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How quickly does a dog settle into a new home? This is a common question among people who have just adopted a four-legged friend – and the duration is often underestimated. Here, you’ll learn why a dog’s adjustment takes longer than expected and how you can speed up the process.

1. How quickly does a dog settle into a new home?
2. The Rule of 3: How Quickly Dogs Settle Into a New Home
3. How to Speed Up Your Dog’s Adjustment to You
   1. Tip 1: Put Yourself in Your Dog’s Shoes
   2. Tip 2: Establish a Routine and Build Trust
   3. Tip 3: Give Your Dog Control
   4. Tip 4: Create Positive Experiences
   5. Tip 5: Learn to Read Your Dog
   6. Tip 6: Don’t Expect Gratitude
   7. Tip 7: Be Understanding and Patient
4. Every Dog Has Its Own Pace

How quickly does a dog settle into a new home?

You’ve adopted a dog from a breeder, an animal shelter, or through international animal rescue. You’ve prepared well and are doing your best. Yet, you may still be wondering: when will my dog truly feel at home?

Your new dog may be feeling insecure and hiding from you, OR it may follow you everywhere. Both scenarios are common and can make new owners feel uncertain.

Let’s take a closer look at how long the adjustment typically takes and what you can do to speed up the process.

The Rule of 3: How Quickly Dogs Settle Into a New Home

If you’re wondering how long it takes for a dog to settle in, you’ll inevitably come across the rule of 3. This rule offers a rough guideline of when a dog can reach key milestones of settling in.

The Rule of 3:

• Dogs need 3 days to calm down and orient themselves.
• Dogs need 3 weeks to adjust to a new routine.
• Dogs need 3 months to fully relax in their new home.

At first, this may seem longer than many people expect. After all, your dog is certainly in a better situation, and you’re putting in a lot of effort to build a bond.

When you take a closer look at the reasons behind this, you’ll gain more understanding and patience.

How to Speed Up Your Dog’s Adjustment to You

Understanding and patience are the most important factors in helping your dog to settle in with you. The following tips help you along the way.

Tip 1: Put Yourself in Your Dog’s Shoes

Many people expect a newly arrived dog to be grateful and happy. The expectation is even higher if everything went wonderfully during your first meeting.

But if you really put yourself in your dog’s shoes, things become clearer.

Whether your dog is from a breeder, an ad, or a rescue, it has just lost everything familiar: scents, sounds, other animals, routines, and even regular walks are completely gone. And all of this without an explanation.

Imagine being ripped from your environment, unable to make a phone call for clarification, and not understanding the language of your captors. Even if they are kind, the situation is disorienting and traumatizing. Would you be over it in three days? Or even a week? No, you would need time and help to adjust, feel safe, and regain your bearings.

Tip 2: Establish a Routine and Build Trust

A consistent daily routine and reliable rules give your dog something to get used to and trust.

However, routine doesn’t mean you have to go for a 30-minute walk at exactly 6 a.m., no matter what.

Going out and feeding your dog at roughly the same times, while keeping excitement low at first, can help a lot.

Tip 3: Give Your Dog Control

Many people ask, „My dog follows me everywhere – how do I stop this?“ When I ask why they want to stop it, the answer is often, „He’s controlling me!“

This is only true in very few cases.

Usually, dogs are simply insecure and view you as their rock. It makes sense that they want to hold on to that last bit of security – which is you.

Give your dog security and control by:

• Letting your dog come to you instead of forcing them.
• Building their confidence.
• Allowing closeness.

Giving your dog control doesn’t mean letting them roam aimlessly without guidance. They should, however, be able to decide whether they’ve had enough petting, want to stay close to you, or lie in their bed.

Tip 4: Create Positive Experiences

A pleasant walk, cuddles, games – there are many ways to make your dog’s life with you enjoyable. The more positive experiences you create, the faster the bond between you and your dog will grow.

It doesn’t take grand gestures. What’s essential is the understanding between you and your pet.

Tip 5: Learn to Read Your Dog

People often focus on teaching dogs commands, but less emphasis is placed on truly understanding the dog.

The priorities here are clearly mixed up.

Because if you understand your dog, you can build trust and a bond much faster. You communicate to your dog that they are being taken seriously and understood, which is appreciated by both human and animal – yet it happens far too rarely.

Take time to learn about dog body language. It’s a foundational skill that you can build upon over time, making many things easier and providing both you and your dog with more security.

Tip 6: Don’t Expect Gratitude

“But they have it so much better with me than they did in the shelter / kennel / with their previous owner!”

This may be true from your perspective. It might even be objectively better, with a softer bed, better food, longer walks, and more love.

BUT:

1. Your dog has still lost everything it knew. Even if it was worse in your eyes, it was familiar and gave them a sense of security.
2. Your dog doesn’t know that they’ll stay with you. How could they? You can’t explain it to them.
3. Your dog is under stress. Some dogs cope better with change than others, but they all feel stress. This stress is often underestimated and leaves no room for gratitude.

Tip 7: Be Understanding and Patient

Are you feeling frustrated because you’ve put so much effort into your dog’s adjustment, but they still don’t want to stay with you? Did you expect the first few weeks to be different with your dream dog? Disappointment, hurt feelings, and anger are understandable. They’re especially burdensome if you expected gratitude.

The adjustment will be much easier for both you and your dog if you focus on patience and understanding. Even if your dog is still homesick, missing their previous owners, and your bond is still developing: without pressure, it happens faster.

When you remind yourself of the huge change your dog is going through, it’s easier to understand their behavior. They can’t understand why they’ve ended up with you, but together, you can make the best of it and grow into a wonderful team.

Every Dog Has Its Own Pace

When a dog feels truly settled and at home in a new environment is individual. One dog may feel more relaxed and adjusted after two months, while another might take a whole year to truly open up.

You can speed up the process by being patient and creating positive experiences. By scaling back your expectations and reminding yourself that your new dog has a lot to process, you can celebrate small victories – which are, in fact, big progress.