How Do I Help A New Foster Settle?

[White Shepherd mom]

On Saturday I am collecting my first foster dog. Apparently he is around 8 and has been abused in the past and has been moved from home to home. The foster carer who has him now can not look after him any more as she works away from home for weeks at a time. When she is away, her brother looks after him. The dog has been in this home for about 4-6 months. Apparently he gets quite anxious.

I have some rescue remedy which I will take with me on Saturday and ask his current carer to put some on his head before I take him. Beyond that, I could use some suggestions to help him ease into his new home. I am not looking at using an adaptil or thundershirt until I know how bad he is.

I know there is a wealth of knowledge and experience on Dol so please share!

[Two Best Dogs!]

Still learning myself but as you're scoping him out, letting him settle - reward all calm behaviour to develop the habits! Even the simple things like chilling on his bed or not barking at someone at the door or after an anxious moment shakes it off etc. let him know he's doing the right thing when calm and don't wait for the anxiety to show itself in order for you to react.

[Kirislin]

I'm no expert, so I hope I'm not saying the wrong things, but if it was me this is what I think I'd be doing. Do you know if he is used to being in a crate? If so have one set up in a quiet, out of the way place, looking really comfy, with snuggly blankets and a blanket over the top for privacy. I dont mean to shut him in to it, but for him to know it's his place to go and settle and feel safe in. Otherwise just a bed in a quiet place that he will quickly learn he can go to if he's scared.

Dont fuss over him or take much notice of him. No loud or sudden noises or movements. Be calm.

Good luck

[raineth]

Set up a routine for him and stick to it as much as possible so that he can quickly learn to predict what is happening and what will be happening next).

Use bones and things he can chew to reduce his anxiety and create positive experiences.

Limit his freedom, but not so much that he can't give himself distance from things that may worry him.

Don't take him for a walk until you have established some sort of understanding and trust with him, even if this takes a week or two.

[stellnme]

Set up a routine for him and stick to it as much as possible so that he can quickly learn to predict what is happening and what will be happening next).

Use bones and things he can chew to reduce his anxiety and create positive experiences.

Limit his freedom, but not so much that he can't give himself distance from things that may worry him.

Don't take him for a walk until you have established some sort of understanding and trust with him, even if this takes a week or two.

Great reply, Raineth. This is pretty much what I've tried to do with the little ones I have.

[Little Gifts]

You've had other good advice already so my comments are just additions to those. Do you have other calm dogs of your own that will be with him? I've had several very anxious fosters here over time. To give you an idea of how anxious I had to leave a light leash on one of them for the first few days and if I wanted to catch him I'd have to stand on the end of the leash to have a chance as chasing just made it worse. I was lucky that one of my dogs would take the scared ones under her wing and teach them how things worked around our house while they got used to things. Another thing I did was when they had settled for the night I would sit beside them facing forward, ignoring them and not talking while gently massaging whatever part of their body I could get access to. As the days went on they would give me more and more of their body and came to understand my hands wouldn't hurt. At that stage I would start with soft talk. I also taught them a touch my knuckle command with high value treats to get them used to my hands being around their faces (so I could do ears and give meds). Aside from this, if they are presenting as actually anxious you can look away, raise your chin and do a big yawn. That is a destress signal (you will notice dogs often yawn to calm themselves down). Don't do it too many times though as it can also appear as you trying to reduce your own anxiousness if done repeatedly. You can also let out loud deep breaths.

[Staffyluv]

I find fosters settle if they get a routine of the same thing every day.

After the ride home and a decent walk, we enter the house.

My fosters are always bought in and out the front door only (never the gate in the driveway and so far, touch wood, I haven't had one escape).

They are bought in and taken straight out the back to toilet and we stay there until they do - then lots of praise.

This also gives me a chance to suss them out with the chickens.

Then we do the usual stuff that I do every day (if it's early, I go to work - I work from home).

We take them out to toilet about every half hour or so to begin with.

Dinner is served, we make them sit and wait for the food (at the same time each day)

They are shown their crate and are treated to go in the crate.

Then we settle down and watch TV or I do the washing or whatever. I keep it as normal as possible.

For bed, (out to toilet first) they are put in the crate with a chew and the crate is covered on both sides (so it's like a nice safe cave). I shut the door.

In the morning, we get up and go to the park for a run and play (we do this every morning, unless it is bucketing down).

Then the normal day continues again, with the same feed times and bed times.

If you are calm and just go about your business, they will often follow you until they become more comfortable.

I find it takes most about 3 weeks to totally settle into the routine but some pick it up quicker..

[White Shepherd mom]

Thank you so much for all the suggestions. We had a meet and greet last weekend and he was very friendly and happy, bringing his ball to my OH. I'm hoping it won't take him too long to accept us.

I will be getting some really yummy treats to encourage his less anxious behaviour.

Kirislin, I don't have a crate and I don't know if Jack is crate trained. If he's anything like my Bella was when I first got her, he'll probably hide behind the sofa until he's ready to face the world!

raineth, I'm surprised you say not to take him for a walk until he trusts me. I was going to do this for a couple of days but not for a couple of weeks. He will have access to the garden and initially only the lounge. I'll slowly introduce him to the rest of the house when he gets more relaxed. I'll get some bones and chew-treats tonight.

