Adopted dog arriving next mth, help me prepare pls!

[mintyfreshh]

Our adopted dog is coming to us from foster care (he's been thoroughly vetted with children and other animals) and we are trying to prepare as much as possible for his arrival.

I plan to get him a crate and bed/blankets. Bowls, food. Harness and lead. I'll go to Halfords and get a car boot protector and mesh dog guard.

But there must be more stuff I'm missing. What sorts of toys would you choose? And should I be getting any healthcare stuff in? (He will be taken to vet in first week of arrival for chipping and flea/worm treatments, he has been neutered and tested for disease already.)

I'm going around the back garden plugging any possible holes he might try to squeeze through.

We know he will take time to settle so we want to try and get as much right for him as we can, he is a MUCH wanted pet.

Would appreciate and tips or advice, or even warning, I am here to listen and learn.

Might be nice to send a blanket ahead to the foster home so he arrives with a familiar smelling blanket?

And try to mirror what they are feeding him until he's settled?

Yes, I am in daily touch with the foster carer so he will come with his blanket and she and I have already discussed his diet. We are trying to be very responsible owners before he's even here to set the bar nice and high. (He's my first dog, my husband had them growing up)

He's not chipped already?

We have two crates both the same, on in the kitchen for her bed and the other in the boot for transport, then if she is wet and muddy the rest of the stuff in the boot wont get damaged.
Toys
Ours loves Frisbees but easily snaps them
B&M Bargains do a very nice squeaky snake.
Kong type toys are great for stuffing treats in to keep them occupied
Set some ground commands and rules with the family.
Be extremely careful with children lots of socialising etc so the dog and children are happy together
Ours loves Pigs ears as a treat.

Don't be surprised if your dog takes no notice of the toys and prefers to sleep on the floor. Rescue dogs often take a time to decompress and even if they have been fostered, may find change hard and regress somewhat. The joy of having a rescue dog is watching them achieve their potential and change a little bit every day. Keep a diary so you can see how far your dog has come and let him go at his pace. My ex breeder foster was not house trained couldn't walk on a lead and was terrified. Now she is everyone's friend on the park walks miles and is constantly smiling. ( she's also not my foster dog anymore, she's MY dog!)

Your dog will probably be on 'best behaviour' for a week or two while they get the measure of you.
Depending on their temperament, be careful not to give them the opportunity to bolt until they've had time to settle.
You might find it a bit unnerving at first, but it's a great thing to bring a dog into your family. I hope you have a great time.

In addition to your list, you need a collar with ID tag with your details (legal requirement), and poo bags.

Lots and lots of poo bags.

I would hold fire on lots of toys at the moment til you see what sort of thing he likes. I have one who's face lights up when she's given a ball, and another who is meh about balls but adores dismembering a stuffed toy.

What sorts of toys would you choose?

Different dogs have different preferences, though these do tend to be influenced by breed. If I was starting out with a DDog and covering lots of different bases, I'd start with

• a rope toy that DDog can both chew to destruction, and that you can play tug of war with
• a ball (preferably ChuckIt! brand as they're really durable) to see if the dog likes fetch type games
• something squeaky (be prepared for DDog to kill the squeak - it's all part of the fun)
• a simple food puzzle toy - probably a classic Kong, and you could make / buy a snuffle mat. Nothing too complex at this stage - you want the dog to have lots of success!

In terms of healthcare stuff the two things I've found useful are self adhesive bandages and leucillin spray but our dog is prone to cutting his stopper pads.
Shampoo is always handy too if Ddog has rolled in smelly things.
If your planning on letting Ddog up on the sofa a selection of cheap throws come in handy.
Micro fleece towels are good too as they are small and lightweight to take out with you so you can give Ddog a dry before they get back in the car.

What kind of dog is he? Different breeds play in different ways.

Kongs and lickimats are good for freezing/smearing stuff into/onto

What breed is he?

Do you have any photos?

Will you be keeping hus fister name or giving him a new one?

