333 Rule of Adopting A Dog
Thinking About Adopting a Dog?
Then This is a Must Read!
Do you know how the 333 Rule of Adopting a Dog works? It can be so helpful for getting off to the best possible start with your newly adopted pup! In this blog, we explain all all about the 3-3-3 Rule, and how it can help.
Choosing to rescue a dog, be it from a shelter or a foster based rescue can be a very rewarding experience. You are giving a dog a second (or maybe a 3rd or 4th!) chance at living in a loving home. Adopting an adult or young dog with a history previous to living in your home is not the same as bringing home a puppy. A puppy is a blank slate, whereas an young adult or adult dog has a huge number of experiences prior to moving into your home. Keep in mind the 'Rule of Three' when rescuing a dog.
Expect it will take time for your newly adopted dog to get used to the new routines and adapt to their new home. The ‘Rule of Three’ means that you can gauge the time it might take for your dog to fully acclimate to his home in threes: three days, three weeks, and three months.
The First 3 Days
Think of your new dog’s first 3 days as their time to decompress as they transition from a shelter or foster home into your home. This period can be overwhelming for many dogs, especially those that were not previously in a home environment. Make sure to start with a long walk in your neighborhood on that very first day. A long walk establishes the boundaries of your relationship and how to walk well with you and listen. This also helps your rescue dog adjust to their new environment, including all the sights, smells, and sounds of their new neighborhood. Once your walk ends, it is time to bring them into the house, but don’t take off the leash just yet. Your new dog should be following your directions and not wandering. Slowly bring them from room to room. Spend a few minutes in each room and once the inside tour is finished, do the same with each exterior space. During the tours, petting, eye contact and talking are not recommended since your new dog will already be overstimulated by the new environment and new people. The less stimulation you can create the better their transition will be. Think of your home like it is the first time at Disneyland for your dog. This extreme level of excitement requires calm energy from you. As exciting as a new member of your household can be, it’s important to establish your relationship, starting off on the right foot. You can have moments of excitement, but in general your calm energy should be given to your dog at all times in the first 3 days especially, but the same goes for the first 3 months.
Once the tour is complete, it is now time to establish some basic boundaries for your rescue dog! Continue to lead them on leash to their feeding area, with some water and a little food. This establishes an area that your dog is familiar with. After the feeding area is introduced, take your dog to its bedroom. If it is a crate, let your dog investigate that space by smelling, walking around, or just being curious. Open the crate and throw some treats in the back. It is possible your new dog may just walk right in after them! If he settles into the crate, feel free to remove the leash and shut the door. This will give him some time to decompress. If he seems anxious, you can always leave the door open and allow him in and out access. If, however, you choose not to crate your dog, let him off the leash and let him investigate the area. If he immediately lies down on his new bed and ignores the family, do not worry! This means you completed the process correctly and he is already comfortable in the pack!
Remember your new dog won’t know what you expect from them, where to go potty, or whether they’re allowed on the furniture. They might not know that your shoe is not a chew toy, or that the kitchen trash is not where your dog is supposed to find their dinner. Your dog will settle into your routine with time and patience. The first 3 days are important to given them space to explore, rest and establish boundaries! It is normal for your dog to sleep a lot in the first few days, not want to eat, and not crave interaction from their new family as they adjust. Take comfort in knowing that it gets better as the weeks go on.
After 3 Weeks
After 3 weeks, your dog is starting to get used to your comings and goings from the home, learning the daily routine, and starting to figure out the timing for their next meal. Your dog will learn that you walk with them at the same time every morning, and that they go out for regular potty breaks. You’ll start to see more of your dog’s true personality and less of their first response – whether that was fear, excitement, stress or some combination when you first brought them home. They will begin to feel settled in their new home. When they start to feel more comfortable, they will start to test the boundaries you’ve established. Remember to give calm feedback when they misbehave and be sure to praise each success. This is the time when you can start to work on basic commands, and you might have begun to narrow down your dog’s behavior problems (if any). If you have uncovered some, then this is the time to consider training classes or seek help from a professional dog trainer. Keep in mind that your really can't expect your dog to be absolutely perfect right from the beginning, but any issues will become less frequent and less stressful with the help of a professional.
After 3 Months
When you get to 3 months with your rescue dog, most dogs know they are “home.” It may seem like a long process to get there, but with patience they will learn to trust you, understand their routine and build a bond. You can use affection as a resource for good behavior. It is very important not to ease up on training sessions, the more the better, and if any issues arise, it's best to seek out help sooner rather than later.
Must Haves for the New Kid on the Block!
