So, you think you’re ready to add a new dog to your family? Opening your heart to a furry friend in need is a great first step, but caring for your new adopted dog requires more than love alone. What dog essentials do you need to keep them safe, sound and satisfied? Use our dog adoption checklist to make sure you have everything you need for life as a rescue dog parent.
Before you bring your new best friend home, you’ll need to make sure your home is ready for them. Follow these tips to ensure a smooth transition.
Puppies
You wouldn’t give a 2-year-old baby unsupervised access to your whole house, right? The same rules apply to new puppies, says Irith Bloom, faculty at Victoria Stilwell Academy based in Atlanta, Georgia, owner of The Sophisticated Dog in Los Angeles, California, and certified animal trainer with multiple certifications, including CPDT-KSA, CDBC, VSPDT, KPA CTP, and CBATI.
n addition to things like furniture and cabinets that can be expensive for puppies to chew on, pet parents must also ensure any items that are unsafe for a puppy are out of reach of their newest family member. “Move fragile, tippable or potentially dangerous items like cleaning supplies, food and medications to inaccessible locations,” says Jennifer Coates, DVM, from Fort Collins, Colorado. “Tuck electrical cords under carpeting and keep cords for blinds out of reach.”
Pet parents should allow their new puppy to be unsupervised only in their designated small space, accompanied by appropriate chew toys, until they’re around 12-16 weeks old, “when you’re seeing he’s begun to understand his toys and what not to chew on,” Bloom says. “Then, experimentally, give him another 100 square feet of space.”
If your puppy behaves in their newly expanded quarters, expand it again. If your dog continues to behave, expand it again and again until they’re well behaved throughout your home.
Adult Dogs
“Moving into your home is stressful for your new rescue dog. Even if the dog’s previous living environment was unpleasant, it was at least familiar,” Bloom says, adding that stressed dogs tend to act out. “Your dog has just moved to a strange new place, and it can take time for dogs to adjust.”
Because you never know how a dog will react to new environs at first, “assume adult dogs are not housetrained and will chew on everything,” she says. That means pet parents should treat their new adult dog as if they’re a puppy, by giving them a small space as described above—at least at first. Because adult dogs have stronger bladder muscles and more fully formed brains, you can allow them to more easily win your trust.
“I will tend to be a lot faster giving the dog access [to the rest of the house] as long as they prove reliable when they get their first set of access,” Bloom says. If they get it wrong, she adds, don’t get upset—simply adjust their access to your home accordingly.
Puppy-level safety rules also still apply to adult dogs, Dr. Coates says. “You can’t be completely confident in what they’ve learned in their previous homes,” she says. “For dogs who aren’t used to crates, try giving them a chew or a toy filled with peanut butter when you have to step away. Most older dogs will adapt very quickly to new house rules when they’re implemented consistently and kindly.”
Senior Dogs
Preparing your home for a senior pet means anticipating the aches and pains that can come with age, Bloom says. For example, if you have hardwood floors or tile floors, you may need to cover them with something that gives your new pet a bit more traction.
“As they age, their muscle mass will deteriorate, and they have a little less balance and a little bit less control as they walk, so they tend to slide around and it can be painful for them,” she says. “So it’s a good idea to have runners or rugs, something so that your dog can get around on the tile or hardwood without being in pain.”
Confining your senior pet to a small area may also be a good idea, Bloom says, especially if they exhibit bladder control issues or symptoms of canine cognitive dysfunction, aka dog dementia. “Make sure they have something fun to do [in their area],” Bloom says, pointing out that games, training and activities help keep dogs’ minds sharp as they age.
Information from be.chewy.com