Dog Adoption - More On Adopting An Adult Dog

Today our dog adoption discussion will continue with the thought of bringing home an adult dog. Chances are the shelter you adopt from has already done a complete evaluation of the dog, taking into account personality, behavior and health. Through this evaluation they are able to determine what type of home would be best suited for each dog. This is invaluable information in helping you make the proper selection. But now that you've made the choice, you want to do everything you can to help your new pet adapt to his new environment quickly and easily.

But before you even get home, head straight from the shelter to the vet's office. A quick general examination is essential because the last thing you want to do is bring any kind of parasite or anything else that could cause infection into your house. During the drive to the vet, your job is simply to be calm and friendly. Chances are your new friend will drool, whine or both. At this point you should ignore him. That last thing you want to be this early in the dog adoption process is overly emotional.

Now that your home, the first thing you want to do is take the dog to his designated potty area outside. Do this before ever entering the house. If he looks like he wants to go somewhere other than your selected place, try to stop him by some form of distraction. You want his first elimination to be in the right place and you will of course reinforce this with lots of praise and perhaps a treat.

Once you move inside, place a bowl of water in the area where you will keep it permanently. Pay attention to how much your dog drinks. It he drinks a lot, you should make another trip outside to his designated area. The same applies after eating.

Your newly adopted pet will want to investigate his new surroundings. Let him but stay with him to prevent him from doing something he shouldn't. Once his investigation is complete, he will turn his attention to his new family, meaning you and anyone else who lives in the household. It is important that everyone in the family be on board with whatever training program you will be using (we'll make some recommendations at the end). The point here is that praise and affection should always follow the successful completion of a command. And at this point try to always give a simple command before petting. For instance say "Fido, Sit" when you want to pet him. Once he completes the command you can start to pet, play or praise.

Housetraining should also be firm, very much like you would with a puppy. Mature dogs needs help in this area as well, especially when in new surroundings.

Do try not to leave the dog alone for more than a few hours at first. And when you leave the house, do so as if this is a typical thing for your to do (which it is). Avoid eye contact and use the main door you will typically use when leaving home. Stay outside where the dog cannot see or hear you but try to see and hear him. If you hear fussing, stay outside until the fussing stops for a few minutes. Then go back inside, trying again to not be emotional, but quietly giving your adopted dog praise. Don't praise him while at the door, but in the area you expect him to stay in when you are gone.

Of course if you notice him being destructive while you are outside, you will need to reenter the home quickly and catch him in the act to discipline him properly.

Training is the hardest part of bringing home any adopted dog, be it an adult or a puppy. In order for the dog adoption to go smoothly you will want to follow a proven training program. We believe the best of the market is put out by professional dog trainer Daniel Stevens. It's called SitStayFetch and it is an instantly downloadable book that you can be reading in just minutes. Of course it's fully guaranteed but if you and everyone in your family follows the teachings you will not need to use the guarantee. The information is that good.

There is one other program that we always recommend for anyone who prefers learning by watching video as opposed to reading. It's Dove Cresswell's Dog Training Online and it is also a great program. Like SitStayFetch it is fully guaranteed, and you can even view a free sample lesson by visiting her website.

Either program will help your new dog adoption go as smoothly as possible.