of time you should follow this program. Some dogs will settle in faster, some will take longer. The actual amount of time it takes for YOUR dog will depend on a variety of factors - one of the most important of those being the individual dog and their needs. The age of your dog, the history he/she brings with them, the activity in the house and your dog’s special needs are ALL contributing factors.
If you PAY ATTENTION to your dog, trust us - they WILL let you know when they’ve “had enough”, and when they are starting to feel “at home”.
During this initial period the dog is taking in the new environment, the people in it, and is learning who the “leaders” are in their new family, as well as what the rules are. Remember the dog has no idea who you are, and just as human to human relationships take time - this one will too. Pushing the dog to accept new things too fast makes you (who should be the leader) look like you have no control. This makes the dog feel unsafe with your leadership, and the they feel as if THEY have to make decisions for themselves and you do not want that to happen.
Why Dogs Can Act Out During Their First Days & Weeks At Home
Dogs who feel the need to make decisions for themselves are the ones who “act out”. It is your responsibility as an owner to make sure the dog looks to your for direction and guidance. Putting the dog in new situations with a person they do not yet full know and trust is setting the dog up for “failure”.
Imagine, if you were on a “first date” and your date was all over you touching you, inviting their friends to hug you and pat you on the head. Wouldn’t you feel invaded and begin to get a bit snarky or defensive yourself? You would defend yourself and protect your space because no one (canine nor human) enjoy having their personal space invaded in this way - and yet people take home new dogs daily and do just this.
By providing your dog this time to “shut down” you are allowing the dog time to see and hear you, and to learn the sounds, the routines and the rules of their new home.
Guidelines For The “Two-Week Shutdown”
Following these guidelines can be time consuming, but that is the commitment you’ve made in adopting this new dog into your home. Your patience and consistency in these early stages will make ALL the difference in your having a well-behaved and integrated dog in your home. You will see the results of your work quickly, you’ll notice the dog start to relax and respond, you’ll see their individual quirky personality start to shine through - and you’ll also be able to identify any behaviors that you may want to obtain training for to handle quickly and efficiently.
Provide the dog a space by itself.
If a separate room is not an option, then provide a comfortable crate with a bed and toys. Dogs are sensory animals and pick up on a lot without having to visually SEE it.
Leash the dog at all times when they are not in their dedicated room or crate.
Yes, this means leash the dog to you in the house (this helps a lot with bonding as well), and out in the yard (use of a long line A-OK here). The dog needs to start learning that YOU are it’s everything. Letting the dog have full freedom of your home and yard right away is teaching him/her to do whatever he/she pleases, and “right now” he/she doesn’t have that right because it’s YOUR house. You need to remember that so he learns to respect it.
Do little to no training.
Interactions with the dog at this point should be positive so as to strengthen the bond. This is another GREAT reason to have the dog leashed to you at all times, because how can he/she get into trouble if he/she is right there with someone ALL the time.
No car rides, visits with outside animals, visits to friends/family, doggie parks or pet store excursions.
Obviously veterinary visits are excluded from this. Teach the dog FIRST that you are the one to look to, that he/she can trust you and that you will not let them down. Once the dog develops trust and starts to look to you for guidance, THEN you can venture out into new situations a little at a time. When the dog knows he/she can trust in his new humans and can relax under the fair guidance of new leaders!
Allow the dog 20-30 minute intervals of time in and out of the crate, AFTER exercise/yard times.
For instance, take the dog out for 20-30 minutes, then crate the dog for about 20-30 minutes. The dog is not crated for an excessive amount of time and still gets to learn you and the household. As time progresses the intervals can be increased as the dog relaxes to help the dog adjust to a consistent routine.
By having the dog out for long periods of time, we are forcing him/her to keep accepting overwhelming amounts of new stimuli. By putting the dog away we are asking him/her to deal with a limited number of things, and then allowing time to “think about” and absorb and process these new things.
Ignore crying and/or barking.
If you run to the dog each time they bark, whine, or cry you are teaching the dog that doing those things is the key to gain your attention. The dog must learn to be secure, even in your absence.
Refrain from immediately introducing the dog to other pets.
You don’t want the dog to bond to another dog without bonding to you first! Crating your dogs side by side will help them get use to one another but greatly limit any interactions for the first two weeks. As the dog begins to relax and look to you more for direction, introduce the other dogs/pets slowly. We recommend very SHORT initial interactions (10-15 minutes), and all interactions should ALWAYS be supervised and controlled by you.
Praise good behavior.
For example, if your dog is sitting nicely next to you, touch or softly pet the dog and give verbal praise to let them know you appreciate even the most basic of “good behavior”. This makes naughty behavior must less fun when it’s ignored and they have the reinforcement of the good behavior being praised.
Remember, Go Slow & Be Patient With The Two Week Shutdown
All relationships take time to develop, and trying to force this relationship will only set you both up to fail. Respect the dog’s history, make the environment safe and secure, be consistent and make sure the entire family is “on-board” with the program.
Our staff have a wealth of knowledge and experience, and we also have a trainer on staff who we can always connect you with. Our goal is to work with you in any way we can to help ensure long term success of every placement we make.
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