Tips for settling a new dog into their home - £200 voucher to be won

[LibbyMumsnet]

One of our Mumsnet families, with kids aged 6 and 10, is preparing to adopt a 2-year-old Labrador. They live in a house with a small garden and are looking for your top tips to make this transition as smooth as possible.

• How did you introduce your dog to your kids and home?
• What strategies helped your new dog feel safe and settled quickly?
• Any advice for balancing family life with the needs of an energetic dog?
• How can everyone, including the kids, help the dog adjust?
• How did you handle walking and socialising with other dogs?
• What was your experience leaving dogs at home alone? How did you reduce stress?

All advice is welcome - you don’t have to have had a rescue or a Labrador!
Share your best tips and you could win a £200 VEX voucher for a store of your choice!

Thanks for your help and good luck.

MNHQ

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We rehomed a 3 year old Lab, worked out really well in the school holidays, we met the dog, brought his old bed, toys and food, settled really well. When we went back to school, walked to dog in the morning, but he needed someone at home more - he chewed up so many things, body slammed into doors causing damage, howled and the neighbours complained (quite rightly) sadly we had to rehome again to a family who were at home all of the time - so please bear this in mind.

My tips would be to keep to their and the new dogs routine as much as possible, take your DC's to meet the dog - so all of the excitement is out of the way for when the new family member arrives.

My tips would be to give them a safe place to 'call their own' depending what they are used to - cage or bed. Explain to the children what the dog will be experiencing - and how confused and worried it would be, coming to a new home, and bear that in mind as your dog settles in to it's new routine, it will need to find it's favourite places to nap, where his feeding bowls are, and where it will go for a walk to a new area with new smells and a new terratory.

My tips to settle a new dog is to visit it at least once before you bring it home, and it yout DC's have not lived with a dog before, take them to a friends house who have a dog, so they can see how a dog greets, reacts, and can be noisy.

I think it would be entirely based on the age and history of the dog, my sister rehomed a street dog from Ukraine - and he is the best behaved dog, does not pinch food, and is really placid and well behaved - she also had a large pedigree doodle, who is ALWAYS at the vet for one ailment or another and is a monster for pinching food from work surfaces.
Learn about the behaviour of the dog, what it likes and does not like - is it a chewer or a scavenger, does it bark a lot, does it need lots of walks - or is a quick walk around the block enough - the more you find out about the dog, the better prepared you can be, and the easier it will be for you all to adapt together.

My tips are to give him time to settle - don't be tempted to rehome if you find him/her difficult with barking etc - they will settle and they can be trained to be a better version of themselves - being rehomed is very traumatic for a dog.
Let them sniff and bring their old bed or blanket.

Familiar scents, the same food, his own bed, no excessive cuddles and patting - let him settle in at his own pace.

My mum rehomed a lab, she was not prepared for the, shedding, how active the dog would be and the change in her routine for 3 walks a day, the amount of food they need and the vet bills.
So to settle in, make sure they are cleaned up after, have the same food initially, they swap if you need, take for a vet check up to ensure that there are no underlying health conditions, and enjoy your bundle of fur, fun and frolics.

We rescued a dog earlier this year. Lots of slowly slowly approaches to things and ensuring the children gave the dog space. Being prepared in advance is the key as oher posters have said. Also making sure you have the right food as swapping takes time if necessary.

I would need to know WHY they want to rehome a 2 year old lab. Does the dog have bad behaviour where retraining is needed, does it chew things up, how long are you going to leave the dog.
So leave him/her plenty of toys to play with, leave the television on for company to settle in.

My tips to help your new 2 year old settle is to emulate their routine - whay they like to do on walks - don't let them off the lead until they know you, and will come back to you once you let them off - if you are taking them to playing fields or woods to run around. Let them sniff around your home and the new territory they are living in. Be patient - a 2 year old lab is highly intelligent and needs a lot of interaction from you all - so learn commands, speak to the dog, and enjoy your new family member.

My tips are be calm and IF they mess (wee or poo) in the house - don't shout or frighten them - they are adjusting, take them our regularly, and offer treats when they wee and poo outdoors - to reinforce previous training.
Give them their previous bed (if they came from a good home) and a new bed if they came from a neglectful home.

My tips would be to get a diffuser - we always use the Adaptil Calm Home Diffuser - particularly this time of year with fireworks going off intermittently.

Help the dog adjust by meeting it first, and bringing familiar smells into your home so it settles - plus keep to his food, feeding times and walking times.

My tips would be find out as much as you can about the dog, why are they rehoming - is it a handful ? is the dog good around children ? If no they the will have to try to be as calm as they can for the first couple of days. Labradors are the best breed of dog for a family, and are so intelligent and empathetic to humans I don't see the settling in process being a long one.

6 and 10 is a great age for your first dog, my tips would be don't compete for his attention - let him settle in, get them to take turns with the feeding and grooming and these dogs are strong - so I would not advise letting them walk him alone.

Tips are bring their old toys bed, food bowls and food to your home- then gradually replace to their new bed, toys and food bowls.

My tips would be to give them lots of soft praising words, take them out to pee regularly - they'll be confused, again praise for peeing outside, tell your DC's not to be too loud and giddy - or play rough games around the dog - it will be scary for the dog for the first few days.

Thank you for sharing all your helpful tips.

The winner of the prize draw is @Maiyakat - congratulations!