Tips for A Successful Adoption
Welcoming a new dog into your family is an exciting adventure that brings joy, companionship, and a few challenges along the way. Here, we have compiled essential tips and recommendations to help you successfully integrate your new dog into your home, ensuring a smooth transition for both you and your new pet.
Meeting Your New Dog
Try to have the entire family meet the new dog together. I have often seen a spouse treated as a stranger once the dog meets that spouse for the first in the new home, late at night or after work, instead of having met everyone while in foster care and then all going home together. The stranger in this instance will not belong in the dog’s new home yet and will sometimes have to work harder to earn the dog’s respect.
Make it a point to not stare at your new dog. Little eye contact in the beginning of your relationship is advisable. As the dog learns to trust you, then begin working on the “watch me” eye contact command. Dogs can find prolonged eye contact very challenging or threatening.
Try not to let the family members hug the dog or put their faces close to the dog’s face. Remember that this dog doesn’t know who you are yet. To the dog, you are someone who is being kind and friendly, but the dog also feels stressed and needy. To overstep the bound- aries, even accidentally, can be setting the dog up for failure in the new home. So give the dog some space and they will bond in due time. Hugs and kisses should truly be down the road.
Bringing Your New Dog Home
Keep your dog on leash for the first few hours. Introduce them to the yard and the house, on leash. Then allow the dog to explore on their own, with leash dragging (making it easier to get ahold of the dog if need be). Let the dog look around and get their bearings, all with leash affixed. Let the dog off leash in the house and yard only after they have explored it thoroughly.
When you get home, take the dog directly to where you want elimination to take place. The dog will usually urinate on arrival to mark, and will return to the scent. Do not leave the dog unattended in your house for a while, particularly if you have another dog, or you may have dueling bladders, or worse! Females as well as males engage in this behavior.
Once you have the dog at home, leave them alone. Do not pat the dog often; do not overwhelm the dog thinking you are reassuring them. Try to not let the dog be overwhelmed by visitors who have all come to see the new addition. Give the new dog some space and some time to adjust. After all, he or she will be with you for many years.
Let the dog come to you once they have checked out the house and yard. I often suggest people sit and watch television for a while and leave the dog to explore, ALWAYS keeping your eye on where the dog is, of course. Let the dog be the one to look for companionship, affection, or comfort from you, rather than the other way around.
From the start, show the dog what the boundaries are. If you do not want the dog to get on the couch, do not allow them there – you can tell the dog “off,” “leave it” or “no,” firmly but calmly. Do not use force with the dog!
Try to be with the dog for the first few days, if possible. Even house-trained dogs sometimes have lapses in a new environment, especially when stressed. They may also exhibit some negative behaviors for the first week or two, e.g., barking, chewing, whining, restlessness, or the occasional growl if the dog feels its personal space is being invaded.
Keeping Your New Dog Safe
Your dog has been microchipped. Please keep this number in a safe place. The chip number will be dually registered to our rescue and to you. When you license your dog, make sure the city and/or county authorities record the chip number.
Your dog has a martingale collar with an ID tag attached. The rescue’s name and telephone numbers are on that tag. For safety reasons, please leave the tag affixed to the collar until you have purchased a tag with your own contact information on it.
BE EXTRA VIGILANT! KEEP YOUR DOORS AND OUTSIDE GATES CLOSED, AND BE AWARE OF WHERE YOUR DOG IS AT ALL TIMES.
Check your fence for loose boards or openings that would allow your pet to escape. Also check that there are not any benches, tables, etc., positioned near a fence or wall that might be climbed on for an escape. If you have a dog run, use it for those times you are not at home. Cover the top of the run with a tarpaulin if it does not have a cover. Ridgebacks can, and will, jump more than six feet if they are determined to get out.
Food & Other Necessities
Find out what food the dog has been eating, or get some from the rescue if possible. Switch over gradually to the food you plan to feed the dog. Finicky eaters can be tempted with some cottage cheese or yogurt on top of a small spoon of canned dog food over kibble. Some older dogs with missing teeth or a dog with kennel cough will do better if the food is moistened with water or broth. I tend to wet the food with water no matter the age or condition of the dog at all times, as I believe it helps reduce their stress levels.
