Entering a new home is a time of great excitement and stress for a new pet.  Adjusting to a new house – new smells, new people and, possibly, new siblings in the form of other pets – is going to take some time.  Many dogs will take a few months to settle into a new home and even the most housetrained dog may have the occassional accident.  Start as you mean to go on with regards to what you find acceptable or not.  Find a daily routine that suits you and your lifestyle and stick to it.  If your dog is from a rescue center try not to over compensate for the fact that he may may have had a hard life up to now by lavishing attention on him for the first few weeks. Your dog could become over-attached and develop anxiety problems when you leave him alone.  Don’t let him follow you everywhere around the house and arrange times when you leave him alone for short periods every day.  Don’t invite people around to meet your dog, or take him to busy, potentially scary places for at least a couple of weeks. Give him plenty of time to bond with you, get to know his new home, feel safe and secure before expecting him to cope with too much!  Remember that dogs can bolt through open doors so be careful when opening the front door or getting out of the car.  Whilst walking your new dog it is wise to keep him on the lead for at least two weeks so that he becomes familiar with the area and does not bother other people and dogs.  Practice recall training at home and out on the walk  and only let him off once you are certain that he will come back. The first time you let him off try and do it in an enclosed space.  A dog that has been given too much freedom can form habits that are hard to break.  After the settling in period has ended all new dogs should attend a local training class.  By attending a class you as the owner will learn how to communicate with your dog resulting in a happier life for your dog and of course you as the owner...  Remember Praise not Punish.

If you have more than one dog it is vital that you introduce the new dog to your existing dog in the right way.  You can begin your preparation long before you bring the dog home. For example, and if possible, visit the dog's breeder/rescue centre and take a cloth. Rub the new dog with it then bring it home and put it somewhere that your adult dog will frequent and be able to smell.  Carry out the first introduction on neutral ground if possible, and keep the sessions short.  If possible try not to alter the existing routine for feeding, walks or playtimes

Allow the animals to meet when they feel ready to.  Never just march into your house with the new dog and expect everything to be rosy.  This behaviour could be interpreted as a direct invasion of the number 1 dogs territory.  Always let the dogs meet outside the property on neutral ground and take them for a walk before entering the property.  If possible do a number of these neutral meetings before bringing in the new dog to your home. If there is more than one other animal in your menagerie, introduce the newcomer to one pet at a time, so you don't overwhelm him.  Don't use physical force to put the older animals in their place; this may make them wary of the new arrival. Never leave your new puppy unsupervised with any of your older pets until you're sure they all get along well.  It is a good idea to have a lead on the new dogs collar so if there is any evidence of any unwanted behaviour the dog can be taken away immediately.  Always accompany stepping on the lead or picking up the lead with a firm NO.  Keep an empty washing up liquid bottle filled with water handy so that you can divert any unwanted behaviour by squirting the offending animal straight in the face and reprimanding with a firm NO.  Above all keep calm at all times.

With multiple dog households try not to give alot of attention to the new dog whilst ignoring the first dog.  This is a recipe for disaster as it breeds resentment.  Remember it can be extremely hard for an existing dog to share what he once had all to himself and really accept the new arrival.  The dogs should both be given plenty of choices over sleeping areas and toys so that the existing dogs do not feel stressed at suddenly having to share.

Never feed two dogs in close proximity to each other.  Dogs need space to eat without the possible threat of another dog muscleing in and taking their food.  Food is the most common cause of squabbles and fights.  Feed the older dog first to maintain pack order.  Try to feed the dogs either in separate rooms or at either end of a large room always with you present.  You don't have to stand guard but just be aware of your surroundings and read your dogs body language.  Be quick to correct any bad behaviour.

Housetraining
It is important to get a good toileting routine going from the moment the dog arrives so that it knows when it is going to be taken out.  Some dogs will mark their new territory by urinating, hopefully only once in the whole of the house but some will mark in every room.  It is best just to issue a firm NO and lead the dog outside and stay with it untill it urinates again and praise enthusiastically.  Remember scent marking is a natural behaviour to a dog.

Children
Be very careful when meeting children for the first time, especially if your dog was a stray.  Children must be instructed to give the new pet a chance to investigate its new home it its own time.  Try and encourage the children to play a game "Who can ignore the pet the longest" during the first few weeks.

It is important that children learn not to smother the new pet by hugging around the neck, kissing it around its muzzle etc. as this behaviour can seem very threatening and may lead to the children being bitten. 

Untill you know how the dog is going to react to any given situation i.e. during feeding, taking toys away it is best not to include the children in on these activities. As some dogs may guard their food it is best not to allow children to approach the food bowl.

Children need to be taught to respect the dog and never treat it as a toy.

A dog that is asleep can snap if woken abruptly.  Your children must be taught to leave the dog alone when it is sleeping and not to suddenly disturb/startle a sleeping dog.

A dog needs time away from the children.  It needs its own bed in a peaceful corner and the children must learn never to disturb the dog when it has gone to its "place of safety". 

Be aware that visiting children may never have been taught how to behave around dogs so take preventative measures.

Do not allow a dog to be teased with food or toys by your children.  It is unkind and cruel and may result in the dog snapping and biting your children.

Remember it is not just people than can be short tempered in hot weather.

However tolerant a dog appears to be with children NEVER LEAVE A DOG UNATTENDED WITH CHILDREN.  No dog can be trusted 100%

Travelling
Always ensure that your dog is secured properly in the car.  It is dangerous to have a loose dog in the car, they can be the cause of your momentary lack of concentration which in turn can cause an accident.  Also in the case of an accident a loose animal being thrown from the back to the front of the car can have fatal consequences to any passengers you may have.  There are many different ways of safely transporting dogs, eg. a dog travel harness which is attatched to existing seat belts, dog guards and wire travelling cages.  If your pet is secured there is less likelyhood of him being injured himself if you are involved in an accident.

Many dogs are frightened of the car but with time and patience this can be overcome.  Make the car a nice place to be, in some cases it helps to feed the dog in a stationary car for a few weeks so that he can become accustomed to the car whilst a pleasurable experience is occuring.  Once he is accustomed to a stationary car, try switching on the engine and have him eating with the engine running.  Remember not to hover around him whilst he is eating.  It is best to leave him to his own devices with no distractions.  Hopefully after a few weeks he will look forward to entering the car rather than being terrified of it.  Always start off with short journeys that end with a nice walk in the park, gradually increase the duration of time spent in the car.

It is a vicious circle with dogs who are bad travellers as often the owners avoid putting the dog in the car unless it is absolutely necessary, ie. a trip to the vets, going to the boarding kennels when the family go on holiday or a long journey whilst being taken on holiday.  If every time the dog gets in the car an unpleasant experience is at the end of it your dog will become anxious the moment he enters the car making travelling with your dog a nightmare.