Foster Guide

Here is a brief guide to fostering dogs, please ask any questions you have and the guide will be updated.

1. Food: Don’t feed your foster dog what it says on the dog food bag. Anywhere between 1 cup and 2 cups of food a day is enough for a dog. Unless otherwise advised. Splitting meals into 4 servings rather than 2 is always helpful, the chances are these animals were living in the wild and will eat until they are sick. The same applies to water, limit availability so they don’t drink as much as possible.

2. Training: Always give your dog a bathroom break within 30 minutes of having food and water. Consistent outside breaks are vital to preventing accidents. Reward dogs that go to the bathroom outside with lots of belly rubs and butt scratches. If accidents happen, aides may be provided that discourage those behaviours, from puppy pads to sprays that discourage inside peeing etc.

3. Exercise: an exercised dog is a well behaved and happy dog. Please exercise your foster dog for at least an hour a day, 30 minutes in the morning is extremely helpful in ensuring a dog is well behaved while you may be gone.

4. Socialisation: Vital to getting a dog adopted is to have it socialised with other people and animals. Dog park trips are extremely encouraged. If your foster dog is more cautious and nervous around other people or dogs, an extended walk prior to a dog park trip will greatly influence the success of the socialisation. More exercise= less stress= friendlier dog.

5. Environment: It’s important to supervise your foster and try to understand their moods, they may be social but not 8 hours of play a day social. Stress can build up over many days or it can immediately be visible. Giving your foster time to relax, lay around its humans with no demand from anyone else.. These guys have been through a lot before they turned up at your doorstep.

6. Sleep: It’s a dog eat dog world out where these dogs have come from, the safety they feel around you is very different to what they have felt through the nights their whole lives. Crates are provided for all fosters but they are completely optional. Use them at your own discretion, you may find that your foster dog does nothing at night except sleep.