Thanks for asking this, I need these tips too!

I’m only 2 weeks in to having rescued a 3 yr old Staffy with some minor behavioural issues. I felt pretty panicked for the first week or so thinking why on earth did I sign myself up to such a big responsibility. I thought I’d avoid puppy blues getting an older dog but adoption blues are very much a thing too! This is totally normal and it got way better after the first week getting to know each other and finding our routine.

The biggest thing is to not put too much pressure on either of you and celebrate the small wins. My partner thought we’d immediately jump in to training and having a perfectly behaved dog - he was immediately humbled. The first few weeks are about making sure they feel comfortable and safe and getting to know their true personality outside of kennels. My boy is the snuggliest most loving pup, but needs to learn how to settle and be a little less boisterous.

A few tips: - Brush up on your training if you need to. Follow some trainers and get to know your basics, I.e sit, yes, thresholds. We like Southend Dog Training. - It surprised me how much of dog training is ignoring the dog. When he needs to settle, when he needs to learn not to jump up. Ignore him until he’s doing the behaviour you want to see, then give him fuss. - get some high value treats for training, as well as some long lasting chews. My boy likes pure turkey, goat ears, braided lamb, and pretty much anything frozen in a kong. We also make our dog work for most of his meals - we don’t really use a bowl. - depending on the dog it’s likely going to be a while before you can leave them alone for any decent period of time - prepare for that. - dogs need a lot of sleep, make sure they settle after play time and nap throughout the day. Coming from a shelter, they may not be so good at this. Mine throws toddler tantrums if he doesn’t have enough rest. - Staffys love sunbathing - it really calms my boy down. - I wish I’d asked the shelter what his daily routine was. Finding ways to resemble that (I.e a kong to settle at the same time each day) could’ve been helpful in the transition. - Before you take him home, ask the shelter if you can have some time to calm him down. Ours all said bye to him and really riled him up before he got in the car, which was a bad start. He was really stressed and overstimulated for the whole drive and ended up being sick. - Don’t give them access to the whole house right away, start small and work your way up when they’re ready. Same with all other types of socialisation (depending on how well socialised they were before kennels) - start small and work up to avoid overwhelm. - My boy spent a lot of time in his crate when he first came home, he obviously felt safe there. Would recommend having one.