Oh my giddy god......

[HangingOver]

I can't actually believe I'm finally typing this... I think I'm getting a dog!

I've wanted one of my own my entire life. I had one growing up and look after friends and neighbours at every available opportunity as I adore dogs so much. A rescue came up locally and I thought he looked lovely, he was snapped up immediately, but came up again yesterday! Me and DP are meeting him this afternoon.

Any tips for meeting a rescue for the first time? Other than being gentle and calm? He's 8 months so a bouncy chap.

ARGGGH! So excited. 😁

He’s gorgeous, particularly now he’s asleep!!🤣 don’t panic @HangingOver the early days are incredibly overwhelming one of ours is an ‘enthusiastic’ chewer, & at 18months she still loves to chew on her toys & few are completely intact!!🤣 but she does leave our soft furnishings alone🤗 it does help to ha sacrificial ropes/furry strips etc for her. As others have said the toilet training will come back once he settles particularly once you can get a routine going.

What breed is he?

He hit the doggy jackpot. What a lovely thing to do.

Huge congratulations! Our dogs bring so much love, fresh air and humour to our family, we adore them. One a rescue one we had from a puppy… recs would be get insurance, ours have been in some scrapes and it’s saved me a fortune and follow Louise Glazebrook on instagram/read her books about dog ownership and enjoy!!! So happy for you and your new puppy! X

He's gorgeous! One of the best bits of advice I got was that dogs have a need to chew, and if you don't direct that chewing, they will.

We always make sure our boy has something to chew on for a couple of hours a day and he's thankfully never gone for anything else, it's like he's 'all chewed out'.

Just an example of the first week fostering a rescue pup. I'd been upstairs for about 30 minutes 🤣Couldn't crate him at this point as he was too scared. My fault for leaving things on counters- but in my defence he was a Houdini which I'd not encounters before, and he could reach anything and everything. Could also easily scale a 6ft fence at 5 months old. Now living his best life on a farm.

This thread has cheered me up no end after a shitty day. OP, wishing you all the joy and happiness, I love the infectious optimism of your posts, and the loveliness of all the other posters.
I used to think I was a cat person, but then we got our dogs and never looked back. They bring me joy every day. OP, there will be bumps aplenty ahead - our rescue dog tested us at times - but I love him to bits and he has given us far more than we have given him. Enjoy the journey together xx

We have an olde tyme bully too. Crazy dog!

If you can, tomorrow take pup out to the park for exercise and to have a run around with other dogs. I did that daily for a couple hours with my dog when she was a pup, so she would get tired out and sleep nicely when home. So one hour in the morning, one our in the afternoon and 30 minutes in the evening....and quick outing here and there when I went out so she can do another pee if needed. Also got her chew toys etc. We had a crate for house training. But we had her from 8 weeks, so it was easier to make the rules and find a routine fast. But def, puppies who have played and are satisfied so they sleep def make it easier for you. Good luck!

Is he a Kelpie?

Sounds like he had the 'I've just got out of the car zoomies!'

I suspect he's going to be a very spoilt pooch - and why not?

Enjoy it. Remember it's normal to have 'What the hell have I done' feelings - they should pass in a few years.....

I remember that anxiety. I genuinely thought I was out of my depth and was thinking of people who my rescue could be rehomed with on the third day😢 . But after a couple of tough months (I lost weight from stress) things changed drastically - literally felt like one day he just woke up perfect.

Looking back I wish I had just created an area in my kitchen which had nothing chewable and where accidents could be easily cleaned up (only hard floor at the time). The constant vigilance was exhausting. If I could go back I would have just played/walked my dog to tire him out. And then sit with him on a comfy bean bag in the “safe zone” whilst he slept. My dog had trauma with crates. And let him explore the house after he had popped/wee. Seems so bloody obvious looking back.

If we are talking about adopted things and wanting to send them back ....

We adopted our two girls (two legged people not four legged doggies). They came together (or as a brace, like pheasants according to my husband) and were at the time 18 months and 8 months. Had it been legal to put a child in a box and send it through Royal Mail I would have quite happily done that every night for the first six months with the youngest one.

