The twelve days of Christmas-the rescue dog

These posts discuss important points that we need to address when a rescue dog comes into your home

The Twelve Days of Christmas-the rescue dog

Day 1

Safety ......

Has to be the most important component when thinking about the first phase of inviting a new dog into a home

It comes way before training and is an essential for any dog that arrives in a new home-whether the dog has come from a rescue centre a few miles down the road or has travelled many hundreds of miles from another country

Do remember that any dog that has arrived into a new home has no choice about where they find themselves and they may have had previous bad experiences in their lives

Often dogs come with no history of what kind of lives they have lived up to that point-even if you have rehomed an ex racing greyhound it is not possible to know everything about their previous lives

As a dog steps into a new home for the first time in their lives they may not have a feeling of huge relief-as so many people assume. In fact it is likely that this will not be the case

Our homes contain many different smells, strange people they may never have met, and often dogs they are not familiar with... or other pets.

They will not have knowledge of the layout of the house and instead of a place of safety houses can feel like cages.

Forget the myth that all dogs "need" to be in a house. For many dogs a kennel with familiar smells, a basic routine and being surrounded by constant noise and dogs barking can seem more reassuring than an unknown house.

Safety is not a given when a dog steps into a new home

This is why for however long it takes we need to provide calm and constant reassurance

• Forget the goals of leaving a dog alone

• Provide company - by just "being there"

• Don't invite neighbours and friends over to meet your new dog

• Do provide regular nice meals and some toys-I have always avoided squeaky toys for ex racing greyhounds as I have always found them to be unsettling.

• Don't assume any new dog will want to play with a toy, many dogs don't even know what a toy is. Let the dog choose

• Do provide resting areas where a dog can choose to be with you, or away from busy areas. I have known many truamatised dogs that spend months hiding under tables. So be it-if their lives have been that bad and this is where they feel safe just leave them be

The feeling of being safe is under rated. Just let a new dog be and quietly start to show them the ropes of how to live their new lives

Pennie Clayton 2025

#speakingdogs