{"id":2932,"date":"2015-04-06T20:31:15","date_gmt":"2015-04-07T01:31:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dev.diamondpet.wearewoodruff.xyz\/?p=1456"},"modified":"2025-10-16T09:28:36","modified_gmt":"2025-10-16T14:28:36","slug":"successful-dog-adoption-tips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/blog\/adoption\/family\/successful-dog-adoption-tips\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Tips for a Successful Dog Adoption"},"content":{"rendered":"

Those friendly eyes. And don\u2019t even get us started on that wagging tail. How many of us have fallen for a shelter dog? Adopting from a shelter<\/a> is a great way to tackle dog overpopulation, offer a caring home to a pup who really needs one, and add a lovable new member to your family. There are some things you can do to make the transition as smooth as possible for the both of you.<\/p>\n

1. Choose the right dog for your family.<\/h3>\n

Don\u2019t always go for the first dog you feel drawn to. Research breeds to see which one’s level of care is right for your family. You should also visit the dog to find out how they get along with other pets and\/or children.<\/p>\n

2. Have everything you need before you get home to avoid unnecessary trips.<\/h3>\n

Make sure you have a harness or collar, leash, food and water dishes, a bed, and a\u00a0kennel (crate training is a great way to keep your pet safe and secure<\/em>). This can allow\u00a0you to focus on your dog post-adoption.<\/p>\n

3. Put an exercise plan into place immediately.<\/h3>\n

Dog owners often surrender their pets because they cannot give them adequate\u00a0exercise, which may lead to behavior problems. Have a realistic exercise plan in place\u00a0that gets your pup plenty of physical and mental stimulation. You may need to factor a\u00a0dog walker into your pet care costs.<\/p>\n

4. Transition your pup\u2019s food slowly.<\/h3>\n

Digestive issues can make a time of change even more difficult on your dog. Find out\u00a0what food the shelter fed your dog. Start by mixing a little bit of your dog\u2019s new food, like Diamond Naturals Adult Dog Lamb Meal & Rice Formula,<\/a> into the shelter\u2019s food. Over the period of about a week, slowly increase the\u00a0amount of new food you add to your dog\u2019s mix while decreasing the amount of the\u00a0current food. By the end of the seven-day transition period, your dog should be\u00a0comfortable with their new food.<\/p>\n

5. Give your dog a safe space.<\/h3>\n

Usually a kennel, sometimes a dog bed or a room, all dogs need a place where they know they can get some time alone. This space should always be treated with positivity. If they are punished in their safe space, well, it doesn\u2019t seem like such a great place to relax anymore, does it? Creating this haven gives your dog a place to alleviate their anxiety or, at the very least, a simple place to call their own.<\/p>\n

6. Speaking of space: Give your dog enough room to adjust.<\/h3>\n

Cuddling, petting and walking are great. But there may be times that your dog just\u00a0wants to be alone. Letting the dog come to you in the first couple of weeks will build\u00a0trust, even though it may seem counterintuitive.<\/p>\n

7. Get into training ASAP.<\/h3>\n

Training can make even the most rambunctious dog into a great family dog. Check out\u00a0nearby training courses and choose one that fits your style and needs.<\/p>\n

8. Only discipline during the bad act.<\/h3>\n

Dogs don\u2019t have memories, and they can\u2019t put two and two together. If you come home\u00a0and find your dog has had an accident in the house, bringing them to the accident and\u00a0yelling is just confusing and scary. You must catch them while they are actually peeing.\u00a0When this happens, a short \u201cNo\u201d will stop it. Bring them outside to continue. When they\u00a0pee in the correct place, praise them.<\/p>\n

9. Avoid overwhelming your dog with new places and new people.<\/h3>\n

You may want to show off your dog after you bring\u00a0them\u00a0home. However, for your pet\u2019s\u00a0comfort, minimize their\u00a0exposure to new people and places until they are well adjusted to you\u00a0and your family.<\/p>\n

10. Set clear boundaries.<\/h3>\n

Decide on boundaries and enforce them right away. If your dog can\u2019t go on the couch or\u00a0sleep in your bed, don\u2019t let them\u00a0get away with it just because they are new to the house.<\/p>\n

With these tips, you can make your new dog\u2019s adjustment easy<\/strong> and you\u2019ll feel like you\u00a0just might be a dog whisperer after all.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Those friendly eyes. And don\u2019t even get us started on that wagging tail. How many of us have fallen for a shelter dog? Adopting from a shelter is a great way to tackle dog overpopulation, offer a caring home to a pup who really needs one, and add a lovable new member to your family. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4821,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"10 Tips for a Smooth & Successful Dog Adoption Experience","_seopress_titles_desc":"Learn a few key strategies for a successful dog adoption, from choosing the right pup to setting boundaries and providing a safe space for your new furry friend!","_seopress_robots_index":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_searchwp_excluded":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[29,261],"tags":[161,785,134,10,784,54],"class_list":["post-2932","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-adoption","category-family","tag-adoption","tag-adoption-tips","tag-diamond-pet-foods","tag-dog","tag-dog-tips","tag-dogs"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2932","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2932"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2932\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4821"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2932"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2932"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2932"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}