In the beginning never leave the dog in the garden without watching it. It could easily dig a hole and run away. Make sure there are no openings through which it could pass. If the head can get through, then the body can.

Do not let the dog run freely in the park of the forest during the first months. Make sure you have established a good relation with the dog and that he listens to you.

At home be careful when you open the front door and make sure that the dog cannot slip out of the house.

Keep the doors closed.

Now that there is a dog in the house make sure to close the doors and the garden gate. This will avoid a lot of suffering since a dog that runs away is a tragedy for you but mainly for the dog.

Lost?

In case the dog disappears contact the shelters in your region, the police station and your veterinarian. Let us also know of the disappearance. Sites and Facebook pages for lost animals also exist. The PetAlert site for instance, allows you to signal the disappearance of your dog.

An announcement will subsequently appear on the Facebook page related to the zone of disappearance. This site also allows the signalling of any animal found or sighted.

Dogs learn by cooperation rather than by avoidance. Positive training consists in reinforcing good behaviour and in creating or maintaining a good inter-species relation (between humans and dogs) on the basis of respect. Also, in goodwill and the analysis and understanding of canine behaviour.

Dogs that have lived on the streets sometimes have a slight trauma. We strongly advise against correcting the dog or getting angry with it. A short ‘Eh’ is often sufficient to indicate that something is not allowed, without forgetting that praising the dog when it stops doing it, is the best method

The first days it is possible that the dog suffers from diarrhoea. The most common causes are stress from the journey, the change of climate or the food.

Rice! Give the dog food easy to digest, many times a day in small portions. Ideally rice (4 cups of water for 1 cup of rice) adding a flavour cube. Do not through the water away; let it cool down. The water from the rice helps stop the diarrhoea.

Let the dog eat in a calm spot where it is not bothered and where its food is not threatened. The diarrhoea should stop after a few days and you can then give it food twice a day.

In any case if the dog continues to have diarrhoea and/or if this has blood or is sticky, we advise that you consult the veterinarian and conduct comprehensive tests (we advise this anyway). Take along the dog’s passport, so that the veterinarian can see what action has already been taken.

Not to do!

Many people know Cesar Millan from TV. His methods are hostile towards animals and we do not recommend them. Cesar Millan is NOT authorised to practice in a number of countries (including Germany). His methods work quickly because he causes fear in dogs. We do not educate children in this manner, nor dogs.

Not a flexible leash

If the dog still needs to get used to you and its new environment or is frightened it is recommended to avoid leashes of the flexi-roll-out type. These leashes could slip from your hand and the dog risks being frightened and running away because of the noise when it is retracted.

In the beginning do not leave children alone with the dog. A dog could easily get frightened of something or of a circumstance and a child would not be capable of controlling the animal and its reaction. Outside the house the dog’s attitude could differ from that inside the house. It will not necessarily do something bad, but it could be approached by an angry dog and the child would not be able to manage the situation. An adult should always be present. In schools for canines, courses for dogs and children are available. They could be very useful and appreciated by the whole family.

It is recommended that you leave the cat in the cage for a few minutes when arriving or letting it out in a small room. That will allow time for the cat to get used to the smells in your house. If you have other animals do not let the cat out immediately but leave enough time so that their respective scents mix and each of them gets used to the presence of the other. This can be done by leaving the cat in the cage or closing it in a separate room, as already indicated.

If there is access to outdoors (a terrace, a garden, a courtyard, …) never leave the cat go out before three weeks have passed. A cat starts feeling at home after three weeks of co-habitation. If you let it go out earlier it runs the risk of running away, since it will not feel at home yet.

At home if you have to open the front door take care to always make sure beforehand that the cat cannot slip out.

We recommend that you secure the terrace or garden outside the house so that the cat does not run away.

Keep the garden gates closed.

Now there is a cat at home, make sure to close the garden gates firmly. This will avoid a lot of suffering since a cat that runs away is a tragedy for you but mainly for the cat in too many cases.

Lost?

In case the cat disappears contact the shelters in your region, the police station and your veterinarian. Let us also know of the disappearance. Sites and Facebook pages for lost animals also exist. The PetAlert site for instance, allows you to signal the disappearance of your animal.

An announcement will subsequently appear on the Facebook page related to the zone of disappearance. This site also allows the signalling of any animal found or sighted.