Adopting a dog is one of the best decisions you can make. For your dog, though, the day they arrive is a huge change: new smells, new people, unfamiliar noises, and no routine to hold on to. What you do in the first week shapes how they settle in.

This guide gives you a day-by-day plan. It is not a test: every dog has their own pace, and what matters is that yours feels their new home is predictable and safe.

Before they arrive: get your home ready

Having the basics ready lets you spend the first day on what matters most: being there for them.

• A quiet corner with a bed, water and, if they use one, an open crate. Ideally away from the front door and busy areas.
• A dog-proof home: cables, cleaning products, medicines, rubbish, and toxic plants out of reach.
• A well-fitted collar or harness with an ID tag showing your phone number. You should fit one or two fingers between the collar and the neck, no more.
• The same food they ate at the shelter or foster home. Ask for the brand and the amount.
• House rules agreed with the whole family: who walks them, when they eat, whether they can go on the sofa, and which words you will use for each thing. Consistency helps enormously.

The 3-3-3 rule

Many shelters use a rough guideline:

• 3 days to get over the initial overwhelm. Eating little, sleeping a lot, or hiding is normal.
• 3 weeks to start understanding the household routine and show more of their personality.
• 3 months to truly feel at home.

Treat it as a guide, not a schedule. A dog who spent a long time in a shelter or comes from a difficult situation may need much longer.

Day 1: a calm arrival

• Go straight home from the shelter and take a short walk around the area before going in so they can relieve themselves.
• Let them explore at their own pace. If your home is large, start with one or two rooms.
• No visitors or welcome parties. Friends and family can meet them in a few days.
• Don't force interaction. Sit nearby, talk calmly, and let them come to you.

If they whine or don't sleep that night, it's normal. Stay calm and never punish them: they are somewhere completely new.

Days 2 and 3: predictable routines

Routine is the most reassuring thing for a newly arrived dog.

• Fixed times for meals, walks, and rest.
• Short walks on quiet routes, always on a lead. If they are fearful, double up: a harness and a collar, each with its own lead or with a double lead. A firework or a motorbike can make them bolt, and a dog who has just arrived doesn't know the way home yet.
• Reward calm behaviour: a gentle stroke or a treat when they are relaxed reinforces that state.

During these days they may have a poor appetite or slightly loose stools from stress. If they eat nothing for more than a day, vomit, you see blood, or they seem very low, call your vet.

Days 4 and 5: vet visit and paperwork

Even if the shelter says they are healthy, book a check-up within the first week or two. Bring their vaccination record or passport and every report you were given.

• Go through the vaccination and parasite-control schedule with your vet.
• Check that the microchip scans correctly and that the ownership transfer to your name is registered. Your shelter or vet will tell you which registry applies where you live.
• Look up local legal requirements, such as licences or insurance for dog owners. In Spain, for example, Law 7/2023 on animal welfare includes third-party liability insurance for dogs.

With up-to-date chip details, whoever finds your dog if they ever get lost will be able to reach you.

Days 6 and 7: first steps in training

Once they are calmer, you can start learning together.

• Short sessions of about five minutes, with treats, at home where there are few distractions. Their name, "sit", and coming when called are a great start.
• Teach them to be alone gradually: step out for a few seconds, come back without fuss, and slowly build up the time.
• If you have other pets, make introductions calmly. With another dog, meet on neutral ground and walk side by side. With a cat, start with separate spaces and swap blankets so they get used to each other's scent.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Too much at once: visitors, busy parks, car trips.
• Letting them off the lead in the first days. They haven't bonded with you yet and don't have a reliable recall.
• Switching food abruptly. If you want to change it, mix both over about seven to ten days.
• Punishing accidents indoors. Clean up without drama and take them out more often.
• Mistaking stillness for settling in. Some dogs are very quiet at first because they are overwhelmed; their real personality shows weeks later.

When to ask for help

Talk to your vet or a trainer who uses positive reinforcement if you see intense fear that doesn't improve, growling when you touch them or approach their food, or destructive behaviour or non-stop barking when they are left alone. Most shelters also offer support after adoption, so don't hesitate to get in touch.

Your first week doesn't have to be perfect. With patience, routine, and plenty of affection, your dog will discover they have reached their forever home.

This guide is for general information and does not replace advice from your vet.

It only takes a second: a door left open, a firework, a thunderstorm, or a clip that gives way. Any dog or cat can get lost, even the calmest one. The good news is that a few habits greatly reduce the risk and, if it does happen, improve your chances of getting them back quickly.

Prevention: three layers of identification

Think of identification in layers: if one fails, the next one has you covered.

1. An ID tag with your phone number, easy to read. It's the first thing anyone who finds an animal looks at, and it needs no scanner.
2. A microchip with up-to-date details. A microchip is not a GPS: it doesn't tell you where your pet is, only who their family is when a vet, a shelter, or the police scan it. That's why updating your phone number and address whenever they change is essential. In Spain, dogs, cats, and ferrets must be microchipped and listed in their region's registry.
3. Recent photos and distinguishing marks: spots, scars, or anything that sets them apart. If they go missing, you'll have everything for a poster in a minute.

Trackers: GPS or Bluetooth

A tracker doesn't replace a microchip, but it tells you where your pet is right now. There are two main kinds:

A few things worth knowing:

• GPS loses signal indoors. Many trackers then estimate the position from nearby Wi-Fi networks, with less accuracy.
• Safe zones (also called geofences) alert you as soon as your pet leaves an area you define, such as your home or garden. That's the feature that makes the difference in the first few minutes.
• For cats, always use a breakaway collar that opens if it gets caught.

Habits that make a difference

• Check collars, harnesses, and clips regularly. They stretch and wear out with use.
• Secure windows and balconies with netting if you have a cat. Falls from height are more common than you might think.
• Fireworks and storms: walk before they start, close the windows, prepare a quiet refuge, and keep them on the lead. In Spain, dates like San Juan, Las Fallas, and New Year's Eve see a lot of lost pets.
• Train recall with rewards they love, and don't let them off the lead until they respond reliably.
• Take extra care during moves, trips, and visits. Those are the moments with the most open doors and the most disorientation.

If they go missing: the first hours

Act fast and methodically:

1. Search the area immediately. A frightened dog can run far, but a cat usually hides very close by and stays silent: under cars, in garages, sheds, or bushes. Search again at dusk with a torch, when everything is quieter.
2. Leave their scent at the door: their bed or a piece of your clothing can help them find the way back.
3. Report the loss to the microchip registry, the local police, your council's animal services, shelters, and vet clinics in the area.
4. Spread a poster with a clear photo, the area, the date, and your phone number, on paper around the neighbourhood and on social media and local groups. Keep one distinguishing feature to yourself: it will help you check whether someone has really found them. Be wary of anyone asking for money up front.
5. If they wear a tracker, check their last position and switch on real-time tracking, even if it uses more battery.
6. Keep looking. Visit shelters and the council pound in person every few days, because descriptions don't always match.

When they come home

Take them to the vet to rule out injuries, parasites, or dehydration, withdraw the alerts from the registry and social media, and take a moment to work out what went wrong so it doesn't happen again.

At Petxam we are working to bring your pet's identification, location, and community together in one place, because when an animal goes missing, every minute counts.