Settling a rescue dog

[pighorse]

We are adopting a rescue dog, 2 years old, and he arrives in two weeks' time from Spain
Our last dog was a rescue but a 14 weeks old puppy so we haven't had an adult rescue before.
We know he will be very confused when he arrives with us - he's been with a foster family and he's been sleeping with their dog.
Apart from the obvious, like lots of affection and treats, how else can we make his first few days as stress-free as possible?
Thanks

[shockingsocks]

If he's nervous/not very affectionate I'd give him space..... and try not to keep looking at him!! Otherwise I think affection and treats would do very nicely.... and a safe-feeling bed area.
Good on you for rescuing!

[Bubble2bubble]

Act normal, don't make a fuss! He will be quite shell shocked and exhausted from travelling. He may well do a lot of sleeping for the first few days.

Let him watch you and follow you around to get used to you without too much attention. He may well follow you around to very room for a while. Get everyone to use his name and treat him when he responds.

Three weeks is quite often a turning point when you will find out that he has really started to settle, or if he has any issues which are not obvious at first.

Try not to shower him with attention at the start - probably the opposite of what you want to do - but it can cause problems. Likewise with visitors, let him suss them out from a distance if he wants to.

It's useful to have a stairgate you can use to separate the two dogs while they get used to each other, just in case you have any doubts about them getting on. Plenty of parallel walking on the lead as well can help them bond.

Very exciting!

[pighorse]

Thank you! We will try to hold off from excessive cuddles (we will read his signals). According to his foster family he is very affectionate and doesn't like to be alone.
Sorry, I wasn't clear in my op - our last dog sadly died a few months ago.
We are giving the new dog a new name so we'd already planned to give a treat when he responds to it.
Will post a photo when he's here

[StandardPoodle]

Sorry to hear of the loss of your last dog - it's awful isn't it.
We adopted Rescuegirl at 7 months, and changed her name. It took her about a week to learn housetraining and her new name. I do remember that on her first evening with us she would just walk to each of us (DH, me, and our 2 DS in their late teens) in turn and push her nose in our hands for a bit of fuss. We were watching television so she had reassurance but not too much direct attention. She did this for quite some time before she settled to sleep.
She's rising 11 now and we always say her adoption fee was the best £80 we ever spent.
Good luck with you new arrival!

[DownInFraggleRock]

I foster rescue dogs, and am a massive fan of crate training... stick a blanket over the top to make it a cave and ensure that if the dog goes in, they're left alone... it gives them a safe space and a place that is theirs.

Good luck!

[WheresMaHairyToe]

Our dog has been here 3 weeks. He's probably 3-5 years old and a sort of basic black dog, breed wise.
I just sort of started as I meant to go on. Treats for obeying commands etc. He's on a long lead as he's not yet neutered and was a stray, I don't think those two things are unconnected! But recall to new name is improving.
Our only issue is little piddles (marking?) when left alone, I have just spent 3 million quid on some sort of magic spray to stop that, but it's no big deal really as I have hard floors and a Designated Mop.
He's unbelievably good with the kids. He seems to feel pretty lucky. I do, too, he's a gem. 😍