The three-3-3 Rule of Canine Rescue and a Penny Progress Change
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 property. Don’t let the phrases “rule” or “pointers” trick you into contemplating this generally is a hard-and-fast state of affairs. Moderately, 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 similar time.
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 surroundings. 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, sort, optimistic technique. It begins your bonding course of off on the becoming foot (er, paw?) and establishes the inspiration 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 secure. A part of the family.
All by means of these first three days, weeks, and months, your job is to stay affected individual. Arrange sort boundaries. Keep calm. Current your canine with a safe, 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, if you happen to occur to can. Understand prematurely your canine will start to try boundaries. Be affected individual and preserve fixed.
Your canine’s job? Sniff, uncover, check out, experiment. Actually, it’s to test the boundaries and work out what’s and isn’t acceptable conduct 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 by means of.
After three months, proceed to teach, downside, and socialize alongside together with your pup, though he or she must 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 of little bit of her background and quirks. Attempting once more at that submit, I am amazed at how far she’s come… nevertheless additional on that in a sec.
Sustaining 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 predict.
Now, we’re merely earlier the three-month mark, and there’s numerous progress to share!
Wanting again, at three days, Penny wasn’t even in a position to type out household routines. She needed 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, after I wrote that ultimate change, she nonetheless oscillated between comfort and concern every single day.
Penny’s 3-month change
She’s doing amazingly correctly.
Penny walks throughout the neighborhood most days. Some days–twice ultimate week–one factor scares her, nevertheless she trusts us enough to know that when she freezes and turns in the direction of dwelling, we’re going to observe in its place of push.
She performs with toys. Now she should examine the excellence between canine toys and little one toys, nevertheless in truth? That’s on the individuals, not the canine. Violet and Astrid quickly realized the consequence of not selecting up their toys and stuffed animals.
She sleeps a standard schedule now, which is a big assist.
Penny these days entered the kitchen–twice–all on her private. We doled out reward and treats, nevertheless that wasn’t enough to steer her it’s a safe space however. She hasn’t returned since.
She nonetheless hasn’t walked down the doorway hall. Maybe she goes to someday. Maybe she gained’t. For now, she’s established an prolonged route by means 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 ready to push on points that don’t matter.
Lest the 3-3-3 rule seem too good
I checked out numerous infographics that implied your canine shall be fully settled in at three months! Congrats! You made it!
Apart from. Nuh-uh.
Maybe your canine fully match correct into your family members and your loved ones and by three months hit a robust stride.
It’s attainable, but it surely absolutely seems a lot much less most likely 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 everytime you enhance an arm or leg near her (though she hangs out after I apply yoga, so that’s monumental 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 person is someplace she’s going to have the ability 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 simply now starting to perception the canine bowls of current water on the deck and within the dwelling.
At three months, your canine almost certainly 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 rest depends on the canine’s persona and the household individuals’ canine talents.
So, if you happen to occur to’re any person who reads one factor like this set of pointers and feels akin to you’re failing because of your canine continues to be scared / reactive / untrained / irrespective of on the three-month mark, leisure assured that you just’re super. Your canine is okay. I indicate, heck, I labored with Cooper for larger than 13 years and he certainly not “overcame” his concern or his reactivity.
It’s not about having a “good” canine after three months. It’s about setting up a bond alongside together with your canine, setting up perception and security. Giving your canine a approach of safety.
The rest, like Penny’s hallway, will each come or it gained’t.
For individuals who beloved this submit, you’ll almost certainly get pleasure from my forthcoming e-book, For the Love of Canine, from Regalo Press in February 2025. It’s chock crammed with the most recent evaluation in canine cognition combined with tales of my canine to hold the data to life. To stay up-to-date on the most recent with Penny and my publication data, be part of the mailing itemizing or observe alongside on Instagram.
