~~~ Bringing Your Rescue Dog Home ~~~

Congratulations!! You've gone through the adoption process and are finally bringing your newly adopted rescue dog home. It is very important to "ease your new family member into the household". Remember, in the shelter, and also in the foster home, your new dog was on a very regimented schedule which included being kept in a crate a good part of the day. Your new dog is very accustomed to this regimented routine and will need time to transition to your routine.

CRATING and CONFINEMENT

For the first few days, allow the dog only limited access to the various areas of the house the dog will have access to in the future. Crate or confine to a small room whenever you are not actively supervising the dog, such as when you are sleeping, when you are taking a shower, and especially when your are leaving the house. Crating or confining to a small room is extremely important if there are existing pets in the home.

KEEP YOUR NEW DOG ON A SHORT LEASH!

Please keep your new dog on a short leash at all times for at least the first 5 days. You may need to do this for a couple of weeks depending on the dog.

Keeping the dog on a short leash is very helpful for many reasons. If the dog bolts, you can easily catch them when there is a leash attached to the dog. If there is an altercation with another household pet, you can quickly grab the leash to gain control of the situation without putting yourself at risk of being bitten by either pet. Taking the leash quickly puts you in the alpha role and establishes you as the pack leader in your household.

FEEDING

The best practice is to feed the newly adopted dog in an isolated area, such as a crate or smaller room AWAY from existing pets, until the "everyone" is accepting of the new dog. Your new dog is scared, so do not be concerned if he does not eat for a day or two. He will be fine. He will finally eat when he gets really hungry. Please resist the temptation to shower the new dog with all types of treats & toys.

If you are changing brands of dog food, be sure to slowly transition to the new food. If the new dog is having loose stools, add a spoonful of plain PUMPKIN (not pumpkin pie filling) or PLAIN YOGURT to his dinner. Rice and chicken will also help to calm the digestive system and ease intestinal trauma.

HOLD OFF ON THOSE OUTINGS

For the first week or two, please refrain from taking your new dog out to places like PetSmart, Petco, or dog parks. I know you are excited about your new pet, but your new dog is already scared. Hence, he will be overwhelmed by these situations and the result could be disastrous not only for the dog, but for you as well!!

ESTABLISHING THE PACK ORDER

Please remember that your new companion will try to determine the new pack order in the home. It will be up to you to establish your alpha role by defining what is and what is NOT acceptable behavior. Your new dog does want to learn the new house rules.

As the new dog adjusts to the new lifestyle and exhibits acceptable behavior, you can then allow them a bit more access to your home. They can now spend the night in a dog bed in your bedroom, or even on your bed as opposed to being crated. I do caution you about allowing a newly adopted dog free reign of the household immediately after adoption. Trust me ... you will regret doing so and will have to go back to square one in the process.

WELLNESS VISIT TO YOUR ANIMAL HOSPITAL

Within a fews days of the adoption, take your new pet to your animal hospital for a wellness visit. Be sure to have your dog's vaccination records and information added into their system. This is extremely important in the event that there is a medical emergency, you need to unexpectedly board your dog, you want to get your dog groomed, or if your dog becomes lost or stolen.

TAGS and MICROCHIPPING

Your new dog should have a Rabies tag, and possibly a microchip. If your dog has NOT been microchipped, please plan to have this done ASAP. Someone could easily remove a collar with tags, but someone cannot easily remove a microchip.

I also highly recommend the TOGETHER TAG which can be ordered at www.togethertag.com You can order one in a matter of minutes!

Please consider adding your new companion to www.DOGSTER.com. You can link the Together Tag to the Dogster account!

Keep a collar with the tags on your dog at all times. Tags on a dog are like insurance!

VACCINATIONS

At the time of adoption, your dog is up to date on all vaccinations and will be due for boosters according to the records you have received. When having annuals done, HAVE THE RABIES VACCINE GIVEN SEPARATELY. This particular vaccine is very hard on animals and should be given ALONE, with approximately a two week interval before having additional vaccines administered. For further information, please read the VACCINATION GUIDE on the FluffyWhitePaws website!

HEARTWORM PREVENTION

Standard heartworm prevention should be given on a monthly basis. Should the 6 month injection -- PROHEART6 -- come back on the market, DO NOT CHOOSE THIS OPTION!. PROHEART6 was derived from an equine dewormer and some dogs have died from its use. If a dog suffers a reaction, there is a very high probability that death with occur.

GROOMING YOUR POMERANIAN or AMERICAN ESKIMO DOG

Please read the GROOMING GUIDE that was included in your adoption packet. This same guide is also available on the FluffyWhitePaws website. Nordic breed dogs require a weekly brushing, however, they only require bathing a few times a year as they do not have "doggie odor". Under no circumstances should these dogs be shaved down as this compromises the health and well-being of the dog. Their double coat provides insulation from both heat and cold!