safety – Iffy Dog

Once you have decided to try fostering, you may have a lot of questions about how it works.

What do foster families need to provide?

A healthy, safe, and loving environment
Transportation to all veterinary appointments
Socialization to help teach your foster dogs positive inter-pet relationships
Lots of exercise and positive stimulation to help them develop into great family pets
Cuddle time to help teach your foster dogs positive family relationships

The Rescue will pay for any veterinary or medical costs your foster requires and will do their best to make sure you have all of the resources you need to be a successful foster.

Snuggling is the best part.

Here is what you will need to help your foster dog make a smooth transition to living in your home:

At least one bowl for food and one for water.
A collar with an ID tag and a leash: Even though foster dogs will likely be microchipped, they immediately need an ID tag with your current contact information on it. Please have one ready for when you receive your foster dog.
A soft place to sleep: a dog bed, old towels or blankets work just as well.
A baby gate is useful, but not required, to keep certain areas of your home off-limits.
A crate: The crate should be large enough for the dog to stand up and turn around in, but not much bigger than that. A crate can usually be provided by the rescue if you do not have one.
Dog treats: Giving treats is a good way to help train and build a positive relationship with your foster dog.
Dog toys: Make sure the toys are durable and appropriate for the size of your foster dog. Avoid choking hazards.
Grooming supplies: A brush, dog shampoo

Some fosters enjoy buying a new collar, leash, toys, treats, and comfy bedding for their foster dog. I love dog shopping! Any of those items you purchase yourself, you are able to write off on your taxes as a donation to the Rescue. Double bonus, if you shop on Amazon Smile you can give a kick back to the non-profit organization of your choice. Mine goes to TAKE PAWS RESCUE.

If you CAN provide the things your foster dog needs, those resources can be redirected to saving another dog. But if you cannot provide them, the rescue is generally able to assist by donating or loaning out any items that you may need. Just ask.

What else does a foster do?

Provide exercise, discipline & affection. Establish rules, boundaries & limitations. Snuggle them.

Dog-proofing Your Home

Please note that sometimes foster dogs can do damage. We don’t always know how they will behave in a new home. So, before bringing home a new foster dog, you will want to prepare the area where you are going to keep your foster dog. Remove anything that would be unsafe or undesirable for the dog to chew on. Some foods and chemicals can be very harmful if consumed by dogs, so please store them in a place that the foster dog cannot access. Think about them like they are toddlers – they just don’t know better until you train them. They depend on you to keep them safe!

Dog & Cat Introductions

If you have other pets, you’ll want to introduce them to your foster dog one at a time and supervise their interactions at first. It’s a good idea to introduce them outside in a large yard or on a walk, keeping all of the dogs on leash and allowing them enough space to get adjusted to one another. Some very stressed dogs will need time in a safe space on their own before they are ready to meet your other pets. After a few quiet days, they are generally ready to meet and play with others.

You often will not know if a foster dog has been around cats and gets along with them, so if you have cats in your home or around your yard, you’ll need to make the introduction to the foster dog with care. Start by keeping them separated. Over a week or two, let the dog and cats smell each other through the door, but don’t allow them direct contact with one another. Exchanging blankets or bedding between the dog’s area and the cat’s area will allow them to get used to each other’s smells. When you are ready to do the face-to-face introduction, with your foster dog on a leash, allow your cat out into the dog’s area. Distract the dog with a new toy or a treat so that the cat has the chance to approach without being charged. Some dogs will ignore cats, some will play with them, and some will lunge and chase. Watch the body language of both animals and separate them immediately if either becomes aggressive or overly excited. The goal is to keep the interaction positive. You may need to do this several times. Introduce one cat at a time if you have multiple cats.

Children and Dogs

The rescue foster coordinator will do their best to place you with an appropriate animal for your home situation, but you should always supervise all interactions between children and your foster dog. Do not ever leave your foster dog unattended with young children. You don’t know a foster dog’s history. Please teach your children how to act responsibly around your foster dog.

Do not allow young children to leash walk the foster dog. They are not be strong or experienced enough to handle encounters with other dogs or cats.

Stop the 77 is a good recource for information on preventing dog bites and general safety for your dog and your family and to learn to see stress signals in dogs.

Teach your children to be safe around dogs.

