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 ideas for transitioning a model new canine into your individual dwelling. Don’t let the phrases “rule” or “ideas” trick you into contemplating it’s a hard-and-fast state of affairs. Pretty, I like to consider 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 equivalent 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 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 because of the overwhelm.

The first 3 weeks are to your canine to review the household tips and bounds in a loving, type, constructive methodology. It begins your bonding course of off on the becoming foot (er, paw?) and establishes the muse of your relationship.

The first 3 months are for socialization, teaching, and new experiences. By the tip of three months, your canine ought to essentially really feel settled and protected. A part of the family.

All by 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 type. Reward what you want. Ignore or redirect what you don’t want. Start basic teaching. Stroll every day, when you may. Understand upfront your canine will start to check out boundaries. Be affected individual and maintain fixed.

Your canine’s job? Sniff, uncover, check out, experiment. Really, it’s to examine the boundaries and work out 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 through.

After three months, proceed to educate, downside, and socialize alongside 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 submit the place I launched her and outlined a bit little bit of her background and quirks. Wanting once more at that submit, I am amazed at how far she’s come… nevertheless further on that in a sec.

Holding 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 an entire lot of progress to share!

Trying again, at three days, Penny wasn’t even in a position to 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, nevertheless her concern nonetheless dominated. Even at 4 weeks, as soon as I wrote that remaining change, she nonetheless oscillated between comfort and concern every single day.

Penny’s 3-month change

She’s doing amazingly properly.

Penny walks throughout the neighborhood most days. Some days–twice remaining week–one factor scares her, nevertheless she trusts us adequate 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 examine the excellence between canine toys and youngster toys, nevertheless really? That’s on the folks, not the canine. Violet and Astrid shortly found the consequence of not deciding on up their toys and stuffed animals.

She sleeps a regular schedule now, which is a big discount.

Penny these days entered the kitchen–twice–all on her private. We doled out reward and treats, nevertheless that wasn’t adequate to steer 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 through 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 an entire lot of infographics that implied your canine will most likely be fully settled in at three months! Congrats! You made it!

Moreover. Nuh-uh.

Presumably your canine fully match correct into your family members and your loved ones and by three months hit a secure stride.

It’s attainable, nonetheless it seems a lot much less probably than your canine needing a bit longer than that mark, which is why I like to consider it further as a result of the 3-3-3 guideline.

Penny nonetheless flinches whilst you elevate an arm or leg near her (though she hangs out as soon as 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 someone 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 current water on the deck and within the dwelling.

At three months, your canine perhaps 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 situations like Penny’s.

The remaining will depend upon the canine’s persona and the household folks’ canine experience.

So, if you’re someone who reads one factor like this set of ideas and feels equivalent 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 simply’re constructive. Your canine is okay. I indicate, heck, I labored with Cooper for better than 13 years and he not at all “overcame” his concern or his reactivity.

It’s not about having a “good” canine after three months. It’s about developing a bond alongside along with your canine, developing perception and security. Giving your canine a manner of safety.

The remaining, like Penny’s hallway, will each come or it gained’t.

Within the occasion you really liked this submit, you’ll perhaps get pleasure from my forthcoming e book, For the Love of Canine, from Regalo Press in February 2025. It’s chock full of the latest evaluation in canine cognition combined with tales of my canine to convey the knowledge to life. To stay up-to-date on the latest with Penny and my publication data,  be a part of the mailing document or adjust to alongside on Instagram.

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