Rescue pup arriving in 10 days!

[stillchasingdereksheppard]

Hi everyone!

I know foreign rescues are controversial but hopefully you can all still give me your insight and advice.

We have a rescue puppy (mixed small breed) arriving mid-may.

He is flying in from gran canaria. He was abandoned along with his brother at approx 6 weeks old so he's never been abused or living on streets but has only ever known kennel life. He has been living with his brother though and socalised daily with other dogs.

We are an experienced dog household. Kids are 5 & 3. We lost our collie in 2021 and feel ready for another dog. Eldest has lived with an older dog before and is very dog savvy. In preparation/ consideration of getting a new dog we have been doing daycare for a friend's staffie puppy 3 times a week for 9 months and youngest is dog dog savvy and weve had some puppy practice!!

I think we are just about prepared for him now!

My only nerves are that I've never rescued before and being from abroad I'm apprehensive about having never met him.

I've been very choosy about my rescue and had great communication from them, feel they've been honest about pros ans cons and they offer ongoing support. Lots of good reviews etc. We've had a home check and been added to a group in our local area of others who have fostered or adopted for a bit of a UK based support network.

All seems super positive and we are so excited to get him home.

What advice do you all have?

Pic of our little one below

How long has he been in a shelter for and how old is he now? I think that’ll affect the sort of advice you’ll need tbh. You say he’s been there since he was six weeks, but he doesn’t really look like a young puppy?

What I would say, is even if he’s been in kennels since he was born, this will be hard. Kennels overseas are very different to the UK - so you should apply the three month rule liberally (three months for a dog to settle, but most often is three months before you see any undesirable behavioural)

Yes sorry thought I had included! He is now 5 months so will be 5.5 by the time he arrives here with us.
I am worried about the culture shock of it all but i know some people who it's been successful for.
I did think about just buying a puppy but really couldn't bring myself to buy one when all the recues are full.

We tried 4 different UK based rescues and none had any dogs suitable to be homed with children under 8 years despite my children being praised as being very aware and calm when we looked round etc.
It's really sad. I'd have loved to have given a dog here a 2nd chance but the UK seems to seek an ideal that most people don't exist within.

Give him time to decompress. He's never lived in a house or been a pet so it will all be very overwhelming for him.

No advice but just to ask have you sorted a vet for him yet?
He looks a great little dog with a good amount of Bodeguero in him.
Hope it works out for you all 😀

Agree with PP. He’ll need a lot of time to decompress - four months in kennels is a lot (remember key socialisation windows are 12-20 week). You’ll need to be prepared for him to be quite difficult, with little understanding of societal norms.

Yes he is registered with a vet. They will see him the week he arrives to health check him etc but waiting to see how he is when he arrives before confirming an appointment

We’ve adopted 10+ dogs from abroad so far, I’m a fan 🥰 You can never actually know what they are going to be like until they arrive. I met most of mine before they travelled but you still can’t be sure. Most have actually trotted in like they own the place, a few have needed A LOT of time to settle, those have been much older dogs though. We have never had any major issues with aggression towards people.

Calm introductions with the children are key. Absolutely no shouting/screaming/grabbing. A clear message to the children that this is a not a toy, it’s a living thing and let him approach them at his own pace.
Give him a safe space (I use a crate covered with a blanket, door open) that he can retreat to if he gets overwhelmed and make sure he’s left alone in there.

Things that might frighten him if he’s never lived in a house? Hoover, TV, shaking out a bin liner, hair dryer, washer on spin….some of mine have freaked out at those things, others just watched with interest!
Do not give him anything really “high value” until he’s properly settled. If you give him something like a meaty bone, the likelihood is he’s never had one before and he may well try to “protect it” from you or the children. Save those things until he’s properly settled and limit treats to small single mouthfuls for the same reason.

Be aware of Leishmaniasis (he is too young to be tested yet, but familiarise yourself with the symptoms for the future, since it can lay dormant for many years) and prepare to have to have him tested for Brucellosis. Even if he’s already tested, a lot of uk vet’s insist on a second test here. And see how he is before taking him to the vet in the first week. He may well need more time to settle in and unless he’s poorly, you don’t need to do it immediately.

Sorry, that probably sounds like a lot but the vast majority of mine have been absolutely no trouble, perfectly fit and well and, in a lot of cases, far easier than my uk rescues! Good luck and enjoy your new puppy 🥰🥰

Hi thanks for the advice that's really useful and also reassuring thanks.

Yes vets have said play it by ear and they'll see him once he's calm etc. I guess im keen to have him checked but won't let it disrupt him settling. Vets seem very supportive and have said he's had all the right checks/ tests they'd expect and were happy with all the information from the company were adopting via.

The kids are at their dads the day he arrives. He will have 3 days to decompress before they're home. They absolutely know the drill and that he may not want to be touched to begin with etc and that it has to be on his terms. I have worked really hard with them to prepare them properly and will continue to do so.

I am planning to crate train. Have brought a medium crate already with vet bed, proper bed and a cover to keep it cosy for him. He actually won't be alone ever as my partner works from home but felt crate training is a useful skill to learn and helpful. He will be crated overnight.

The puppy we look after regularly is crate trained so kids are already used to the rule of not touching the dog when it 'goes to bed'. Food and water kept in crate so kids are not tempted to go near during mealtimes etc.

Kids are pretty calm these days apart from in the garden where they are allowed to shout etc so that might need some work. They do use the trampoline and climbing frame and can be a bit 'wild' as in running about and shouting / laughing / being silly. They'd never be in the garden with the dog (or anywhere) unsupervised though.

We are booked into a puppy training class from end of June which I'm hoping he will be okay for as I do feel it would be helpful but maybe this is ambitious?

I have a foreign rescue and he's the best thing we ever did. Definitely agree with no high value treats, it's the only time my dog has growled at anyone. Not worth it.

Very interesting about the 'high value' items and something I will definitely take on board. Thanks.

Have got some basic chicken training treats etc but that's about it at the moment. Have some generic puppy toys from pets at home etc and a bed etc but nothing 'special' .... but who knows what will be special to him?

I was thinking of a yak milk chew for his bed overnight but would that be high value?

I bought a milk 'bone' to try and he viewed it just like a bone so we didn't do that again! He would bury them in his bed and go all weird and anxious and growl at anyone who came near. He also does this if he manages to steal a bit of food. He's usually perfect around human food - doesn't beg or steal and ignores anything left on the coffee table etc but occasionally my teenager has left a sandwich in his bedroom in the waste paper bin (leftover lunch!) and he has stolen it and acted the same.

How are you getting on @stillchasingdereksheppard?
Has he settled in yet?

Maybe learn Spanish ? I'm only half joking, but I'm sure some Spanish words would make him feel at home.
My neighbour's dog only understands Polish !