Are You Thinking of Fostering a Dog for the First Time?

If you’re considering fostering a homeless dog, hurray! If you foster a dog from a shelter or rescue, you are not only helping that dog, but you are also making room for another homeless dog. While fostering can be a rewarding experience, you will want to make sure you are prepared and ready for the commitment, especially if you are fostering a dog for the first time. We turned to Sara K. Enos, Founder and CEO of the American Pit Bull Foundation in Charlotte, NC, for her advice for prospective dog foster parents.

What to Know Before You Foster a Dog

First Things First

Before you commit to fostering a dog for the first time, check your homeowner’s insurance or rental policy. Some have restrictions on how many dogs are allowed, how much they weigh, and/or what breed they are. The next step is to assess your lifestyle to determine what type of dog you should get. If you like to be active, don’t take on a dog with health issues that keep him sedentary. Likewise, if you’re a homebody who likes to kick back when you’re not working, let the organization know that, so they don’t match you with an athletic dog or a puppy. Finally, if you are fostering a dog for the first time, don’t take on a special needs dog. It is easy to get overwhelmed if your first foster is a challenging animal.

Shop Smart

Preparing for a dog to arrive at your home—foster or otherwise—is not unlike preparing to bring home a new baby. You’ll need plenty of dog supplies, and, in your excitement, it’s easy to overdo it. Different foster organizations provide their foster parents with different supplies. Ask for a list of what you’ll need to provide versus what they’ll send the dog home with.

Wait on the Fun Stuff

When it comes to treats and toys, it might be wise to wait until you become familiar with your foster dog. How does he handle toys? Does he enjoy squeaky toys or dislike them? Which dog treats seem to motivate him the most? Once you figure out what your foster dog likes and their chewing intensity, you can look into fun toys.

Engage the Entire Family

It's important for the entire family to be involved when fostering a dog. This allows your foster dog to interact with different people, helping you understand the types of individuals they prefer or avoid, which is crucial for finding the ideal home. Additionally, if you have children, they should always be supervised when around the dog. Not all children are familiar with how to properly interact with dogs, and they may not know what constitutes appropriate behavior when playing with a dog.

Be Prepared to Socialize Your Foster Dog

Even if you have no other pets, the foster dog still needs to learn doggy social skills. Enos explains, “Be prepared to socialize your foster dog! Even if you don’t own a dog, they still need to continue learning good doggy manners and social behaviors with others.” This isn’t as simple as taking him to the dog park and letting him run around, especially if you are not well-versed in reading dog body language. Dog parks can actually be stressful for some foster dogs. Instead, find out if your foster organization offers pack walks or training sessions for when you foster a dog. You can also ask to be connected with experienced foster families to schedule a playdate. The key to a successful playdate is keeping the excitement level low and creating a calm environment.

Go Slow with Other Pets

If you have other dogs at home, the potential for a good relationship could be ruined if you push them to be friends too fast. Start with leash walks during which there is no interaction between the dogs. If that goes smoothly, move into allowing hind-end sniffing while leashed. From there, go to controlled and calm off-leash interactions in a fenced area for 10 minutes to start. You should always feed them separately to prevent any potential for conflict. You should also remove all the toys when the two dogs are together to minimize the chance of any conflict. This “getting to know you” process can take a good 2 weeks.

Think Ahead

When you foster a dog, your job is not only to share your home and love with a homeless dog, but to prepare them for a future home. Enos says, “Most important to understand is that you are preparing a dog for a variety of different possible environments, not your environment.” Set them up for success by instilling good behavior from the start. Focus on teaching him fundamental manners that will benefit him in his forever home. It’s understandable to have the urge to spoil a foster dog, especially one who has had a rough life, but dogs thrive on routine and leadership. Instilling manners, such as sitting to be fed, no jumping, no begging and not pulling on the lead, are great ways to ensure success when placing your foster dog into a forever home.