As people across the country are finding new ways to adapt to the pandemic we find ourselves in, many have turned to bringing a new four-legged family member into the house. Dog adoptions and fosters are on the rise, so our team at your local pet supplies store Wiscoy For Animals in State College, Pennsylvania are providing some tips on how to help your dog feel comfortable in their new home. 

When people adopt a dog, we know you and your dog both have the best intentions. You want to provide a safe home, love, food, and all of their other needs. Your new dog wants to be a great dog – they want the love, connection, and happiness that comes with a new owner and a new home. Sometimes it takes some dogs longer to adapt than others – a new home can be extraordinarily overwhelming with all of the new sights, new sounds, new smells, new people, and new rules. It’s understandable that they can have some issues coping with these changes, in the form of anxiety, confusion, timidity, or otherwise. We hope you can call on these tips to help your dog feel comfortable in your home the next time you bring a furry friend home.

TIPS TO MAKE YOUR NEW DOG FEEL WELCOME IN YOUR HOME

BE PATIENT

Your dog may have acted exceedingly happy, energetic, and outgoing when you first met them. They were in a setting they were used to and comfortable in. Regardless of background, it’s common for thme  to feel and act anxious, shy, or quiet when you are bringing your new dog home. This is a normal reaction and generally should not cause you a lot of concern. If these behaviors persist for a lengthy period of time (beyond 3 months) or if they escalate (extreme avoidance, aggressiveness, loss of appetite, inability or adapt), then we recommend that you reach out to an expert for help. Our experts at Wiscoy for Animals would be happy to provide assistance from our decades of knowledge working with dogs. A professional dog trainer, a dog behavioralist or specialist, or a veterinarian may be able to provide some further assistance if necessary.

When you’re helping your new dog adapt to your home, it’s best to give them some time to get comfortable and settle in. Try not to force the issue – there’s no rush, as they will be staying with you forever! It can take dogs anywhere from a few days to a few months to truly feel comfortable in their new surroundings.

Start slowly with some of these tips to help your new dog adapt to your home:

• Give them their own area within our home. They need a quiet, privacy place for themselves to get away if they want to. Just like you probably have your own bedroom, it makes sense you’re your dog to have something similar. In this area you can include their crate, some blankets or pillows, food and water, and a handful of dog toys from your local pet supplies store. We also recommend restricting young children from being in this area with them – this is their space, and some dogs can become territorial when they get acquainted with a new space. If you’re looking for dog toys, dog food, bedding, or dog crates, your local pet supplies store at Wiscoy For Aniamls in State College, Pennsylvania has hundreds of options to choose from. Our helpful staff will be available to you to assist you with any of your questions or needs
• It can be a good idea to open up more areas of the house for your pet to explore over time rather than all at once. 1-2 new spaces or rooms every few days is a reasonable timeframe for this. When your dog feels more comfortable with their immediate surroundings it becomes safer for them to explore new spaces. In addition to this gradual opening up, you can help your new dog explore rooms or floors in your home with the comfort of their collar, leash, and your presence. These two strategies combined will reduce the possibility of accidents in new spaces and strengthen the growing trust between you and your new dog.
• If you can see that your new dog is anxious or uncomfortable in your new home, then we recommend that you continue to introduce new things at a slow pace, especially guests and other people! New people and new experiences should be added to the mix with a dose of caution, and this includes dog parks, doggie daycares, groomers, and training or veterinary visits. Too many new experiences in too short of a time span can be overwhelming when you are trying to help your new dog adapt to their new home.

START A WINNING ROUTINE RIGHT AWAY

Routines are the backbone of success for many people and dogs and they can be one of the best ways to ensure that your new dog is adapting to your home. Your new dog needs to be fed, walked, trained, and played with on a regular basis. If you don’t have anybody to help share those duties, then it’s all on you! Luckily this will only strengthen the unbreakable between between you and your dog.

Our dog behavior experts at Wiscoy For Animals recommend that you set up a schedule that includes consistent times for eating, short bathroom walks, longer exercise walks or playtime, and so on. Over time, you can begin to add further activities like the dog park and doggie daycare into this routine as your new dog adapts to your home. The routine provides your dog with a sense of security and safety, a crucial part of them feeling comfortable when everything they’ve known prior to coming to your home has been upheaved.  

If your entire family is involved with helping to welcome the new dog to your home, dividing and conquering these tasks can be a good idea. We still do not recommend that young children take on too much responsibility, especially with bigger dogs. If they do, constant supervision is a good idea to ensure that both dog and child remain safe and that you have ample opportunity to prevent a mishap or provide a learning moment. Short bathroom walks are extremely important, especially in those first few weeks! Even if your new dog is already potty-trained, the stress and excitement from going to a new home can cause them to temporarily forget these skills. These short, frequent walks can be more prevalent in the beginning and slowly toned back over time as your new dog adapts to your home.

Last but not least, providing the positivity in the form of praise and treats is incredibly important! Don’t skimp on the little victories. You can find dogs treats of all sizes, purposes, flavors, and styles at your local pet supplies store in State College, Pennsylvania: Wiscoy for Animals! You can contact us by phone or email if you want to chat with one of our experts.

SPEND TIME BONDING - BUT DON’T OVERDO IT

The love between a dog and a human is unlike any other, and we understand that completely. In those first few weeks of your new dog adapting to your home, it’s important that you spend quality (and a large quantity of) time with your new dog, but clinging to them and being overbearing can have lasting negative consequences. Some of these consequences include your dog expecting you to be home all of the time, resulting in separation anxiety when you’re not. It can lead to a lack of independence, which can be detrimental to their mental and emotional health.

If you’re in quarantine due to COVID-19 at the moment, it’s still important to spend a few hours each day away from your dog and away from home. Your dog needs some alone time in order to adapt to your home, and they need to understand that everything will be okay even if you aren’t there.

You can also set the stage for this even when you are home. Give your dog some alone time in the form of napping, a sturdy bone to chew on, or engagement or enrichment exercises that they’ll love and can keep them occupied for hours. For canine enrichment activities and toys, speak with a team member at Wiscoy for Animals, your local pet supplies store in State College, PA.

Giving your new dog the space to feel comfortable and safe will help them open up to you and you will begin to see the true personality of your dog beneath all of their emotional layers.

TIPS TO MAKE YOUR NEW DOG FEEL WELCOME IN YOUR HOME CONCLUSION

Our staff at Wiscoy for Animals are here to help you. Anything you need that we have, whether it’s dog food, dog treats, a dog crate or dog bedding, dog toys, and dog supplements can help your new dog feel welcome in your home. We hope that these tips can help your new dog adapt to your home as quickly and safely as possible. We look forward to meeting them and welcoming them into our Wiscoy family!