3 Top Tips: Bringing your rescue dog home!

Jul 11
2 min read

Updated: Jul 19

A springer spaniel looking at the camera

Rescue dog owners, please feel free to add your top tips in the comments!

Bringing home a rescue dog can be an exciting and a nervous time for both dog and owners as you get ready to welcome a new addition into your home. It is important to remember that your rescue dog will be feeling lots of big emotions as they enter this new chapter of their life, and there are things you can do to help them with this.

Here are 3 top tips that can help when adopting a rescue dog, making their settling in process much smoother:

1 - Give them safe space, and respect it!

A crate or bed is a wonderful start to give your new dog a safe space to call their own. Make this area as cosy as possible, perhaps covering it with a blanket and ensuring there is water close by. Follow the rule that when your dog is in their safe space, no one goes into this space - including adults and children.

It is likely that your dog will want to be affectionate, but they should also know where to go to be alone!

2 - Don’t expect too much!

It is exciting to get started at training and it can really help to build your bond with your rescue dog, but don’t be disheartened if you don’t see results straight away. Your dog will be adjusting to their new environment, which can be overwhelming so may not remember what they learned the day before. Keep training light and reward all of their effort - it will all come together!

3 - Establish a routine straight away.

Routine is important and keeping things predictable will help a dog to feel safe. You don’t need to keep everything precisely on time, but establishing patterns such as eating in the same room every meal time can help them to feel settled more quickly.

Remember, whatever the dog’s background - it’s important to put your best paw forward and focus on creating a great life together!

This post features Murphy, a springer spaniel rescue who I am training currently, who is doing so well in training! Murphy's owners have put in so much work, and he is settling in well.