Bringing home a rescue dog: what you need to know

Shelters and rescues across the UK are full of dogs looking for a loving forever home. As big advocates of ‘adopt don’t shop’, we want to help you prepare for the positives and challenges of welcoming a rescue pup.

Below, expert dog behaviourist Philippa Short shares her top tips on finding the right rescue dog and settling them in. Philippa also explains what to do if you’re struggling with regret or suffer from the rescue ‘puppy blues’.

• Different types of rescue dog
• How long does it take a rescue dog to adjust to a new home?
• Setting up your house for your rescue dog
  > Decide on your house rules
• How to help a rescue dog settle in – the first 24 hours
  > Settling in your rescue dog at night
• How to help a rescue dog settle in – the first month
• Rescue dog honeymoon period

Different types of rescue dog

There are three broad categories of rescue dogs: rehomed dogs, UK rescue centre dogs, and foreign rescue dogs.

Rehomed dogs

• The dog has come up for re-homing due to circumstances beyond the owner’s control. Examples of this include household separation, death of a family member, sickness, or emigration.
• You know all about the dog’s history in their previous home. Hopefully, they’ve known a loving and stable life but are also aware if this is not the case

UK rescue dogs

• Sometimes rehomed dogs can find themselves in a UK rescue.
• Some dogs may be picked up as strays or part of police investigations. This could be cases of puppy farming, animal cruelty, hoarding, and ex-breeding.
• These centres can sometimes give you the dog’s history and background depending on their rescue situation.

Foreign rescue dogs

• Many dogs are brought into the UK from all over the world each year.
• They might be ex-breeding from puppy farms, rescued from meat slaughterhouses, picked up as strays, or saved from kill shelters.
• You won’t know much about the history of these dogs due to how they’ve been rescued.

How long does it take a rescue dog to adjust to a new home?

All rescue dogs need time to settle in and how long this takes depends on their background. You can use the ‘three day, three week, three month’ structure as a general guideline.

Three days

It takes around three days for any new rescue dog to decompress from understanding what’s happened to them.

• Rehomed dogs – even a very loved pet will have a degree of shock and need to process entire circumstances changing.
• UK rescue dogs – being in your home will be a culture shock to a dog used to living in a kennel with lots of barking and rescue noises.
• Foreign rescue dogs – they will have had long travel times via car, plane, or ship, and are heavily vaccinated and wormed. They’re coming into a new country with a different language and culture. This group will take the longest to decompress and may need more than three days.

Three weeks

It takes around three weeks for your pup to settle into their new routine but this can be longer. They’re learning things like:

• House rules.
• Where their things are.
• Walking and feeding times.
• Which humans will be in their life.

Three months

At roughly three months your dog will begin to feel truly at home. But once again this timeline can vary greatly depending on your dog’s background.

• Rehomed dogs – they’ll learn you’re a good person and begin to see you as a constant in their life.
• UK rescue dogs – they may have been in kennels for a long period and aren’t used to having a person of their own so it could take a bit longer.
• Foreign rescue dogs – they may never have had a person of their own so it could take them a lot longer to trust you.

Setting up your house for your rescue dog

It’s important to check your home is safe for your new dog. You might have already had a home check done by the rescue centre.

Be aware of:

• Fencing – hounds can easily jump fences and Terriers will dig underneath them. You normally need a 6-foot fence with a baseboard that meets the ground so it’s secure both above and below.
• Doors – secure your front and back doors and garden gate so your dog can’t let themselves out.
• Exposed wires/valuable items – dogs can chew out of distress so make sure there isn’t anything dangerous or important within reach.

You also want to set up all of your dog’s things:

• Bed – make sure this is comfortable and size-appropriate. Choose a good place for this if not using a crate. This means avoiding anywhere drafty or where your dog will be in direct heat.
• Food and water stations – should be in an obvious place your dog can easily access at all times.
• Dog insurance – having good cover in place can protect your new pup if something happens to them.

> Decide on your house rules

Having set rules can help your rescue dog to feel more secure. Always be kind and understanding with them but set expectations about where they can go within home.

It’s your choice as to what rules are in place but make sure you decide on these from day one and stick to them. It’s unfair on your dog to give them no boundaries, get frustrated with their behaviour, and then set rules later.

Think about:

• Whether they’re allowed on furniture
• If they can go upstairs or will stay downstairs
• If certain rooms are off-limit

Your dog’s safety is paramount but closing doors to block access can make them feel stressed. Using appropriately sized baby gates to separate rooms can help.

When it comes to toileting, it’s important to remember that your rescue dog:

• May never have been house-trained
• Have lost this sense from staying in kennels where they can toilet anywhere
• Be timid and scared to go out into the garden

You may not want your dog staying in a room with an expensive carpet as accidents can happen.

