Oh my gosh, bringing home your new dog is so exciting. You are starting a new life journey with your dog. They are forever now part of your family!
The first few days and even weeks can also be overwhelming for you and your rescue pup. So, let’s ensure the first week goes as smoothly as possible.
This day-by-day guide will help you get the best out of this first week together.
Day 0: BEFORE you bring home your new rescue dog
A successful transition from shelter to home starts even before you bring your dog home. Do these four steps to prepare your home for a dog:
1. Dog/puppy proof your house.
Make sure no electrical wires are hanging on the floor, pick up small items a dog may find enticing to chew, and gate off areas of the home you don’t want the dog to have access to.
📖 READ: Puppy proofing checklist.
2. Walk through your yard.
Check that your fence is in good condition with no areas where the dog may squeeze or dig under the fence. Check the gates to make sure they are closed and latched.
3. Create a safety zone for your dog.
Give your new rescue dog a safe area to decompress, this will help them feel more comfortable.
An open crate in a quiet room is a great tool to create a comforting den-like area.
If you choose not to use a crate, then set up an area with a dog bed, blankets, water, and chew toys.
📖 READ: How and Why Crate Train Your Dog in 3 Easy Steps
4. Stock up on supplies.
It’s best to go to the store or order your dog supplies before you bring home your pup. Do not take your new dog to the pet supply store on the way home. This would be much too overwhelming to start your relationship together.
You will need food, food/water bowls, a collar, a leash, and an ID tag. Of course, a few toys and a chew bone would be nice too.
Here is my Amazon shopping list for my recommended dog products.
Day 1: Bringing your dog home
We have adopted eight dogs and fostered many more over the years, so to say I’ve gone through this phase many times is an understatement.
The following advice works and will make your life easier and your dog’s transition into your home much smoother. Take your time, do not rush any of these steps.
1. Outside before inside
When you arrive home after picking up your new pup, introduce them to the outside of your house first. Let them take in all the new smells and surroundings.
Show them where they will go potty in your yard. And then take them for a long walk, at the very least around the block.
2. Introducing your new dog to the inside of your home
After the walk, enter and introduce your dog to your house slowly.
They will be stressed for the first few days so the smaller the new area is, the more comfortable they will be. Restrict access to one area of the home.
Keep them on a leash for at least the first day, preferably the first three days. You don’t always have to hold on to the leash, they can drag the leash around with them, but this gives you quick access to them if needed.
I do this with each of our foster dogs. It helps the dog not get overwhelmed, stay out of trouble and limits potty accidents.
3. Keep the first day and week quiet and low-key
The first day your adopted dog comes home should be uneventful. Keep things quiet and calm. As tempting as it may be, don’t invite your friends to meet your new pup.
Don’t take them to the dog park. Avoid overwhelming situations altogether.
Wait until they have a chance to get to know you and their new home first. Give them plenty of quiet time to settle in.
4. Get to know your new dog
Sit back and observe your new best friend. Let them approach you. Don’t overwhelm them with too much affection right away. Remember, the first few days are all about decompression.
If you have kids, don’t allow them to hang on the dog, hug them, put their faces to the dog’s face, etc. In other words, help your kids understand the dog needs time and space for a little while.
Learn to read your dog’s body language. It will help you bond and understand your dog so much better!
5. Bringing a new dog home to another dog
If you have other pets in the home, keep them separated for the first 24-48 hours.
Remember, your new dog is stressed. Meeting another dog just adds to that stress and can result in a dogfight.
Even if they are the friendliest dogs in the world or if the dogs have met before. Bringing another dog into your home is different than a casual meeting and dogs react differently when it is in their territory.
Whenever we bring in a new foster dog, they are separated from our dogs for a full 24 hours. The 24-hour rule is required by the rescue I work with. I will admit, it was very hard the first few times we brought in a foster dog.
It’s so tempting to want to bring the dog in and let everyone play.
To get my full protocol on adding a second dog…
📖 READ: The Best Way to Introduce a Second Dog Into Your Pack.
