Bringing Home a Dog 

Decompression

Bringing home a new dog is an extremely exciting life event, and it’s normal to want to share your new friend with everyone you know. However, it’s also very easy to overwhelm them, which can lead to negative experiences with even the friendliest dog. It can even make or break the chances of this dog working out in your household.

What is decompression?

Decompression is the period of time in which a dog is able to calm down, destress, and settle in a bit once going to a new home. 

When does it happen?

Decompression happens when a dog is brought into a new situation long-term. The dog begins to settle in and relax. Even if a dog appears calm, they can still feel stressed internally. The average amount of time it takes for a dog to decompress significantly is about 2 weeks, but it can vary from dog to dog. A good rule of thumb to also consider is the 3-3-3 rule, which can be found in the back of this guide.

Why do dogs need to decompress?

Dogs like routine and familiar spaces. They don’t like to be surprised, and feel less secure when they do not know their surroundings. Dogs can’t understand why their environment, situation, and routine changes and many of the dogs adopted from a shelter have had several changes in their life, in a short amount of time. While getting adopted is exciting and good, they don’t always understand that immediately. Often times, they have had some time to settle into our routine, and begin bonding with staff and volunteers. When a dog is adopted, this process must start over completely from the beginning.

How can I help this process?

The first most important thing to understand is that you will immediately feel a lot more bonded to your new dog than your dog does to you. This is totally okay! Your new dog just needs some time to settle in and form that bond, and following these guidelines can help. Trying to rush a connection can slow the process down, or even provoke a dog to nip or bite. Follow these guidelines below to help your new dog adjust to your home smoothly.

Day 1

Allow the dog a chance to use the bathroom, have a drink of water, then leave them alone for several hours. Set the dog up in a quiet room, with or without a crate. A crate may be extremely helpful with housetraining, as your new dog will need to get on a schedule, as well as learn where to go and how to tell you that they need to go out. Additionally, the added anxiety of the situation may cause them to be destructive with furniture or other belongings. Covering the crate with a blanket may be comforting to the dog, as well as a radio or television playing quietly. 

The first thing you should do when you do take your dog out again is to immediately bring them outside for a potty break. Praise them A LOT if they go outside. Spend a little time allowing the dog to sniff around while you go about your regular business. Try not to interact with them or stare right at them as these things can make them nervous. If the dog seeks out interaction, try practicing a few commands the dog may already know, or try teaching them their new name if you’ve decided on one. Call it, and if they look at you or approach, reward them. The dog should only meet immediate family members at this point. The dog should also be kept separate from any other pets in the home for a few days to reduce chances of illness being spread, in addition to territorial disputes or other stress-induced behaviors that can turn aggressive.

Day 2-7

Things should stay pretty much the same for the first week. Only allow the dog to interact with family members in the home. Remind everyone to be cautious and allow the dog to approach them. Extra caution should be taken when the dog will be seeing you for the first time in a while. Ex. first thing in the morning, coming home after several hours, entering the room the dog is in after a long time, and walking around the house when it is dark. Towards the end of the first week, you may start allowing your new pet to interact with current pets, under supervision.

Day 8-14

Towards the end of the 2 weeks, your dog will start to feel more comfortable with you, have started to bond, and will be more ready to meet new people. When you start introducing your dog to new people, do so outside, and allow the dog to approach people on its own.  Here are some additional tips, written by Cody Reichert:

“Tips on introducing your new dog to new people after decompression:

 It’s always so exciting to share your new dog with friends and family!! Just remember, his whole life has done a 180 in the last two weeks, so always proceed with caution. Be your dog’s advocate so that his experience meeting new people is a positive and non-stressful one. Ask your visitor to allow the dog to sniff them without acknowledging the dog. Once the dog has sniffed them and moves away from the new person, then the person can call the dog back or interact with the dog in low pressure ways. It’s always wise to ask them to avoid leaning over the dog, reaching for the dog’s face or head, hard eye contact, or over-exuberant handling (yes…that means hugging!) until the dog and the visitor know each other well. Let the dog lead the way! Every dog is different, but always start slow. Be sure to praise and reward your dog for the behavior you want!

14 days is a guideline- some dogs don’t need quite that long, some need longer. Take it one day at a time and don’t rush it.”