The three-3-3 Rule of Canine Rescue and a Penny Progress Exchange
Have you ever ever heard of the 3-3-3 rule of adopting a model new canine?
It’s a set of pointers for transitioning a model new canine into your home. Don’t let the phrases “rule” or “pointers” trick you into pondering it’s a hard-and-fast state of affairs. Considerably, I like to contemplate it further 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 same time.
Proper right here’s the gist of the 3-3-3 rule:
The first 3 days are in 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” part. At this degree, your canine isn’t exhibiting his or her true colors because of the overwhelm.
The first 3 weeks are in your canine to be taught the household pointers and limits in a loving, type, constructive method. It begins your bonding course of off on one of the best foot (er, paw?) and establishes the muse of your relationship.
The first 3 months are for socialization, teaching, and new experiences. By the highest of three months, your canine ought to essentially really feel settled and protected. A part of the family.
All by way of these first three days, weeks, and months, your job is to stay affected individual. Arrange type 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 main teaching. Stroll on every day foundation, when you may. Understand upfront your canine will start to try boundaries. Be affected individual and preserve fixed.
Your canine’s job? Sniff, uncover, check out, experiment. Really, it’s to test the boundaries and decide what’s and isn’t acceptable habits in your home. As your pup turns into safer in your home, you’ll start to see way more of his or her true persona shine by way of.
After three months, proceed to educate, downside, and socialize collectively along with your pup, though he or she should be assured that your family members is correct right here to stay–no further shelter for you, pupperoo!
So, how’s Penny doing?
In case you haven’t however met Penny, proper right here’s the first publish the place I launched her and outlined slightly little bit of her background and quirks. Attempting once more at that publish, I am amazed at how far she’s come… nonetheless further on that in a sec.
Preserving 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 on account of week one for Penny consisted of sleep, sleep, and further sleep. Trauma restoration, we predict.
Now, we’re merely earlier the three-month mark, and there’s a complete lot of progress to share!
On reflection, 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, nonetheless her fear nonetheless dominated. Even at 4 weeks, after I wrote that last exchange, she nonetheless oscillated between comfort and fear every single day.
Penny’s 3-month exchange
She’s doing amazingly correctly.
Penny walks throughout the neighborhood most days. Some days–twice last week–one factor scares her, nonetheless she trusts us ample to know that when she freezes and turns in direction of residence, we’ll adjust to instead of push.
She performs with toys. Now she should be taught the excellence between canine toys and youngster toys, nonetheless honestly? That’s on the folks, not the canine. Violet and Astrid shortly realized the consequence of not choosing up their toys and stuffed animals.
She sleeps a typical schedule now, which is an enormous discount.
Penny not too way back entered the kitchen–twice–all on her private. We doled out reward and treats, nonetheless 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. Presumably she’s going to someday. Presumably she gained’t. For now, she’s established an prolonged route by way of 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 eager 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 shall be utterly settled in at three months! Congrats! You made it!
In addition to. Nuh-uh.
Presumably your canine utterly match correct into your family members and your loved ones and by three months hit a powerful stride.
It’s attainable, nonetheless it seems a lot much less in all probability than your canine needing a bit longer than that mark, which is why I like to contemplate it further as a result of the 3-3-3 guideline.
Penny nonetheless flinches when you improve an arm or leg near her (though she hangs out after I observe yoga, so that’s huge progress). She gained’t stroll down the hallway–or enter a bathroom, 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 any individual is someplace she is going to be capable to’t entry (like the bathroom or consuming room) and will not go to the bathroom on a stroll.
She drinks water from puddles throughout the yard and is solely now starting to perception the canine bowls of up to date water on the deck and within the residence.
At three months, your canine possibly understands he or she is correct right here to stay. And that’s superior. That’s an infinite hurdle for canines who’ve been bounced spherical from shelters or rescues or foster properties or unstable, unsafe circumstances like Penny’s.
The rest relies upon the canine’s persona and the household folks’ canine skills.
So, once you’re any individual who reads one factor like this set of pointers and feels equivalent to you’re failing on account of your canine stays to be scared / reactive / untrained / regardless of on the three-month mark, leisure assured that you just’re great. Your canine is okay. I indicate, heck, I labored with Cooper for higher than 13 years and he on no account “overcame” his fear or his reactivity.
It’s not about having a “good” canine after three months. It’s about developing a bond collectively along with your canine, developing perception and security. Giving your canine a means of safety.
The rest, like Penny’s hallway, will each come or it gained’t.
While you cherished this publish, you’ll possibly have the benefit of my forthcoming e book, For the Love of Canine, from Regalo Press in February 2025. It’s chock full of the most recent evaluation in canine cognition combined with tales of my canines to convey the information to life. To stay up-to-date on the most recent with Penny and my publication info, be part of the mailing guidelines or adjust to alongside on Instagram.
