Rescue groups talk about the 3-3-3 rule: three days to decompress, three weeks to learn the routine, three months to truly feel at home. The first week sits entirely inside that decompression phase — which means your job is not obedience or trick training, but building the feeling that your house is a safe place. Here is how to spend those seven days.
Before Pickup Day
Get the boring shopping out of the way early. You will need an escape-proof harness or martingale collar, a plain six-foot fixed leash (skip retractables — no control, and they snap), ID tags and an updated microchip registration, food matching what the shelter fed, an enzymatic cleaner for accidents, and baby gates to limit rooms. Decide where the safe space goes before the dog arrives: a crate with the door open, or a bed in a quiet corner with water nearby.
Day One: Quiet Arrival
Start in the garden or at the door — even adult dogs may not be reliably house-trained in a new place, so the first stop is the potty spot. Then keep the house tour short. One or two rooms, gates closed, everything calm. Show the safe space and let the dog choose whether to use it. Some dogs will explore for an hour; others will hide behind the sofa until bedtime. Both are normal. Do not hover, do not chase, and skip the welcome party — no visitors this week.
Days Two to Seven: Rhythm Over Training
Predictability builds trust faster than anything else. Same wake-up time, same meal times, same potty breaks, same short bedtime routine. Assume the dog is not house-trained and offer a trip out every two to three hours, rewarding quietly when it lands outside. Keep walks short and on quiet routes — sniffing is decompression, not a march. Try the consent test before petting: pat your leg or chest for two seconds, stop, and see whether the dog leans in for more. Affection the dog chooses is worth ten forced cuddles.
What Not to Do This Week
- No dog parks, pet shops or busy streets — save them for week three or four.
- No introducing resident pets face-to-face on day one; use scent swapping and barriers first.
- No punishing accidents, hiding or whining — they are stress behaviours, not defiance.
- No forcing affection, hugs or face-to-face greetings; let the dog initiate.
- No full run of the house — expand access slowly as trust grows.
When to Call the Vet
Mild appetite loss and extra sleep in the first two days are normal stress responses. Call promptly if your dog refuses food for more than about 24 hours, vomits or has repeated diarrhoea, coughs persistently, seems very weak, or shows signs of pain. Book a general check-up within the first two weeks anyway — it establishes care and catches what shelter records missed.
By day seven, success looks quiet: an empty bowl, a wagging tail at mealtime, a dog asleep on their back in the living room. You are not behind schedule — you are doing exactly what the first week is for.