Little Gifts, unfortunately I don't have other dogs. I know when I got Bella 13 years ago, it really helped that I already had Casper. They were the same age and he was bomb-proof. He'd go and talk to her behind the sofa, then they would tear around the garden before she would go into hiding again. Re the yawning bit, I started yawning the moment you mentioned it! I shall try this too as well as the massage...

I'm thinking of just going about my business without fussing over him and stressing him until he's ready to join the family.

Is there anything I need to do when driving him home?

[White Shepherd mom]

Thanks Staffyluv. It took me so long to type my previous reply that you got yours in first! So, you take them for a walk the moment you get them home? That's interesting. Thank you for the tips. If he seems relaxed by Sunday evening, I'll take him for a walk, otherwise I'll let him settle for another day and gauge him again on Monday. Unfortunately he will be home alone on Monday as I have to go to work but OH is on holidays from Tuesday onwards. I'll be able to pop in at lunch time on Monday and spend 1/2 an hour with him.

[tikira]

Hi White Shepherd Mom.

I just wanted to say congratulations on once again having a furry friend around the house.

I know that you will be the best Foster Family to Jack, and all your experience with Casper and Bella will bubble to the top once again, and you will all settle into the new routine quickly.

The advice given so far once again shows the experience and helpfulness of our DOL community.

Good luck (though I know you won't need it)

Cheers Di

[Staffyluv]

Thanks Staffyluv. It took me so long to type my previous reply that you got yours in first! So, you take them for a walk the moment you get them home? That's interesting. Thank you for the tips. If he seems relaxed by Sunday evening, I'll take him for a walk, otherwise I'll let him settle for another day and gauge him again on Monday. Unfortunately he will be home alone on Monday as I have to go to work but OH is on holidays from Tuesday onwards. I'll be able to pop in at lunch time on Monday and spend 1/2 an hour with him.

Yep, we go for a walk to the end of the block and back and then just walk in the front door (sort of like, it is something we do every day).. It really only takes a few minutes and walking can help destress and it gives them a chance to have a sniff after being in the car.

[White Shepherd mom]

Ok people, there was no need to panic. Jack has been here 4 hours and has already made himself comfortable. He has destroyed 2 tennis balls and a fluffy dog ball. OH was outside hitting a tennis ball with a golf club and Jack kept taking it into the flower bed. I may have to replace some smaller plants. They are both passed out in the lounge now.

I think all will be well. Thank you all for your suggestions and encouragement.

Thank you for your kind words Di, you had more faith than me.

Question, can I still be White Shepherd mom without a White Shepherd?

[Two Best Dogs!]

Once a mum, always a mum, I would think :)

[raineth]

Thank you so much for all the suggestions. We had a meet and greet last weekend and he was very friendly and happy, bringing his ball to my OH. I'm hoping it won't take him too long to accept us.

I will be getting some really yummy treats to encourage his less anxious behaviour.

Kirislin, I don't have a crate and I don't know if Jack is crate trained. If he's anything like my Bella was when I first got her, he'll probably hide behind the sofa until he's ready to face the world!

raineth, I'm surprised you say not to take him for a walk until he trusts me. I was going to do this for a couple of days but not for a couple of weeks. He will have access to the garden and initially only the lounge. I'll slowly introduce him to the rest of the house when he gets more relaxed. I'll get some bones and chew-treats tonight.

Little Gifts, unfortunately I don't have other dogs. I know when I got Bella 13 years ago, it really helped that I already had Casper. They were the same age and he was bomb-proof. He'd go and talk to her behind the sofa, then they would tear around the garden before she would go into hiding again. Re the yawning bit, I started yawning the moment you mentioned it! I shall try this too as well as the massage...

I'm thinking of just going about my business without fussing over him and stressing him until he's ready to join the family.

Is there anything I need to do when driving him home?

The reason why I recommend no walks until you had built some trust and understanding was because you mentioned he was an anxious dog. I am just going off my own experiences that some of the more anxious dogs find going out for walks really stressful if they haven't yet got some connection with the human who is taking them out. I also find that it seems to be such a big change for them that a lot of their energy seems to be taken up with just getting to know the new environment, the new routine and the new people anyway. I usually also use this time to establish LLW in the home and yard. But there are many right ways to do things, and it's just a matter of working out what suits you and the dog in question :)

However, Having said that, I usually did initial meets with other dogs a short distance from home then have them walk in together, similar to what Staffyluv described.

How is it all going?

Edited December 13, 2015 by raineth

[White Shepherd mom]

It turns out Jack is not too anxious at all and has settled in nicely. He already follows us around the house and seems eager to please. Considering he's been through so many homes, it's amazing how he's picking up on what's expected of him.

My problem at the moment is when we go for a walk. He is extremely strong and extremely dog aggressive. I am working on his "heel" and I can tell he's been trained on this before. I'm guessing his last couple of homes have not worked on him walking nicely on the lead. I also don't think he used to get many walks (he's fat and unfit) so he gets really excited. I can work on his "heel" but he goes ballistic when he sees another dog...even if it's across the road. As I say, he is very strong and it takes all my strength to keep him from running off (with me attached!).

[persephone]

WSM -

Sounding good .

maybe practice walking at heel , sitting etc in the yard for a while before venturing out ? may be gentler on the limbs ;)

[raineth]

I'm glad he's settling in well at home :)

Do you have access to a good local trainer who may be able to help you WSM? That sort of behaviour can worsen very quickly without the right intervention. Did you know he had that problem before you took him on?

[persephone]

Oh ..and browse around THIS THREAD! there is a massive amount of info within !!