Training
He lies in the corner of the hall, will not eat and jumps at every noise. An adopted dog needs calm and routine first; training and visitors come later.
On Saturday you sign the papers at the shelter and take him home. Or you have already taken him in, off the waste ground by the flats where he had been living for a month, and now he lies in the corner of the hall with his ears pinned back: he will not eat, he jumps at the lift door and he looks at you as if you were a stranger. Which, to him, you are. An adopted dog, puppy or pensioner, needs weeks to work out where he has landed and who these people are. Until then, training, trips into town and visits to friends can wait. Below, in order, is what you do from the car to the end of the first month, and then how to tell he has started to feel at home.
| Period | What you aim for | What you avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Days 1 to 3 | He eats, drinks, toilets, sleeps | Visitors, baths, parks, town |
| Week 1 | Routine, quiet outings, the vet | Long hours alone, punishment |
| Weeks 2 to 4 | New routes, simple exercises | Busy dog parks, letting him off the lead |
| Months 2 to 3 | Trust, play, a training class | Believing you already "know" him |
Many adopters go by the "3-3-3" rule: three days to decompress, three weeks to learn the routine, three months to feel at home. It is not a law. It is a fair idea of how much patience you will need.
A street dog may never have set foot inside a house. Stairs, doors that close behind him, the hoover, the television, the lead itself may all be new. Take them one at a time, not all on day one. See the vet in the first few days, before he meets other dogs or children: vaccinations, worming and flea treatment and, if the vet thinks it wise, tests for the diseases common in street dogs (some are carried by ticks and mosquitoes). Have him microchipped and registered in your name.
The adopted puppy (under 4 months). He needs the same quiet days, but the window in which he learns what is normal in the world closes fast. After the first few days you show him the world carefully: different people, sounds, surfaces, cars, from a distance and with good treats. A puppy class with a trainer is the safest place for it.
The adolescent (6 to 18 months). This is the age at which most dogs are returned to shelters, because they come with the energy and the selective hearing typical of their age. Exercise every day, plenty of sniffing games, a basic training class, patience. He is a teenager. It passes.
The adult. He comes with a past you usually know nothing about. Some settle in days, others need months. Adults learn well, just more slowly. Do not compare him with the dog you had before.
The senior. An adopted old dog is often the calmest housemate there is, but he needs a full check-up at the start, a soft bed, rugs on tiled floors and walks that suit his joints.
Most of the good signs show up in the first three months. Some dogs, especially fearful ones or those who came off the street, need six months or a year to show you all of themselves.
There is no single day on which the dog "has settled". What you see instead are small signs that add up from one week to the next:
Keep a short diary for the first month: what frightened him, what made him happy. On the hard days, reading it back shows you how far you have actually come.
An assessment with a trainer in the first few weeks tells you what is normal for your dog and what is worth working on early. It is far easier to build things right from the start than to repair them a few months later, once the habits have set.
What dog owners search for most often on the internet about this problem, with the short answer.
Give him calm and routine: a place of his own in a quiet room, the same times for meals and outings, short walks on the same route, no visitors, parks or baths. Do not call him over or pick him up; let him come to you. An escape-proof harness and a lead clipped in two places are not negotiable: this is when dogs get lost most easily.
For the first day or two, often yes. Leave the food down for 15 minutes, take it away and try again at the next meal, in the same quiet spot. Treats dropped on the floor beside him, asking nothing in return, help. If he has not eaten at all after two days, is not drinking, is vomiting or has diarrhoea, see the vet.
Take him to the vet in the first few days, before he meets other dogs or children: vaccinations, worming and flea treatment, tests if the vet thinks them useful, and a microchip registered in your name. At home you start from scratch: stairs, doors, the lead, toileting outside. Patience does more than any exercise.
Many adopters go by the '3-3-3' rule: three days to decompress, three weeks to learn the routine, three months to feel at home. It is only a rough guide. Fearful dogs or dogs from the street may need six months or a year. The good signs: he sleeps stretched out on his side, he plays, he greets you at the door.
They often come together: the same causes, plans that complement each other.
He vanishes under the bed when visitors arrive, or flattens himself at the sight of a man in a hood. Fear of people is worked on from a distance, at his pace.
He howls from the first minute and only goes quiet when you walk back in. That is panic, and panic is worked in seconds at first, not in hours of 'getting used to it'.
You take him out, he stands in the grass for ten minutes, you come in and he goes on the rug. House-training takes set times and a real fuss when he gets it right.
Three dogs come out barking from behind the garages. You stop, turn sideways, keep your bag between you and back slowly out of their patch the way you came.
In Puppy Class and the basic obedience course these exercises are worked in a group, with real distractions and feedback at every step.