Always leave the dog alone when they are eating, chewing or sleeping. Some dogs may nip or bite.
Do not chase the foster dog or run quickly around the foster dog. It may scare them or get them over stimulated and lead to the child getting hurt.
Dogs cannot tell the difference between what is their toy and what belongs to children until they are old enough and trained to do so. Kids need to keep their belongings where the foster dog cannot get to them.
Do not try to take a toy away from the foster dog.

Every foster dog will come with widely varying social skills, manners and energy levels. Your goal as a foster parent is to prepare your foster for living successfully in his or her forever home.

Daily Routine

It’s important to establish a daily routine of regularly scheduled feedings, potty breaks and walk times. Just like young children, dogs take comfort in having a routine and knowing what comes next. When you first take your foster dog home, keep things relatively calm. Too much stimulation and too many new things can cause a dog to become even more stressed. This is not the time to have a party. In fact, it’s a good idea to keep all introductions to a minimum during the first couple of days .

Feeding

Your foster dog should be fed a good quality, grain free food. It is helpful to the rescue group, from a monetary standpoint, if the foster family can provide the food. If this presents a hardship for you, many rescues will provide dog food. If you have other dogs at home, always feed them separately to avoid any food aggression altercations. I feed all of our dogs in their own crates, which has the added benefit of helping them associate their crate with food, keeping it a happy place.

It is common for a stressed new foster to not eat well in the first days in a new home. I find that adding canned salmon and/or plain yogurt to kibble helps to ease the food transition. Be aware of your foster dog’s appetite and energy level after the first few days. If they are not eating well or seem lethargic, something may be wrong. Please let the rescue foster coordinator know if you feel that something is not right with your foster dog.

How Long Does Fostering Take?

It varies from dog to dog, from a few days to a couple of weeks or even months. Foster dogs stay in their foster homes until they get adopted. The rescue’s goal is to place the dog in a well-matched adoptive home as soon as the dog is ready, so that the dog can bond with its forever family, and the foster can save another dog in need.

If you are fostering puppies, they need a safe place until they are old enough to be safely removed from their mother and placed. Puppies tend to be adopted quickly.

If you are fostering for an out of town Rescue, it may be just until transport can be arranged. There is often a quarantine period of three weeks before an animal can get a health certificate to cross state lines. Communicable illnesses, such as kennel cough, can spread rapidly through a shelter, and may take time to show up in a dog. Some states will not accept heartworm positive dogs, and so the dogs must complete heartworm treatment before they can travel.

If you are fostering a senior or special needs dog,it may require a bit more time to find their prefect forever home.

If you are fostering a dog that needs medical care, the goal is to get them healthy before they leave your care.

*If you anticipate personal or work travel, please take that into consideration when offering to foster a new dog.

Help Your Foster Dogs Get Adopted

The rescue will market your foster dog on sites like Facebook, Instagram, Petfinder and their own website, but they can’t do it without your help. No one will know as much about your foster dog as you will, so you will be asked to help write a detailed description of your foster dog with helpful information about their personality and skills. Is the dog good with children, other dogs, cats, other pets? Is the dog active or a couch potato? You can help find and screen potential adopters and make sure the adoptive family is a good fit by helping them to understand your foster dog’s energy level, any issues that are being worked on, and any special needs the dog may have. This is a great thing that fostering does to help ensure a successful forever adoption. If adopters take a dog straight from a shelter, they won’t know much of anything about the dog’s personality, skills, or needs.

A good photo does a lot to get a dog adopted. If your dog is good with children and other dogs, a photo can convey that. We get the most applications for dogs with good photographs posted. Get down on the dog’s level and take photos. You can share them on your social media. Ask your friends to share. A good photo will get a dog noticed and adopted much faster. I really enjoy taking photos of my foster dogs. Some of them pose for me, and others are always in motion. It’s a fun challenge! You don’t need any special camera or software. I have a nice DSLR camera, but I mostly use my iPhone. Here’s a link for getting the most out of your iPhone camera.

This is a pretty typical dog photo, taken standing and looking down at the dog.

This is a better photo of May. Get lower and closer to the dog to get a great photo. I take my best dog photos sitting on the ground, or even laying on the ground at their level.

Grooming

A clean and well-groomed dog has a much better chance of getting adopted, so take good care of your foster dog. Brush and bathe them. Contact the rescue foster coordinator if you feel that your foster dog needs to see a professional groomer. If you are comfortable with it, you can trim their nails. But please be careful because you can cause pain and bleeding if you trim the nails too short. I always ask the vet to do it while I have them there.

