What to expect? Ash is coming home on 11/16/2011

[teh_fuzz]

So I will be picking up Ash tomorrow evening, he is my rescue GS/Husky mix and everyone in my house is just as excited as i am! That being said i have a few questions to you all connoisseurs as to what to expect?

Ash is 9 months old
He will be altered (probably getting it done today)
Well mannered
Well behaved (from what little time i spent with him)
He is house broken
and knows a handful of per-trained commands.

He will be coming into a new house with no carpet (tile and wood)
A large backyard fenced in all-around
a few decently large trees
There are 5 of us in this house
my wife, me, my two daughters and our feline overlord Jabba the Katt (6yr old rescue too )

Ive bought him a large bed
A large food bowl
A chest harness and a collar ( I am still undecided)
A chain leash for his walks
A pooper scooper LOL
A few toys that will get rotated (chew toys and crackling toys)
A crate will be bought hopefully this weekend

What I am looking for is ideas on how to introduce him to the family? Has anyone had any experience bringing in a somewhat young pup into their family? Any suggestion on prepping the cat/dog hierarchy?

Is there anything i need to be concerned with regarding the first night? he will not be crated that night, so my concern is on how will he react to having a free roaming around the house?

I want to make this the best experience for him as well as for my faimly so any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Powers that be, please move this to the appropriate section if it isnt already!

[Stevenzachsmom]

Is Ash crate trained? If so, it would probably best if you already had a crate. If you can't buy one until this weekend, can you borrow one? I would not give Ash immediate free run of the house. He needs to earn your trust. Even though he is housebroken - accidents still happen in new situations. The change will be stressful for him. Plus, if he has just been neutered, he may need a quiet space to recover. How old are your kids? Just remind them to be gentle and allow Ash to get acclimated.

Without a crate, I would at least gate off a safe area for Ash, like the kitchen. You should probably have Ash sleep in your room at night. That way, you can hear him, if he needs to go out. You can also close the door, so he is not having free reign of the house.

All that said, my shelter dog came home the first day after being spayed. I had three young kids. My dog did not cause any problems or get into any trouble. Ash sounds like a sweetheart. I wish you many happy years with him. Don't forget to post pictures!

[JeanKBBMMMAAN]

Thanks for adopting a dog from a shelter!

1. I would consider crating at night to begin with. Like getting it before the weekend - or keeping him in your room with the door shut so he cannot get out until you do.
2. With a Husky mix - it is possible that you will have to be very careful with your cat. VERY. I cannot stress this enough. I do not think I know anyone with a cat and a Husky. Siberian Huskies: What's Good About 'Em? What's Bad About 'Em?
3. I would tether him to you in the house to begin so that he cannot make bad decisions.
4. Has he lived with kids, cats, dogs before?
5. Depending on fence height, I would maybe leash potty him for a bit in the yard till you see what his ideas are on being contained
6. No matter how lovey and wonderful he seems with the kids do not let them be rude little pups to the dog: no hugs, kisses, getting in his face, getting on the floor with him or rough housing with him or around him. Doggone Safe - Home good review - learn to speak dog at the least
7. Start looking for training classes
click here.
Dog Trainer Search
8. NILIF Nothing in Life is Free
9. Resource guarding - he probably doesn't have an issue with it because he made it to the adoption floor, but initially, leaving him alone while he eats will give him the sense of security and basis to be a good safe family dog. Somewhere on this board Lauri and the Gang has posted some great info on that.

Re the neutering - he is probably on 10-14 day activity restriction meaning leash potties and no wild running - please ask for discharge instructions and follow them carefully to avoid complications. However, know that activity restriction is difficult mentally on a dog so you may want to give him something like a raw marrow bone in his crate (and be sure to not let the kids near him because that is an extremely high value treat and it's too soon for him to "get" that they will not take it.

Good link:
BrightStar German*Shepherd Rescue, Rochester, NY
I do a version of this with new fosters:
New Hope Pit Bull Rescue - Adoption - Lowcountry - South Carolina - Renting With Pit Bulls

Have fun but set the dog up to succeed in everything that you do!

[LaRen616]

I brought in a 1.5 year old unaltered male GSD/Husky mix and he was surprisingly great with my 3 cats. They all liked him. I got extremely lucky.

I hope that you have the same luck.

Just want you to be aware that he may never be able to be off leash, ever. Mine could not be trusted off leash, he was a talker and a digger as well.