The first meal
Don’t worry if your dog doesn’t want to eat the first few days, this is completely normal. Most dogs won’t eat when they are stressed.
If you can feed them the same food, they were eating in the shelter to alleviate any upset stomachs and diarrhea. And make sure they drink plenty of water.
Wean them to a new food next week. For this first week keep things simple.
📖 READ: How long can a dog go without eating?
The first night
Your new dog is most likely going to be exhausted the first few nights. But some dogs may cry, howl, or bark when it’s time for bed.
We put a crate in our bedroom for our new foster dogs to sleep, this helps the dogs feel more comfortable knowing they aren’t alone.
Some people feel that a crate is cruel. It is not… a crate will keep them safe when you are sleeping. Imagine if they were allowed to roam around the house without supervision, a house they aren’t familiar with… oh the trouble they could find!
Day 2: Expanding their world
Your dog may want to explore their surroundings more. You can open another area of the home for them to get to know.
Every dog is different; so, don’t be concerned if your newly adopted dog prefers to hide under the table or in their crate. This is perfectly normal and part of the decompression process.
But if your dog is ready to explore, take it slowly. Do not give them full access to your home just yet.
Keeping their “freedom” to a minimum will help keep unwanted behaviors at bay. I know… you look into those puppy eyes and wonder what they could do that would be so terrible!
When a dog is stressed and in a new environment stuff happens… potty accidents, chewing, marking, and who knows what else!
Other pets
If you have other pets, you may introduce them now. If it is another dog, make the meeting outside in a neutral area. Take them both for a long walk together before entering the home again.
If you have a cat, then I suggest keeping the introduction on the cat’s terms. Using a baby gate to give the cat a space to escape if desired.
Remember, your new dog may have never seen or experienced things you take for granted. Stairs, TV, kids, bicycles, etc. can all be strange to a new dog.
It’s always interesting to me with every foster dog we bring in, each one has some sort of quirk. A many of our fosters have never been on a structured walk, so when we walked by a big boulder, or someone riding a bike, the dog would jump back out of fear.
It’s important to keep all this in mind when introducing and exposing your dog to new experiences.
Always be patient, positive, and reassuring. Don’t avoid the things that make him fearful, but slowly show him there is nothing to be afraid of.
Eating and pooping
Most dogs will eat on the second day, but again, there is no reason to panic if they don’t want to eat yet. As long as they are drinking water, they will be okay.
Some dogs also don’t like to potty in strange places, so don’t be surprised if they haven’t pooped yet… especially if they haven’t eaten.
This is a little gross but look at their poop for the next few weeks. Even if the shelter or foster home gave them a clean bill of health, sometimes worms and parasites can creep up under times of stress. Any signs of abnormal poop warrant a visit to your vet.
Days 3-7: Getting to know your new dog
The next few days are all about making your dog more comfortable and getting to know each other.
Take time to sit on the floor and let your dog approach you, watch and observe them.
Open up the house to let them explore while you follow their lead. Take note of where they feel most comfortable and consider moving their safety zone to that space.
Creating a routine
Creating a routine will help your dog feel more comfortable. Schedule their feeding, walks, sleep, and even playtime.
The sooner you establish a routine, the better you both will feel. A feeding schedule will help with potty training too.
Expanding their world even more
Slowly add activities throughout the first week. Simply going for daily walks to explore the neighborhood is enough.
Every dog will be different. And each dog will need a different amount of time to adjust to their new home.
Learn to read your dog’s body language and take it slow.
Potty accidents
If you thought your dog was potty trained but is having accidents in the house, don’t be alarmed… this is pretty normal. Go back to the basics of potty training.
If he is marking in the house, keep your dog on a leash or crated until you can trust him. Don’t be surprised if this takes several months.
Be a confident leader
The term pack leader has gotten a bad rap in recent times. But I feel that being a confident leader, or dog parent, or whatever you want to call it, is important.
Your dog needs to know they can trust you to take care of them. To have their back sort of speak.
