10 RULES TO LIVE BY WHEN ADOPTING A DOG

1.  Adopting a dog should NEVER EVER be an impulse decision; rather, seek out a dog which fits your situation in life.  Your new family member must have the personality and habits to fit into your lifestyle.  No matter how “cute” or how “sad” the rescue’s story - it is imperative that your new friend not have a high prey drive if to be around children; not be dog aggressive if you have another dog; not be a cat chaser if you have cats; not be one that needs lots of exercise if your idea of exercise is mainly armchair oriented.

2. SET RULES TO LIVE BY – all dogs need rules and consistency.  It is tempting to spoil your new friend but by doing so you will only do him harm in the end.  Start slowly building boundaries as your new pet is apt to be overwhelmed so space needs to be limited initially.  Simply close doors to other rooms while he’s to be with you or use a gate so he can’t wander off exploring and finding possible temptations.  Give him time to adjust to his new surroundings and his new family.

3.  BONDING WITH YOU IS IMPORTANT – spend lots of quality time each day gently petting or grooming.  Go slowly and provide lots of treats for good behavior.  If the dog is nervous, spend less time in this form of activity as the petting and treats may reinforce the negative behavior.

4. BEHAVIORAL ISSUES face all rescue dogs. Work on these issues one at a time and be patient.  Don’t increase the issues by spoiling.   Constant attention will only make him feel more entitled to it at all times and could be harmful to friends and loved ones.

5. TIME ALONE – is essential in developing a healthy, happy companion.    Use dog crates or baby gates to make certain he’s restricted and alone for 5 to 10 minutes depending on his anxiety level.  Dog specific toys can be stuffed with treats or shank bones can have some peanut butter inserted to amuse the dog during his alone time.

6.  A JOB TO DO – all dogs enjoy a purpose in life. Consider a professional trainer to help you instill confidence in the dog while setting up some simple tasks like sit, down, roll-over or fetch.  A trainer may simply train you to train your dog but well worth the effort.

 7. TRUST ISSUES – face many rescues as they’ve often been abandoned, abused or neglected.  Use gentle, kind and firm training – never force the dog into any situation of which he may be fearful.   NEVER STRIKE YOUR DOG OR ACT IN ANGER.

 8. HAVE PATIENCE – the older the rescue the more time needed to adjust to your home and family.  Don’t give up.

 9. THE LIFE YOU SAVE MAY BE YOUR OWN – what comes around goes around and the more work you’ve done creating a canine good citizen the more you’ll receive in return.  Stories of dogs life saving allegiance to mankind are as numerous as they are heroic.

 10. ENJOY the love and companionship of your new friend.