27/06/2024
Training starts DAY 1 whether you have decided to foster or adopt…the only question is who is training who.
But what about giving the dog time to decompress??! You know, the 3-3-3 rule!
I’m glad you asked! Decompression in my opinion doesn’t mean allowing a new dog to do and get away with anything it wants for days, weeks, and months on end. The decompression period is about you as the foster or adopter setting the dog up for success by limiting the potential for the dog to make mistakes. In my experience, dogs only get more comfortable performing existing behaviors (good or bad) and often show new ones once they truly settle in. The decompression period, starting with day one, is your chance to establish the expectations in your relationship, nip any unwanted behaviors in the bud before they become ingrained and reward or teach simple behaviors that you want them to continue in the future.
Save yourself the headache and start early! Too many dogs are returned to the shelter within days, or I would argue worse yet, returned to rescues months or even years after adoption in far worse behavioral shape than they left because people simply don’t put in the bare minimum amount of time to set up a solid foundation in their relationship.