House Training

You may need to housebreak your foster dog. Be patient. There is an adjustment period when a foster dog comes to your home, and you will likely have to clean up a few stress or excitement accidents. Dogs that have been stray are used to going everywhere and those that have lived in a shelter for a while have probably had minimal walks and chances to relieve themselves outside. Be prepared for an adjustment period. If your foster dog has an accident inside the house, don’t punish. Punishment is ineffective at eliminating the behavior. Only use positive training. I take my dogs outside every few hours, depending on age. (Initially, you may need to take them out more frequently.) Most dogs will give cues — standing near the door or sniffing the ground and walking in circles – to let you know that they need to go out. I have a bell that hangs low near my backdoor. Every time I take the dogs out, I ring the bell. At some point, they will ring the bell to let me know they want to go out. (My Lab will the ring the bell if she notices that a younger foster needs to go.) Take them out after meals, or after you see them drinking a lot, watch for them to go, and then offer a really good treat and act like they just preformed a miracle. It works! They want to please you.

Most dogs can be house trained within a few days, they are much, much faster than human children at potty training! For other dogs, those that have abusive backgrounds, it can sometimes take more time. Be patient. I had a sweet little chihuahua who came from a hoarding situation and had never been house trained, and he came around. He would pretend to pee outside just to get a treat after he figured me out! I really wish my kids had been so easy to train!

Crate Training

Using a crate can be advantageous both for you and for potential adopters. A crate can be a safe place for your foster dog to have down time. My dogs love to nap in their crates. A crate should never be used as a form of punishment. Your foster should only associate good things with their crate. I start by putting toys in the crate and encouraging them to go in. Crate training a fearful dog can take time. Some dogs warm up to the crate slowly. If they are afraid to go in, place a dog treat in the crate. After they take the treat, place another treat a little farther back in the crate. I use special “cage treats” that only are given when the dogs have to go into their crates. I say “cage” and they all run to their crates and wait for their treat. It works like a charm at bedtime or when I need to leave the house. The fosters figure it out pretty quickly. I also feed all meals inside of the crates. If you have small children, teach them to stay out of the crate, and ignore the dog when it is inside the crate. The crate is a comfortable, happy safe place of retreat for your foster dog.

Obedience Training

Teach your foster dog manners. You would be surprised how many dogs are given up because they lack manners that are easily acquired with a bag of treats and a little time spent training. Mastering basic commands like sit, down, and off make for a well-mannered, adoptable dog. It’s not difficult. Reward desirable behaviors and ignore and redirect unwanted behaviors. Just like in parenting – be consistent. Dogs are fast learners, and they will learn what they can get away with and what they can’t. They generally just want to please you. Show them how.

Socialization

Socialization is learning to be part of society, it means helping them learn to be comfortable with many different types of people, in many different environments, around lots of different sights, noises, smells, and other animals. The most adoptable dogs are good with other dogs, cats, and children. If you can, take your foster dog out in public wearing a bright yellow adopt me harness or bandana as well as bringing them to occasional adoption events.

Walking well on a leash and socializing your foster dog are important. Walking with your foster dog is a good bonding experience. If they are pulling too much, take treats and reward them when they are using good leash manners. Stop and stand still when they are not. Be cautious when other dogs or cats are nearby. Your foster may get very excited or even scared. Exercise is a great stress relief, for people and for dogs, so get out and walk. You might meet potential adopters along the way!

Just Do It

I’ve heard it said that it takes an exceptional person to open your home and your heart to a strange dog, to love and heal it, and then to send it off to be loved by someone else. I don’t think it takes an exceptional person. It takes a kind person; it takes being aware. That is all.

There are so many in need, some in cold and scary animal shelters, dogs in homes that can’t care for them properly, and dogs that are sick, or stray and starving. If you have EVER thought about fostering a dog, please, try it once. Find a rescue group or shelter near you and contact them. If you live in New Orleans, Take Paws Rescue is an amazing all breed rescue to work with. Reach out. Give a homeless dog a chance at life.

And if you can’t foster or adopt, there ARE plenty of other things that you can do to help. Reach out to your local rescue or animal shelter. Walk a dog. Take photographs to help them get adopted. Donate. Help out at adoption events and fundraisers. Transport dogs from the shelter to fosters, to the vet, to adopters. Get your friends and family involved.

Tag: safety

Fostering 101 – The Basics of How to Foster a Dog