ABC of the 1st days of the arrival of a Romanian dog in your home
That's it, you have embarked on the wonderful adventure of adopting, of saving, a Romanian dog!
Welcome!
In addition to this, you need to know more about it.
The moment of the meeting finally arrives!
Whether your Romanian dog arrives by truck, you must bring a harness, a collar, a double hook leash as well as a medal but also a cage or transport box. We make a point of honor to the safety of our little ones.
If you are adopting a cat, please bring a carrier.
You are now "guardian" of a small dog from Romania who can be fearful, timid and who does not know the life around him. The smallest thing that seems banal and insignificant to you is totally unknown to your little Romanian!
Obviously, you have to be very attentive to the emotions of your new arrival. And remember that: Fear, stress, uncertainty are part of their daily life.
There is a very simple rule to follow when dogs arrive from Romania, and I promise you that it works wonderfully: DO AS IF NOTHING WAS!
In other words, not to pay them too much attention, not to change anything in your habits, not to stress ... Simply to act as if they had always been there and that everything was perfectly normal. There is nothing more reassuring for a dog who has just arrived than to see that everything around him is calm and zen. This is especially true for the fearful.
For a prostrate dog, you have to leave it, not to go too far towards it, simply walk past it while talking to it, drop a few treats in the process, ask it very quickly to offer it a little treat to take directly in the hand ... and if he's not ready, let it go. But above all, do not stay focused on him and make his life as if nothing had happened. It is he who will come to you, little by little, when he realizes that you are not a danger for him.
At first, your new companion may isolate himself, appear distant, be afraid of the new life that awaits him. Depending on his character, his sensitivity, and his past, it may take more or less time.
Let him observe the first days, he has just arrived in his new life, without his "galley buddies" in a new house with humans whom he had for condition to flee.
The dog will discover its environment and its stakeholders at its own pace. Provide food and water. Then, go about your business (always calm) while keeping an "eye" on your little Romanian.
It is not uncommon for the Romanian dog to run away / freeze at your touch - out of fear or lack of knowledge of it.
Above all, do not force physical contact (caresses, etc.), it is up to the dog to make the decision to come and see you ...
Do not hesitate to help you with appetizing treats to help you get to know each other without having the idea of fooling him and imposing physical contact, without reinforcing his fear.
This is how confidence is established: By respecting the choice and the pace of each one.
If there is no urgency, then let your little Romanian get closer to you smoothly. Detect his appeasement signals (dog language)
In addition to this, you need to know more about it.
In the event that, unfortunately, the dog reacts by trying to defend itself, do not punish the behavior you run the risk of reinforcing it in its a priori that the human being is harmful for it, place yourself at a distance that it will feel reassuring and reassuring to allow him to observe - and seek to ensure that he no longer expresses his annoyance in your presence which could create an unwanted habit and counter-conditioning (barking, grunting, flight ... )
The goal will be for you to reinforce his good behavior (where he no longer expresses his defense), help yourself with treats that you throw away.
It is also important to use habituation rather than desensitization, that is to say that you need a place where your Romanian dog can retreat and be quiet in his comfortable basket when he wants it with the least traffic. possible.
In addition to this, you need to know more about it.
what to do if there is a strong hostility between the newcomer and the dogs of the house?
We isolate the new.
The Romanian dog will need a lot of rest.
He will surely not want other friends to come around him and even less to play.
This can last a few days for adult dogs, for puppies or young dogs the next day it should be over.
In addition to this, you need to know more about it.
ADOPTING A ROMANIAN DOG REQUIRES PATIENCE, EMPATHY, EDUCATION and HELP FROM A PROFESSIONAL EDUCATOR / BEHAVIOR or REGISTRATION IN A CANINE CLUB STRONGLY RECOMMENDED :-)