Give them loads of love and be compassionate for their well-being. But don’t feel sorry for them. Feeling sorry for them is only going to hold them back.
Our dogs are our mirrors, when you are stressed, they are stressed. When you are happy, they are happy.
What happens after the first week?
Congrats, you made it through the first week with your new rescue dog. Was it easier or harder than you thought?
I can’t stress enough, that every dog and every situation is unique. Don’t compare your dog to someone else who just adopted a dog too. Your dog will go at their own pace.
📖 Please read the 3-3-3 rule/guideline next.
You’ve got this, the first week, and few months are the hardest… you will look back at this week sometime in the future and smile… and realize how far you’ve both come.
Some people get depressed and worry they’ve made the wrong decision to adopt a dog. I want you to know you aren’t alone. Rescue Dogs 101 is here for your entire journey. We have the resources to help you through the good and bad.
I was wondering how often a rescue dog should poop on the first day.
Thank you for this great article. I will recommend it to anyone who adopts a new dog. I have one rescue right now but we always adopted. The current one is the first dog that was already 1 year old when she came to us and all you write pretty much applied to her. Before we always adopted young pups and that is different.
Having patience, lots of love and understanding, and following the rules you describe helps to make adoption a smashing success.
Hi, I have just adopted(fostering for now with intentions to adopt) a little rescue female dog(romanian rescue)…it's our fourth day together and she's still a bit unsure of me…won't take food from my hand and doesn't come close to me, won't let me touch her…I know it's probably only early days but my concern is that she sleeps mostly during the day and won't sleep at night(I can't take her on walks yet because she doesn't let me touch her her to even possibly try to put a harness on her)…I've tried white noise and calming music for dogs from YouTube playlist…tried to feed her at different times also to see if she slept better with a full belly or after hours of digestion…nothing worked…trying classical music for dogs tonight and lavender incense tonight, wish me luck! Could dog a barking noise playlist possibly help help her at night to settle down?I've been sleeping downstairs with her(in the kitchen in her crate with door open) but she comes into the room and then runs back into her cage and does this all night if I don't get up…only sleeps if I am in the kitchen sat on the floor…I don't know what to do..please help! Any ideas?!
I am adopting a foster, shepherd mix. He’s a year old. I stay at home and it’s just my husband and myself. The environment will be quiet and calm, no other pets. My concern is that I already had a couple of appointments set up and will be out of the house for a few hours. I’ve got a crate for him. Will that interfere with the decompression period. I want to make his adjustment as uneventful as possible.
Actually allowing the dog to spend some time alone in the crate will be a good thing. Don’t over think it. Just allow the dog to go at it’s own pace. Good luck and congrats!
I adopted a 2 year old terrier mix and am very lucky to have him. He is sweet and gentle, house trained, behaves when commanded, and doesn't bark. Someone obviously spent so.e time training this adorable guy. The only thing is he does not engage in play. He gets excited about walks and being fed, wags his tail when you rub his belly. Other than that he spends the day sleeping and doesn't seem interested in playing with toys or people. Is this just his disposition and I leave him be? Does he just need more time ? He's only been with me a week. Is there a certain way I should engage him to make him safe but encourage playfulness?
Hi. I am planning to adopt this bull terrier mix. He’s very sweet and submissive. But he has a tendency not to listen should I get a trainer? First dog on my
own, he follows us everywhere we go.
He’s had his first accident today, peed in his dog bed.
I am going to crate train him but i feel he’ll be nervous due to his past.
He also seems very tired on the second day with us. We took him for a walk this morning and it was difficult to keep him focused. He’s 9 months old so he’s still a puppy.
Finding a trainer could be a great idea, especially since it’s your first dog. Read How to Find the Perfect Dog Trainer
We love been fostering a four year old golden retriever for a week and he has a very calm, sweet temperament. Unfortunately we have a trip planned for five days and we’re worried about leaving him so soon. He’ll be staying with another foster family but I’m afraid we’ll confuse him. We want to adopt this guy – any tips for asking him feel comfortable and reassured when we return?