But she is currently sat in the front room, hugging the oversized rescue dog (that is nowhere near 3 years old as we were told - more like 18 months to two years) so it just proves that dog or human - its worth persevering. LOL.

How old is he?
Be careful not to over-exercise. People like to take pups out to wear them out, but you have to be careful while their joints are still growing. Look up breed specific advice.

Oh - and she is now 22!!!!

You must be a very special and kind woman. x

As an experienced dog owner (30 years, 5 dogs, range from small to giant breeds), one thing I would recommend any new dog owner do is to find a good local dog trainer and do a few private puppy sessions with him / her. A good dog trainer doesn't just train dogs but also the owners. Every dog is different and with every puppy training we didn't just learn about teaching manner and good behaviour but also about different behavioural ticks and triggers and how to minimise them. It is expensive but you won't regret it. Good luck with your new little one!

Re insurance, get him covered first thing tomorrow BEFORE you take him for his first vet visit. Otherwise you risk not being covered for pre existing conditions.

He's beautiful but the first few weeks are tough! With my boy we sometimes had to put him on a lead inside (metal or else he'd chew it) and lead him to his bed and hold him gently via his lead on a harness (he could move around but just to the end of the lead) and give him lots of reassurance then reward him when he showed signs of settling. He was so overtired he seemed to need to be forced to relax and it really helped him learn how to chill. Now he never stops sleeping!

I am so glad he got a home with you, you sound like just the sort of person he needed. I think he is the dog someone I know on SM linked to, was he in Cornwall ?
I know of the 3-3-3 rule, but I would add a 6, it could well be that it takes 6 months for you to completely get each other and totally bond, so I would set that as your future goal. If I had gone by the the 3 month thingy , I would have given up on old DDog who was challenging in a variety of ways, but also the best rescue dog in the whole world, and who we had the complete joy of living with for many, many wonderful years.

I would think that this is him showing stress at being in yet another new place. Hopefully he will calm down. It’s always been a bit stressful/hectic when we’ve first got new rescue dogs. But they’ve all turned into wonderful dogs. Without fail.

I'm absolutely exhausted and very anxious but we'll persevere!

Please try not to be anxious around him. He will pick up on it and he's quite anxious enough already. YOU know he's home and he's loved but he doesn't - yet. Hes never seen anything in your house before, he's never smelled anything in your house before, and he's only briefly met you once before.

You've wanted this forever and you know you've done the right thing. Calm and gentle. It'll be OK.

If its a Lab pup make sure your bin is dog proof. Labs will eat any thing and every thing. And thank you for choosing a rescue not buying off facebook or some thing similar.

Aww, they always forget about housetraining on the first night.

My rescue dog started off slightly scared of women and used to sit with his head turned away from me. Loved DH, though. He calmed down, sized me up and became the most cuddly dog I’ve ever had. It will take a few weeks, OP - you’ll get there!

This is not safe advice... the OP has owned this lovely lad for a matter of hours, she can't let him off lead in a park tomorrow! Whilst I believe (I have seen his rehoming posts) he is good with other dogs in general, taking him to where off lead dogs will be running around, when he can't yet go off lead is a recipe for frustration and stress, and letting him off lead when he barely knows her is a recipe for disaster!

Better to do several short trips outside somewhere quiet, just for ten minutes or so each time, loads of treats and praise for just seeing things move, hearing noises and back inside before anything scary or overwhelming can happen and then gradually build up some of those trips into longer 'walks' and keep some as short easy sessions where they can maintain that classical conditioning 'all the things = good stuff'.

Keep the updates coming OP. He's lovely.

Hi OP, massive congrats on your gorgeous new dog!

My first own dog, as in not a family dog but mine, I got 10 years ago and was my best friend of all time. He chewed my skirting boards, a door frame, my back car seats and door, ate an entire remote control, ate my dad's 70th birthday cake, ate a Portuguese man o war (and survived), EVERYTHING. He sadly died, from a non chewing/eating related illness, 2 years ago 😞

we have a lovely greyhound now who only occasionally chews one of the kids toys 😅 But he does eat the teabags out of the food waste bin... gross

Best of luck with your guy and just keep him away from anything of value until he settles down. The crate is a saviour x