HOW TO SETTLE A ROMANIAN RESCUE INTO HER NEW HOME

This beautiful girl is 2 year old Sadie. She has been in the UK for almost 4 weeks and is one of the most settled Rommies I have worked with. The secret to her family's success is that they have listened to her. She comes with many of the issues faced by overseas dogs as they settle into a new world. She is uneasy with cars. She can't always tolerate being handled. She has spent most of her life with other dogs, so had little understanding about how to behave with people. Her lead walking was hard work because she had barely worn a lead in her past life. Her mum and dad are taking things nice and slowly with her and, most importantly, they know dogs pretty well. They know how to listen to her. If she puts her mouth on them, they stop what they're doing because they understand when a dog is trying to say, "please stop that". She hasn't been pressured to go for long walks or meet lots of people. She is being allowed to take things at her own pace, which means that she is more confident than many overseas dogs.

She gets excited around new people and dogs, and she still tends to "puppy mouth" hands and clothes because she still has a very young, pupyyish brain. Her family have managed her really well because she gets plenty of calm time in her own den, away from too much stimulation. This doesn't only calm her down, it's also a very good way of avoiding separation anxiety and, although she is devoted to her mum and dad, she isn't overly reliant on them (which happens so often when overseas dogs bond with new people). Having never had anyone to call their Special-Person before, overseas dogs can become very attached to their new family and its important to help them build their independence to avoid over-attachment. Sadie was a little gem - it was a real pleasure to work with her and she quickly learned to walk nicely on a loose lead, as well as how to settle calmly on a mat. At the end of the session she settled into a deep, relaxed sleep.