Send him with a blanket or something with your smell. Even though he’s been with you only a short time, your scent will help comfort him. You may have to start from scratch when he returns to you. But just take one day at a time. Dogs are very resilient. Just be patient with him and I’m sure he will be okay.
Hi! I just adopted a 1 year old (approximately) pit bull male 4 days ago. He is so so sweet. I’ve only had 1 incident where he pooped in his kennel and then busted out of it. He doesn’t bark , he only whines and it’s only when he is in his kennel. I sorry about him having separation anxiety. He also has some allergies and has a cough right now, mucus in his nose, and he’s itchy. Other than that, he’s a great dog and I love him so much.
Congrats on your new adoption! Take one day at a time. I would have him checked out by your vet to make sure nothing serious is going on with the cough/mucus. Could be kennel cough.
I am considering adopting a 5, almost 6 year old pit bull terrier. She is very gentle and appears to be very well behaved. They told me she would be shy at first and may not even come to me but just the opposite happened. She comes with a not so good of a past. But to everyone's surprise, she took to me right away. She warmed up to me fairly quickly. She put her paws on my shoulders and gave me a bunch of kisses. I fed her snacks and she patiently waited as I broke up the pieces to feed her. She ate so gently right out of my hand. I instantly fell in love with her. The attendant was in shock that she took to me so fast. She said that has never happened before. Apparently she really liked me. They were wanting me to return a few more times so she could get used to me. But after she seen how the dog acted over me, she feels that that may not even be necessary. She may have just adopted me instead of me adopting her. But still, I want to continue to visit her up until the adoption. Even as I was leaving, she acted as though, she wanted to go with me. My heart melted. And I have to admit, I missed her as I sat in my car pondering on my next move. Their still needs to be a home visit to ensure she was going to a good home that didn't have any other dogs or children in the home. No problem. Next week, I'm having fencing put in so she'll have her own yard. But I am a little worried because she does come with a past where her previous owners allowed her and another dog to fight. She sustained several injuries and has noticeable scars. And unfortunately, the other dog didn't survive. It angers me as to why the owners allowed this.
I can provide her with a quite, stable and peaceful environment. It's just me. I can give her all the love and attention she needs. But is that enough? Do I have legitimate concerns? What should I do? What shouldn't I do? I REALLY want her and feel I can make a difference in her world. I want her to be happy. I want to give her her best years. I'm pretty much decided but I would still like your input and advise. Thank you so much.
I am beyond happy that you are weighing out the entire situation, your words show here show me that you are ready to do what it takes to help this pup. Things you should consider before adopting, I know you said it’s just you, but what does the next 5 or so years look for you? Do you have plans to have kids, get married, dream of. having another dog? Adopting a dog with this history will take work and patients. Is this your first dog? I’d recommend getting advice from a trainer that has experience with dogs with her history. She may be the sweetest dog with you, but do you know how she will react in other situations, when you have friends or family over to your house? Or on walks? Or when you have to leave her home alone? I’m not saying any of this to scare you, just to prepare you for your future together.
Every dog I've ever had has been a rescue. My new baby is a 3 year old Dutch Shepherd. I've been researching like crazy because I've never had this breed. There's so much conflicting info about how to make the introduction into our home, that I'm confused about what is best for him. I would really appreciate any advice!!! I just want him to be happy and know he's loved and cherished!
Every dog is different so you need to just take it slow, read the dogs body language and adjust accordingly. Give the dog space and time.
We absolutely love Dutch Shepherds! They are so easy to work with and train. They are cuddly yet great protectors. Their physical abilities are astounding. Our dutchie was amazingly docile. He LOVED to literally cuddle with our other dogs!
Sadly he had Lupus and cancer- passed away just 3 weeks ago. I’m trying to find a male dutchie to adopt- our female German Shepherd/Mastiff mix is so depressed without him
I hope you and your Dutch Shepherd are having a beautiful life!!