When you take your puppy home it is a foster-to-adopt situation until all vaccines are current and the puppy has been spayed or neutered. 

Whether you take home a puppy or an adult dog, you should expect:

• • Puppies will whine due to being separated from their siblings and the disorientation of a new home.
  • Accidents – I recommend taking your puppy out every 10 minutes to get them use to going outside.  Adult dogs will be nervous and unsure of the rules in their new surroundings.
  • Do not push a dog’s nose into their poop/pee if they have an accident. That does not teach them it’s bad, they forget they did it right after.
  • Take your puppy outside immediately after it finishes eating, and as soon as it wakes up. Your puppy will instinctively pee at these exact moments.  Always praise your dog, puppy or adult, for doing it outside.
  • They will chew things; puppies due to teething, adults due to nervousness, getting hard plastic toys will help.
  • One puppy trainer put it this way: “Your puppy has three brain cells; a command will go in one ear and out the other without hitting one. Be patient.”
  • Puppies will not have manners; a puppy basic training class would be an option. They need structure and a leader. They want structure and a leader.
  • Adults may need some positive reinforcement as well, remember, they are coming from a kennel environment where rules might be lax.
  • Do not push your dog down to sit, using treats and positive reinforcement is key.
  • Do not allow children to sit on your dog, pull on its tail, or hit the dog. They don’t like that, it hurts, and it could cause the pet to distrust humans.
  • Do not let anyone use their hands to play with a puppy, it will assume hands are a toy and may bite someone’s hand unexpectedly, thinking it was a toy.  Use a rope or cloth toy instead.
  • YouTube is a great source of information, most of it good. Consider looking for videos on potty training, teaching your puppy its name, and teaching your puppy to sit.

Be patient, having a dog is work! If you need assistance please Contact Us.

Zsofia Price, Rescue Manager