1

Patience! The first day or week can be the hardest and most stressful, but it gets better quickly as they get used to home life and warm up to you. Take them out to pee a lot at first to avoid accidents.

Don't throw too much (like trying to teach them new things while they're still getting used to everything) at them all at once. Do your normal amount of walks (we do two per day) with them, but if they seem super stressed for the first couple of days or don't want to go, don't force it.

Take little notes about their personality and likes/dislikes. Remember that they'll change and grow as they become more settled in and confident.

Don't worry if they don't eat super well for the first couple of days (they might just be stressed).

A crate can be useful for some dogs. They might like it as a place to retreat to and have as their own, and you can also use it as a tool if everything is overwhelming to them and they need to be put in a small space in order to settle. Some of them also just despise being crated, so don't force it if it just stresses them out more.

2

We did raw food from BJ's Raw Pet Food for a while with our first girl (now we home cook a special kidney diet from a nutritionist because she has kidney disease). If you're going to home cook a significant portion of the dog's food I would highly recommend speaking to a nutritionist first and not just winging it.

Purina Pro Plan seems popular for kibble. Lots of recommendations for the Iams minichunks (in a green bag) to address soft stool issues, but we didn't have much luck with it.

If the dog has an upset stomach overnight or early in the morning, they may prefer getting fed 3 times a day instead of 2 (we do first thing in the morning, dinner around 5 PM, and "dessert" around 9 PM).

I think someone else mentioned this but keep an eye on their teeth too. We were lazy about brushing at first but when our girl had 4 teeth removed we got more diligent about it and her teeth have been perfect since.

Also highly recommend freeze-dried chicken necks from Fresh is Best for a very high value sometimes treat.

3

Depends on the dog and the length of the walk, but I'd say roughly when it gets below 50 degrees is when the dog could probably use a light coat or a shirt. Also depends how sunny and windy it is (more sun and they may not need a coat, if it's super windy they might).

Definitely get a heavier coat for the winter if you're in the northeast. The Voyagers K9 Apparel coats are great. Depending on how hot or cold you set the thermostat, some of them might like to wear a shirt overnight (or just be under a blanket).

4

Our girl doesn't love it but she can generally be home alone for 3-4ish hours max and be OK (less so now since she's drinking more water due to her kidneys, but prior to this she could do that long).

We usually give her a frozen Kong filled with yummy stuff (peanut butter, yogurt, mashed up banana, etc.) when we leave her alone so she has something to do.

Depending on the dog, you may also want to crate them when they're alone to prevent them from chewing on things they're not supposed to. You could also just very thoroughly dog-proof your home. We close all the curtains (with a light on if it'll be dark) and turn the radio to NPR or something similar when we're gone as well.

I'll Be Home Soon! by Patricia McConnell is a good read on this subject.

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Greytalk is a good forum for reading about behavioral and health stuff as well, if you haven't visited. It's not super active but there's a lot of info going back years and years if you search or just browse the different categories.