How to help a rescue dog settle in – the first 24 hours

The first 24 hours with your rescue dog should be done at their pace. They need quiet and the chance to explore their new home organically. Let them come to you in their own time.

Our instinct is to make up for any trauma they might have gone through and shower them with treats, cuddles, and kisses. But this will only stress your dog out, lead them to distrust you, and make settling in harder and longer.

Remember that there is going to be a degree of shock, anxiety, and even feelings of defensiveness from your dog.

So, on the first day with your rescue dog, your goal is to orientate them around their living space:

1. Be kind and gentle, talking to them in a soft voice.
2. Place water bowls everywhere if they’re nervous and don’t want to move about.
3. Show them where their bed is, putting in a few treats for them to sniff.
4. Drop treats randomly around the house for your dog to find and build positive associations (but only if no other animals or children are around to prevent resource-guarding issues).
5. Open the back door for them to explore, putting them on a long house line attached to a soft padded fleece if they’re nervous.

Give them comfort and physical contact if they ask for it. Watching your dog’s body language can help you read whether they want to be approached.

Don’t:

• Get in their face
• Force contact
• Take them out for a walk for a few days

> Settling in your rescue dog at night

Nights can be scary for your rescue and those first few will be a struggle for you both. Here’s how you can help them feel secure:

1. Take them out last thing at night to go to the toilet. If they’re too nervous to cope, try laying down puppy pads or newspaper until you can do toilet training.
2. Sprinkle a few treats in their bed to make it an inviting place for them to sniff and settle.
3. Use a dog-friendly calming spray in the room.
4. Have some calming music playing on a low level in the background. You can use a dedicated dog-friendly playlist or choose a soothing genre like classical or reggae.

Your rescue pup may start howling at night for the toilet or affection. If this happens:

• Toilet – quietly go in, put them on a lead, and take them outside. Once they’ve gone to the toilet you can quietly take them back in, unclip their lead, and walk away.
• Affection – if you think they’re howling for affection, give it to them. They need comfort as they’re very stressed and trying to decompress.

How to help a rescue dog settle in – the first month

Less is more during that first month with your rescue pup. This is the time to work on that quiet bond with your new dog as it will set the tone of your relationship. Introduce them only to your immediate family so as not to overwhelm them with too many new people.

Get to know your rescue dog’s habits, how they behave on walks, and what training is needed.

For the first month, focus on the following:

• Keep them on a lead, starting with a 6-foot lead for those first walks. You can then switch to a long line to see how your bond has grown.
• Go back to basic puppy toilet training which involves watching for signs of sniffing/circling and regularly taking them outside. Put a cue to the behaviour and praise them for toileting in the right place.
• Limit cue training to a maximum of four things only in the first month. Focus on teaching them to respond to their name, recall, and hand touch.
• Build a trusting physical relationship by teaching your dog how to be handled. This can also help with any vet handling that might be needed.
• Teach them to be groomed but always be aware of their body language. You don’t want to push them too fast into something they can’t cope with.
• Start doing scent work by hiding treats around the house for them to find. It encourages your rescue dog to sniff which can help lower stress. You can also scatter treats on short walks to help your dog feel more relaxed if they find these stressful.

Rescue dog honeymoon period

There is a well-known phenomenon called the dog honeymoon period or ‘the puppy blues’. This is where pet parents are excited to get a new dog, think they have everything planned out, and know what to expect. But when the puppy suddenly arrives, it all becomes massively overwhelming.

Most dog parents will have remorse and tears during those first weeks or months. They’re dealing with the stress of training, settling them in, accidents, and more. This can feel even harder if they don’t have an instant connection with the dog, something they may have always dreamed of.

Please remember that all of these feelings are incredibly normal. My advice is don’t make rash decisions about your rescue dog during those early days.

• Your dog’s stress may manifest in noisy and destructive ways but give them some time.
• You can also bring in a qualified behaviourist to advise you on that first-month introductory phase.

Have an honest conversation with your behaviourist if you still don’t feel the chemistry or find it all too much after five to six weeks. They’ll tell you truthfully whether you’re the right person for your dog.

In this situation, the rescue needs to either take them back into their centre or place them in a highly qualified foster home.

Remember:

• It’s OK to admit you’ve bitten off more than you can chew. Sometimes things just don’t work out and it’s hard to get things right every time.
• Without any history of the dog’s background, you may not know if they simply can’t cope with living in a house.
• Don’t let this decision end your dream of having a dog. Aim to look more carefully for your next family member to make sure it’s the right fit on both sides.