6 Ways to Help Your Rescue Dog Settle in to Her New Home
A dog that has figured out the rules can relax.
1 Start with teaching the dog a couple of simple commands like โsitโ or โdown.โ This early interaction helps to create and strengthen the human-animal bond and helps your relationship with your dog to grow.
2 Be patient. Encourage your new rescue dog to come to you rather than you always approaching your new dog to interact. Understand that although the dog may be new to you, he already has a complex personality. It can be very rewarding to figure out what a dog likes and dislikes. Allowing your dog to initially approach you on his own terms really helps to build on your friendship with your new pet.
3 Be consistent. Make sure that every personโeveryday and every timeโis giving the dog the same message. Dogs like rules; rules help dogs to better understand their new home and family and build confidence. A dog that has figured out the rules can relax.
4 Set long term goals, not short term โfixes.โ It will take a bit of time for your new dog to understand some things, but once she โgets itโ sheโll likely never forget. Besides, your new friend is going to be with you for some years, so for both of your sake, itโs worth it to put in the work now.
5 Use โanxiety bustersโ such as food puzzles, problem-solving toys, or nature shows/DVDs designed for dogs to keep your new pup occupied while youโre away. This is especially important if you are going to be away for several hours. Dogs are bright and they need mental stimulation. A food puzzle toy [We like Aikiouโs interactive puzzle feeders (aikiou.com).โEd.] that slowly dispenses some of your dogโs daily dry food will give her a project to work on while youโre out. For more tips to keep your new dog busy, active, happy and engaged, check out the ASPCAโs online fact sheet, Enriching Your Dogโs Life.
6 Always use positive reinforcement to train your dog. Just like people, dogs that are stressed or anxious do not learn well. They need to be calm and focused to really interact with you and learn what youโre trying to teach them. Remember, when youโre teaching the dog a trick or specific behaviour, about half of the actual learning is you figuring out how best to interact with your new family member.
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