picking up new dog tomorrow, any advice for settling her in?

[flanjabelle]

We are getting a five year old staffie girl tomorrow. She is absolutely adorable, fantastic with our little girl and is currently pals with a cat which is good news for our cat!

Has anyone got any advice for making the transition as calm and positive for our new dog? Is there anything I can do to make her feel at home?

Forgot to say, we are taking her for a good walk before we bring her home so that she is in a good frame of mind. Dh is going to sleep in the lounge with her for the first few nights so she isn't alone.

We have asked her current owner for her blanket and favourite toys so she has something familiar.

We weren't sure what else would help.

Having grown up with Staffies I imagine some nice treats for her and the cats would be good. Keep her on the lead meeting the cat, offer treats and praise any ignoring. Chuck Dreamies at the cat too to persuade it not to move out.....

Hoping to get a hound soon and have 2 rescue cats, will be stocking up on treats galore and might need to keep mine in with a stair gate to separate the felines and hound initially as they adjust to each other's presence.

My Staffies always loved food so easy way to motivate them and distract any unwanted interest.

We had one that loved to chase cats, and the other was scared of them as he got his nose bopped when he was too close to one trying to befriend it!

Thank you. Treats are on the list. I have put a stair gate on one of the rooms with the litter tray and cat food in so cat can always get away. She also has a ceiling high cat stand so can go up high if she wants to observe from a distance. New dog is not a chaser, so that's good.

I have asked her owner what her favourite toys are so we can get some in. Obviously she will stay on the same food etc to try and keep things as normal as possible.

I'm very excited, but a tad nervous too!

Sounds like you've thought it all through very well. I would just say keep it simple, make sure she's got a place to go where she won't be bothered, not too much excitement in the first few days but, if she's lived in a home before she'll probably settle in quite quickly. Good luck, lucky Staffie girl!

Thank you that's a good idea.

How soon is it ok to leave her for an hour or so? My dd has a blood test tomorrow morning. I can either leave her for an hour or dh can take her to work with him. Which do you think is the best idea?

I would second LadyTurmoil. Staffs can be very sensitive so I would resist the urge to take her here, there and everywhere and have her meet too many new people. Give her space, let her choose when to interact with you and keep her walks quite simple. Have lots of treats on hand for positive reinforcement of behaviour you want. Set up a little routine so she knows what to expect while she settles in. Don't panic if she goes off her food or is subdued after the initial couple of days.

Whether he takes her to work depends a bit on what he does. Is it a highly stimulating environment where she might be stressed, for example. I would choose whatever option keeps her stress levels down.

I think it would be best to take her with him then. His work is only him and two others, and she isn't very good at being left alone according to her current owner. I think that leaving her would probably be the most stressful situation for her. It will only be for a couple of hours max, then she can come home with us again. Thanks so much for the advice.

She's here and she's perfect. 100% perfect. It is all going so well so far. All is calm in the flan household!