[sit,stay]

Originally Posted by teh_fuzz

Ive bought him a large bed
A large food bowl
A chest harness and a collar ( I am still undecided)
A chain leash for his walks
A pooper scooper LOL
A few toys that will get rotated (chew toys and crackling toys)
A crate will be bought hopefully this weekend

I agree about having the crate available from the moment he comes into your home. I would also recommend keeping him on leash for the first couple of weeks. Have a hold of it whenever he is out of his crate and in the house those first few days, and then let him drag it for a week or so after that (very handy when you need to redirect him).

I would also recommend that you NOT use a chain leash. I have seen some horrific injuries to both dogs and humans from chain leashes. I prefer leather myself, but nylon works, too.

Good luck with your guy! What an exciting time for your family.
Sheilah

[teh_fuzz]

LOL yes i am aware of the need for him to be on the leash being a necessity.

My sister raised two or three huskies and i remember literally being dragged through an entire park when i was little and decided to take the big male out for a walk

I also am aware of the husky/cat issues - the same male that dragged me around for what seemed hours was A. a very good escape artist and B. a cat marauder as no cat/rat was safe once he got out (it only happened twice, but believe me the front yard was not a pretty sight those times.

I had a talk with the kids last night... no rough housing with Ash until he is accustomed to us, DEFINITELY NO messing with him while he is eating, and under no circumstances are they to lay on him, hug him, or"pester" him until he realizes that we all are on the same team :P

I also got my mother who stops by frequently to come by on the night we bring him in as to let him know that she is not a stranger!

RE: the CRATING
Yes, Ash is house-broken and crate trained.

I talked to the wife, she says that she is not a believer in crates, she sees it as being a punishment-device, I simply cannot get her to understand that when done right, a crate satisfies a dog's dwelling instincts.

I'm looking for a local distributor to see if i can find one today or tomorrow as i am intent on making things as stress free for him and us!

I am not going to lie, there is some level of aprehension on bringing a dog into my house and close to my girls but I am also aware that with proper care and a watchful demeanor we should all end up enjoying the experience and many years of a faithful companion!

[Scarlettsmom]

Originally Posted by LaRen616

Just want you to be aware that he may never be able to be off leash, ever. Mine could not be trusted off leash, he was a talker and a digger as well.

I was going to say the exact same thing! Paige could NEVER, EVER be trusted off leash. And she dug dens all over every yard we ever lived in. BUT, she was so funny. I swear she'd carry on conversations with me. She was my buddy.

I would also suggest that you NOT use a harnass. Paige took a harnass to mean LET ME PULL HARDER!! I wish I had known then what I know now. She would have been a much better walker. In any case, we LOVED her dearly for 10 years. We rescued her in Newport RI from the Potter League.

Can't wait to see pics of your new addition!!

[teh_fuzz]

Originally Posted by Scarlettsmom

I was going to say the exact same thing! Paige could NEVER, EVER be trusted off leash. And she dug dens all over every yard we ever lived in. BUT, she was so funny. I swear she'd carry on conversations with me. She was my buddy.

I would also suggest that you NOT use a harnass. Paige took a harnass to mean LET ME PULL HARDER!! I wish I had known then what I know now. She would have been a much better walker. In any case, we LOVED her dearly for 10 years. We rescued her in Newport RI from the Potter League.

Can't wait to see pics of your new addition!!

the harness does makes sense given their constant search for something to pull for a living :P

How do you all feel about collars? choke collars? the prodding ones, and the invisible fence thing?

My father in law had a dog that was so... dumb/tough that even at the higher settings, he would quickly haul ass past the fence and deal with the short consequences without missing a beat lol

I was also suggested to buy a stake for the back yard with a long long cable to let him get his work out once we all get tired... Personally, I am not to keen on it, but i would love to hear opinions on it.

[Stevenzachsmom]

I am opposed to invisible fences. It is too easy for the dog to run through. Then - he can't get back in. They also do NOTHING to keep out other dogs. A physical fence is definitely a must.

I'm not sure the point of a stake. I would never leave a dog outside unattended - especially not tied to a stake.

[teh_fuzz]

The stake thing - not buying into it
The invisible fence 0 too expensive and to me it doesn't really benefit neither the dog nor me or my family so yeah, not going to happen.

I will try and post pictures sometime tomorrow evening after we get all settled in