So exciting!!! 🐶

I'm still bothered at how he's getting into the country without a microchip.

@fivedogstofeed Exactly.
He can't, legally, without quarantine.
Something odd about this...

Also 'tested for disease' but no mention of vaccination?

He's fully vaccinated, and chipped already, I just need to transfer it in my name when he gets here.

Taking note of all the advice and recommendations on here, we are fully prepared for a long settling period.

He's a mutt, terrier mix I think. Very shy, very sweet natured.

[quote Shambolical1]@fivedogstofeed Exactly.
He can't, legally, without quarantine.
Something odd about this...[/quote]
It's not odd, I just failed to explain properly that I need to change the owner on his chip. We are going through a very reputable charity and the whole process has been completely above board and official from day 1. My ID has all been emailed over and the only payment we are making is for his transportation.

He is in foster care now for a month and we speak every day about him.

Can I follow op as we also have a rescue joining our family next month though we don’t know when in November

He’s 2, a Romanian street dog and our first family dog though we’ve had other pets with the children.

He’s also neutered, chipped, vaccinated.

Aww @Figgygal this is fab, we can compare notes!

Do you have a date for getting him?
Ours is still in the shelter but been told November.

A friend of mine had a dog from same rescue in lockdown he was literally handed over the same day he arrived from the shelter. There are so many positive testimonials about this rescue and my friends experience has been amazing but I am surprised they don’t foster in the U.K. before rehoming and I can’t say the application process was particularly rigorous. Surprised there’s such a spectrum of processes that each rescue follows.

This one is a street dog who was picked up by the shelter rather than the kill shelter, he’s very used to people as was living in a shopping precinct so hoping there will be less trauma to deal with but we ready for anything

Don’t overwhelm her with too many new experiences. We bought a big floor dog cushion which she loved. We have beds in various rooms but she does like the floor. A chew toy and a comforter should be enough to begin with. Buy the best quality, KOng, for example. Our dog chewed through the most robust toys. Also, when walking her in the first few weeks stick to a simple route until she is familiar with it.

I would recommend a PERFECT FIT harness. Wait till you get her and then measure her. It has a double D ring, one on her back and one on the chest. It is very comfortable for dog to wear and prevents lunging.

Dog proof the house like you would for a toddler. Ensure she can’t get into cupboards where detergents or food is kept. Emphasise again and again to family to shut the doors and drawers after them. My DH thought I was over the top with this until he paid the price and only narrowly escaped a Huge vet bill.

Don’t leave any food unattended. It is amazing how high a dog can jump when a bit of cheese is calling.

Also look very carefully before you buy dog treats. So many are overpriced crap.

I love my rescue to bits and am really sorry that I waited so long to get a dog.

@mintyfreshh
That's good to hear. Your first post just looked a little worrying.

Lots of good suggestions here; enjoy your dog!

Aww he looks adorable minty. It's lovely that you are rescuing him, I would have him in a heartbeat. Good luck.

Avoid any unknown makes of dog treats and toys from B and M, lots of stories about peoples dogs dying as a result of things bought from there and definitely nothing made out of rawhide

I bought loads of toys for ours but honestly they're favourite thing to play with is old tea towels 😂
Please read up on behaviour training first. This is a huge part of preparing for a dog. There are so so so many ways to train dogs and you need to find a technique and stick with it (e.g. Some owners never leave toys out - only play with them with a human so the dog learns that humans = fun times and bonding, whereas some owners leave all toys out for dogs to choose. I do a bit of both.)
Also instead of buying new toys, just put half away for a few days/weeks then swap them over to keep it interesting.
I would highly recommend Zak George on YouTube and his book is fantastic. Best thing I could have read before we brought our rescues home (and I've had dogs before). Also helped my DH understand their behaviour (he hadn't had dogs).

Don't go crazy buying a ton of of new things at once, you'll only overwhelm him and will probably end up wasting a ton of money on things you don't use. Once you get to know him for a few weeks you'll know exactly what he likes and what he needs. Just 1-2 toys and the essentials will be enough for now.