Having encountered many difficult issues ourselves with our own rescue dogs, we highly recommend West Paw's Qwizl. This "indestructible" dog toy, used in conjunction with a Bully Stick, is, in our experience, the best choice when it comes to steering a dog away from your favorite shoes, coffee table legs, etc. Guaranteed to last, this toy is definitely worth a shot. Another product we love is the Duckies Design Enrichment Licking Mat with Suction Caps, which has proven to be a great way to distract any dog. Simply layer your pup's favorite food or treat on the mat for lots of fun! Like West Paw, SodaPup designs and manufactures all their products in the US. Finally, a quick reminder that if you're planning to take your new pet along on a water adventure, you should definitely keep him safe with a life jacket. When it comes to safety, there is no better option than BAYDOG's Monterey Bay Offshore Dog Life Jacket. Always a best-seller, Veteran-owned BAYDOG continually refines the jacket, keeping your dog just as safe as he can possibly be.
With Halloween right around the corner, don't forget that all-important costume for the big night! We particularly love the Pirate Dog Costume and the Chef Uniform Pet Costume!
We help new dog owners find solutions to those problems so often posed by new rescue pups, so be sure to check out our extensive product collections. We offer flat rate shipping of $5.95 for US orders, and also offer worldwide shipping at really competitive rates. We might not be the biggest pet retailer out there, but we do strive to be the best, and we'd love to help make your rescue experience a huge success!
I have a golden retriever pup that was returned to me at 7 months because they couldn’t get her potty trained and because she was being destructive in the house, eating the drywall, furniture, etc.
I have a littermate and her momma.
my plan is to keep her on leash inside the house to monitor her behavior and to establish our relationship and routine initially. I will have to re crate train her as they used the crate as punishment.
any other tips?
Kim on
Hi there Maureen- I adopted a corgi about 6 years ago, he was 5 at the time. He had a lot of anxiety even after a couple months and would do things like pee on everything when I stepped out of his eyesight (including going to the bathroom). I spoke to my vet and they put him on doggie Prozac, a low daily dose. He’s been much more chill since, it really helps. We just adopted an older dog (somewhere between 8/10 years) and his anxiety was so bad that he barely slept or ate the first week he was with us. He wanted to pace around the house for almost 20 hours a day. The vet gave us a short term anxiety pill, but it tends to make him a little woozy and when he doesn’t take it he wants to pace so the vet suggests something longer term, so we will have a second prozac pup this week! It’s pretty common, especially with rescue dogs, I have friends whose vets have put their dogs on the same. Can you give this a try before you rehome him? I don’t think rehoming will get to the root issue when it sounds like he has a lot of anxiety. Poor baby- good luck!
Emmy on
@Riya, regarding the bath/shower: We adopted a spanish galgo, female, 7yrs old recently. We asked ourselves the same question about the bath/shower assuming she never had one before. What we ended up doing was that we put some liquid snacks on the wall of the shower in order for her to connect the shower with something enjoyable. We lured her into the shower with a treat, she found the liquid snacks and started licking them. That’s when I started to put lukewarm water over my hand and rinsed her legs and back a little. After it didn’t seem to bother her I started covering her back with water. She seemed unfazed and so I continued. I didn’t wash her head but the rest was no problem. We finished the shower just when she finished the liquid snacks on the wall. She did really well and I gave her a kiss on the head for being so relaxed about it :)
Hope this helps
Frank on
@Maureen I worked in child welfare social work for 13 years. Some children had multiple placements in foster homes and for some of them, adoptive homes. It was not uncommon for their eating patterns to change with a change in residence. Sometimes it was a loss of appetite, other times an increase in appetite. Loss of appetite is often associated with depression. Anxious eating is often associated with, well, anxiety.
And when we work with children, we are able to explain to them what will happen to prepare them for it, support them as the change happens, and follow up with them as they adjust. Imagine how much more confusing it must be for a dog by the time they are on their third home. I hope your new family member adjusts and remains in his third home for the rest of his life.
Ernie on
Can I give my rescue dog a bath once we reach our new home?? Is it safe
Riya on
Hi
I bought a 17 month old male beagle
(Castrated) if that makes a difference
The owner I got him from only had him for 4 weeks of his 17 months. He was eating his canned food really well the first 2 days ( hero) as told by the previous owner
Now he has to be coaxed, or he doesn’t eat anything , I have to add cooked ham into it and it takes him all day to eat one tin.
I have tried dried food. And changing to per chum to no avail . He also whines and scratches the doors if visitors leave
Even the loo door when I go there
Did I make a wrong choice in buying him??
Maurern
Maureen on
im moving my 4 senior dogs, raised together, to my sons home. he has a dog as well. im going to follow your tips here, luckily, i won’t be working so i can be with them all day. i intend to keep thier routines and am sensitive to what they’ll be dealing with. any other tips would be appreciated. thank you.
shannon gay on
I’m interested
Sheila Eckenroth on