The three-3-3 Rule of Canine Rescue and a Penny Progress Exchange

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Have you ever ever heard of the 3-3-3 rule of adopting a model new canine?

It’s a set of suggestions for transitioning a model new canine into your individual house. Don’t let the phrases “rule” or “suggestions” trick you into contemplating it’s a hard-and-fast state of affairs. Pretty, I like to consider it additional as a framework or mindset to help your new canine settle.

Let’s dig in, and I’m going to share how our new pup, Penny, is doing on the equivalent time.

A white dog with brown spots on her hind quarters stands at the bank of a river looking out into the water. The ground is mostly mud with a little bit of green grass popping up. The water is flowing quickly. The dog is wearing a pink and purple collar and a blue and gray harness. The leash has a bright yellow sleeve on it that says "I'm deaf and partially sighted." The text overlay of the image reads: The 3-3-3 Rule for helping your new dog settle in

Proper right here’s the gist of the 3-3-3 rule:

The first 3 days are to your canine to acclimate to his or her new atmosphere. That’s the “the place the heck am I” and “am I staying proper right here” half. At this stage, your canine isn’t displaying his or her true colors because of the overwhelm.

The first 3 weeks are to your canine to review the household tips and bounds in a loving, kind, constructive methodology. It begins your bonding course of off on the becoming foot (er, paw?) and establishes the muse of your relationship.

The first 3 months are for socialization, teaching, and new experiences. By the tip of three months, your canine ought to essentially really feel settled and secure. A part of the family.

All by means of these first three days, weeks, and months, your job is to stay affected particular person. Arrange kind boundaries. Keep calm. Current your canine with a protected, quiet space to utilize at his or her will. Be fixed and kind. Reward what you want. Ignore or redirect what you don’t want. Start basic teaching. Stroll every day, when you possibly can. Understand upfront your canine will start to try boundaries. Be affected particular person and hold fixed.

Your canine’s job? Sniff, uncover, check out, experiment. Really, it’s to examine the boundaries and work out what’s and isn’t acceptable habits in your own home. As your pup turns into safer in your own home, you’ll start to see way more of his or her true persona shine through.

After three months, proceed to educate, downside, and socialize alongside along with your pup, though he or she have to be assured that your family members is correct right here to stay–no additional shelter for you, pupperoo!

So, how’s Penny doing?

In case you haven’t however met Penny, proper right here’s the first submit the place I launched her and outlined a bit little bit of her background and quirks. Wanting once more at that submit, I am amazed at how far she’s come… nevertheless additional on that in a sec.

Holding the 3-3-3 rule in ideas, I moreover updated on her progress after the first month. On this event, I stretched these first three weeks into 4 largely because of week one for Penny consisted of sleep, sleep, and further sleep. Trauma restoration, we count on.

Now, we’re merely earlier the three-month mark, and there’s a complete lot of progress to share!

Trying again, at three days, Penny wasn’t even capable of take care of household routines. She wished to sleep and eat. That was it.

At three weeks, she felt safer and further built-in into the household, nevertheless her concern nonetheless dominated. Even at 4 weeks, as soon as I wrote that last substitute, she nonetheless oscillated between comfort and concern every single day.

Penny’s 3-month substitute

She’s doing amazingly properly.

Penny walks throughout the neighborhood most days. Some days–twice last week–one factor scares her, nevertheless she trusts us ample to know that when she freezes and turns in the direction of residence, we’ll adjust to instead of push.

She performs with toys. Now she should research the excellence between canine toys and baby toys, nevertheless truly? That’s on the individuals, not the canine. Violet and Astrid shortly found the consequence of not choosing up their toys and stuffed animals.

She sleeps a normal schedule now, which is a big discount.

Penny currently entered the kitchen–twice–all on her private. We doled out reward and treats, nevertheless that wasn’t ample to influence her it’s a protected space however. She hasn’t returned since.

She nonetheless hasn’t walked down the doorway hall. Probably she’s going to someday. Probably she gained’t. For now, she’s established an prolonged route through the lounge to get to the steps and skips the hallway altogether. And that’s OK. She’ll get there… or she gained’t. As soon as extra, I’m not ready to push on points that don’t matter.

Lest the 3-3-3 rule seem too good

I checked out a complete lot of infographics that implied your canine will in all probability be utterly settled in at three months! Congrats! You made it!

Moreover. Nuh-uh.

Probably your canine utterly match correct into your family members and your loved ones and by three months hit a secure stride.

It’s attainable, nonetheless it seems a lot much less probably than your canine needing a bit longer than that mark, which is why I like to consider it additional as a result of the 3-3-3 guideline.

Penny nonetheless flinches whilst you elevate an arm or leg near her (though she hangs out as soon as I observe yoga, so that’s large progress). She gained’t stroll down the hallway–or enter a rest room, the consuming room, or the laundry room, for that matter. She feels safer lounging in her crate than she does snuggling on my mattress.

Sweet Penny whines and cries when she realizes anyone is someplace she is going to have the ability to’t entry (like the rest room or consuming room) and will not go to the rest room on a stroll.

She drinks water from puddles throughout the yard and is solely now starting to perception the canine bowls of current water on the deck and within the house.

At three months, your canine most likely understands he or she is correct right here to stay. And that’s superior. That’s an unlimited hurdle for canine who’ve been bounced spherical from shelters or rescues or foster properties or unstable, unsafe circumstances like Penny’s.

The remaining will rely on the canine’s persona and the household individuals’ canine experience.

So, if you’re anyone who reads one factor like this set of suggestions and feels resembling you’re failing because of your canine continues to be scared / reactive / untrained / irrespective of on the three-month mark, rest assured that you simply simply’re constructive. Your canine is okay. I indicate, heck, I labored with Cooper for better than 13 years and he not at all “overcame” his concern or his reactivity.

It’s not about having a “good” canine after three months. It’s about developing a bond alongside along with your canine, developing perception and security. Giving your canine a manner of safety.

The remaining, like Penny’s hallway, will each come or it gained’t.

Within the occasion you really liked this submit, you’ll most likely have the benefit of my forthcoming e book, For the Love of Canine, from Regalo Press in February 2025. It’s chock filled with the most recent evaluation in canine cognition combined with tales of my canine to convey the data to life. To stay up-to-date on the most recent with Penny and my publication info, be a part of the mailing report or adjust to alongside on Instagram.