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 non-public house. Don’t let the phrases “rule” or “pointers” trick you into pondering this generally is a hard-and-fast situation. Barely, 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 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” half. At this stage, your canine isn’t displaying his or her true colors as a result of overwhelm.
The first 3 weeks are in your canine to review the household tips and bounds in a loving, kind, constructive means. It begins your bonding course of off on the proper foot (er, paw?) and establishes the inspiration of your relationship.
The first 3 months are for socialization, teaching, and new experiences. By the tip of three months, your canine ought to actually really feel settled and protected. A part of the family.
All by means of these first three days, weeks, and months, your job is to stay affected particular person. Arrange kind 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 basic teaching. Stroll daily, within the occasion you’ll be able to. Understand prematurely your canine will start to check out boundaries. Be affected particular person and hold 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 character shine by means of.
After three months, proceed to teach, drawback, and socialize collectively along 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 put up the place I launched her and outlined a bit little bit of her background and quirks. Making an attempt once more at that put up, I am amazed at how far she’s come… nonetheless additional 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 because of week one for Penny consisted of sleep, sleep, and further sleep. Trauma restoration, we count on.
Now, we’re merely earlier the three-month mark, and there’s loads of progress to share!
On reflection, at three days, Penny wasn’t even capable of kind 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, nonetheless her fear nonetheless dominated. Even at 4 weeks, as soon as I wrote that closing change, she nonetheless oscillated between comfort and fear every single day.
Penny’s 3-month change
She’s doing amazingly properly.
Penny walks throughout the neighborhood most days. Some days–twice closing week–one factor scares her, nonetheless she trusts us enough to know that when she freezes and turns in direction of home, we’re going to adjust to instead of push.
She performs with toys. Now she should examine the excellence between canine toys and youngster toys, nonetheless really? That’s on the individuals, not the canine. Violet and Astrid shortly realized the consequence of not choosing up their toys and stuffed animals.
She sleeps a normal schedule now, which is a big discount.
Penny not too way back entered the kitchen–twice–all on her private. We doled out reward and treats, nonetheless that wasn’t enough to steer her it’s a protected space however. She hasn’t returned since.
She nonetheless hasn’t walked down the doorway hall. Maybe she goes to someday. Maybe she obtained’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 obtained’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 glorious
I checked out loads of infographics that implied your canine could be utterly settled in at three months! Congrats! You made it!
In addition to. Nuh-uh.
Maybe your canine utterly match correct into your family members and your loved ones and by three months hit a powerful stride.
It’s potential, nonetheless it seems a lot much less doable 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 when you elevate an arm or leg near her (though she hangs out as soon as I comply with yoga, so that’s huge progress). She obtained’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 of’t entry (like the bathroom or consuming room) and will not go to the bathroom on a stroll.
She drinks water from puddles inside the yard and is solely now starting to perception the canine bowls of current water on the deck and within the house.
At three months, your canine most likely understands he or she is correct right here to stay. And that’s superior. That’s an unlimited hurdle for canines who’ve been bounced spherical from shelters or rescues or foster homes or unstable, unsafe situations like Penny’s.
The remaining depends on the canine’s character and the household individuals’ canine experience.
So, within the occasion you’re any individual who reads one factor like this set of pointers and feels corresponding to you’re failing because of your canine stays to be scared / reactive / untrained / regardless of on the three-month mark, rest assured that you simply simply’re excellent. Your canine is okay. I suggest, heck, I labored with Cooper for higher than 13 years and he under no circumstances “overcame” his fear or his reactivity.
It’s not about having a “glorious” canine after three months. It’s about developing a bond collectively along with your canine, developing perception and security. Giving your canine a method of safety.
The remaining, like Penny’s hallway, will each come or it obtained’t.
In case you occur to cherished this put up, you’ll most likely have the benefit of my forthcoming e-book, For the Love of Canine, from Regalo Press in February 2025. It’s chock stuffed with the newest evaluation in canine cognition blended with tales of my canines to ship the information to life. To stay up-to-date on the newest with Penny and my publication info, be part of the mailing itemizing or adjust to alongside on Instagram.
