Dog Rehoming: What To Expect When Rehoming A Dog
"300" />Dog rehoming is a term used to indicate the process of acclimatizing and getting a dog accustom to new surroundings with a new family. A rehomed dog does need time to adjust, plus keep in mind that rehoming a dog is going to be somewhat stressful on both the new owners as well as the dog until you both get used to the situation.
Prepare A Space For Your Rehomed Dog
Think of a dog rehoming just as you would when bringing home a puppy. Your new dog is going to need his or her own space, bedding, food and water dishes, toys and crate, depending on the breed you are considering and the type of training method you are using. One of the benefits of working with a rehomed dog is that the shelter staff can give you a heads up on what type of toys the dog enjoys playing with, if he or she is already crate trained or if they have any particular preferences for bedding, areas they like to hang out in and even how much interaction they prefer with humans.
A lot of rescues will have foster placement programs that actually put the dogs in volunteer's homes during their stay at the rescue. This enables the staff to see the dogs in various environmental situations including homes with kids, other dogs and even other pets. New owners then have a good idea about what they will need to do to prepare for rehoming a dog based on this feedback.
Give Time To Rehoming A Dog
Even a very friendly, highly socialized and well trained rehomed dog is going to need an adjustment period. Think of a time that you ended up staying at someone else's house; it was a bit uncomfortable the first few days, wasn't it?
One of the biggest mistakes made when rehoming a dog is to expect they will simply fit into the family and understand all commands and routines. While a great many rehomed dogs will do just that, others will need more time in the dog rehoming process. Some dogs may be timid, frightened or nervous, which may translate into slightly aggressive behaviors. Since you may not be aware of all the trauma the dog has been through, giving the dog a week or two to adjust before starting difficult or challenging training routines or asking too much of the dog is important. It is also essential to start using positive training methods immediately, but don't try anything too complicated as the dog can easily become frustrated or confused.
Getting them to do the basics of come, sit and lie down is a great start, then of course working with them on the leash is the next important training goal.
Rehoming a dog does take patience, time and effort, but for the rehomed dog there is really nothing better. For the owner dog rehoming can be a wonderful way to bond with the new pet, starting a lifelong, positive relationship.
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