It is recommended to always feed dogs twice daily. After all, we would not like to eat only once per day. If your Ridgeback STOPS eating for more than a day, please consult with your veterinarian!
Show the dog the location of the water bowl. Keep it full. I use raised food and water dishes for Ridgebacks, as the breed can have a tendency to bloat and raised dishes have been suggested to reduce the bloat factor in the dogs. This is, however, a controversial subject.
All dogs are denning creatures as well as pack animals. Give the dog a den such as a crate, or a safe corner to retire to, out of the general traffic flow, and to feel safe. The den may be under a large table or in a corner. Allow the dog to know he or she is now a member of your pack.
Have some available chew toys: raw knuckle bones, tug toys, heavy-duty rubber toys and stuffable/freezable toys are good selections. Rawhide bones or cow hooves that can be swallowed may result in impactions or lacerated intestines.
Introductions & Socializing
Dog parks are a no-no. At least until you know your dog very well. It is stressful for many dogs to go into those little fenced-in city dog parks. They have nowhere to run or hide. As they are in a new home, their stress should be minimized before going to places like dog parks.
If you have other dogs, please introduce them to each other on neutral territory, and remember that the driveway is not neutral enough. Take them away from the home, to a park or a school playground, for their first meeting.
Do not feed the dogs close to each other. Don’t give them bones or other high-value treats or chew toys together. Use separate rooms, so they do not quarrel. Some dogs do not like a newcomer taking their toys and possessions. Be aware that with more than one dog, a pecking order will need to be established sooner or later.
Bonding With Your New Dog
Don’t take your dog anywhere away from home for one to two weeks! Keep them at home with you on your property for heavy bonding, so they learn where their home is and who their new family is. The only exception to this is when going to training classes, which is a structured outing and will provide for more bonding experience.
Some dogs may seem depressed for a few days after being separated from their long-time owners. Give them time to mourn, and to adjust. They have to learn a whole new set of rules with you. They may feel more secure if you are around to speak quietly to them. They may bond more quickly if you give them a piece of your clothing to sleep with - like an old T-shirt that has your scent. A relaxed dog will lie, stretched out, on its side. A dog still on guard, or apprehensive, is more apt to stay on its belly, head on paws. Spend time learning your dog’s body language; it is doing the same with you!
Completing a training class can help with bonding. I recommend starting obedience training within the first three weeks of bringing your dog home. Give the dog those three weeks to bond with you, settle in to its new home and establish a feeling of belonging. Then take the dog to group classes. Private, in-home classes are not recommended unless there is a specific issue that needs to be worked on without other dogs present.
Watch for Health Issues
Ridgebacks may have ear problems. Check the ears for redness, or other signs of irritation. Be alert for head-shaking, ear-scratching, or a foul odor. Be aware that diet is indeed an issue with allergies in dogs. You will want to feed your dog a corn- and wheat-free diet from the start.
Gastric Dilation - Volvulus (commonly called “bloat”) is seen in many deep chested dogs, but can be seen in any dog really. It occurs when the dog’s stomach fills with gas, and starts to expand like a balloon. In an attempt to relieve the discomfort, the dog will walk around or roll on the ground. This may cause the stomach to flip over (torsion), thereby closing off the entrance and exit of the stomach. With that closure, the dog cannot vomit or have a bowel movement and the gas in the gut gets worse as does the pain.
The dog will circle, roll, whine, try to vomit but cannot. This is an EMERGENCY. At this stage your dog is in danger of dying without immediate treatment. If treated quickly, surgery is possible and the stomach can often be flipped back and tacked to the abdominal wall (Gastropexy). The dog can still bloat in the future, but the stomach cannot flip.
Bloat is often caused by exercise too close before or after feeding time. It is a good idea to keep your dog quiet for at least 15 minutes prior to a meal and at least 45 minutes after they eat. Stress could also be a factor in bloat as can drinking a lot of water.
These tips have been compiled by Elizabeth Akers c 1990-2024