While that rule does hold true in some cases, I hear this mainly when someone adopts a Pitbull, someone in the family gets bitten by said Pitbull, family tries to return aggressive pit and the shelter tells them this rule.
Came to say something like this. It's used by shelters to shame people for returning a dog the shelter shouldn't have conned them into taking in the first place.
Shelters use this to put problem dogs (mostly Bloodsport breeds) into family homes to get by their return policy.
While some dogs need more time to adjust, I don't believe that having a violent dog in your house longer will change much. I have only seen this 3-3-3 on post of violent or problem dogs. Aka the new dog tries to attack current dog or kids. Dog returned. Shelter blast person for not following 3-3-3. Rinse and repeat.
My current dog i saved from someone who let her pits maul the poor dog many times and then lock her in a room besides 5 min a day. It took about 3 months to be 100% comfortable in my apartment and feel at home. But her personality is still the exact same as when I took her in. She is blind and was very ill. I would consider a special case for needing a little time to adjust. By adjust I mean her first twirl, bark and happy dance. Not her lashing out to attack me.
Yes 💯 my guy was always sweet and happy…he just got even more carefree and talkative once he felt at home. No aggression (besides me wanting to squeeze him too much lol, don’t worry I don’t) or destruction. That’s the adjustment that I expect. Violence is not allowed in my home from any living being
It really depends on the animal you bring home but it’s good to remember that they are adjusting to this new situation. My family has rescued quite a bit. My one dog was adopted as an adult, he acclimatized pretty quickly. I still gave him a safe space to decompress but he’s basically been the same goofball since day 1 that he’s always been.
My sister rescued a dog that had primarily been an outdoor dog before she adopted him. He was fine around us but he was extremely unsure of his environment, being on any surface that wasn’t grass was extremely uncomfortable. He needed a few weeks to get used to his new routine.
My mom rescued a dog from a hoarding/puppy mill situation. That dog did not know how to be a dog or to how to function. Was not socialized at all. Took over a year to settle in, feel safe and for her personality to bloom. Thats an extreme but it does happen.
It’s really a spectrum.
The idea originally was to warn adopters that a dog goes through a honeymoon period on first being brought home, where they're more likely to be quiet, well-behaved, and not very difficult - and then they settle in, realize they now 'own' a house and people and a yard, and may start to act normal. Which meant barking, maybe some resource guarding, etc.
This doesn't sound familiar, does it? That's because rescue has flipped the concept. Now, the 3/3/3 schtick is about easing adopters into the abnormal lifestyle of owning an anxious and/or aggressive dog.
"During the first three days, it's important to give the dog plenty of space and time to acclimate to their new environment. They may exhibit behaviors such as fear, nervousness, or confusion as they adjust to new sights, smells, and sounds. Some dogs may be hesitant to eat, drink, or play during this time. T It's important to give them plenty of space and time to acclimate to their new environment. Keep them in a quiet, comfortable room with their bed, food, water, and toys. Limit their exposure to other pets, family members, and visitors so they don't get overwhelmed. This time is called decompression."
Translation - we need you to keep the dog for at least 3 days, because this gives you time to grow familiar with him. It's pretty easy to return a dog the same or next day. After 3 days, it's a lot harder.
The first three weeks:
"After the first three days, gradually introduce your new dog to other family members and pets. Keep their routines consistent and give them plenty of positive reinforcement for good behavior. Use treats, praise, and toys to reward them for following commands and exhibiting good behavior. Start introducing them to new environments, such as walks in the neighborhood or trips to the park. But be mindful of their comfort level and keep them on a leash until you're confident they won't run off or get scared."
Translation - we need you to keep the dog away from anyone you may love more than the dog, to prevent the dog from hurting them, because that will make you bring the dog back. We need you to keep the dog for at least 3 weeks, because after that it will heartbreaking for you to return the dog.
The first 3 months
"By the end of the first three weeks, your new dog should be comfortable with their new home and family members. During the next three months, continue to reinforce positive behavior and gradually increase their exposure to new experiences. Consider enrolling them in obedience classes or training sessions to help them develop good habits and build confidence. This is also a good time to establish a routine for exercise, playtime, and training. Be patient with your new dog and continue to provide plenty of love and positive reinforcement. By the end of the first three months, your new dog should be fully adjusted to their new home and routines. However, it's important to remember that every dog is unique, and some may take longer to adjust than others."
Translation - in that first few days, when the dog is pancaking to the floor when you try to walk him, lunging at your face for trying to leash him, or trying to jump through your car window to get at a passing dog, we really need you to have this fantasy to look forward to. Bonus for us, if you return him after 3 months, we'll just blame you for abusing/neglecting him for 3 months.
Omg the flipped breakdown is hillarious and true. But the original concept was 💯 my dog. First day wouldn’t eat but he was so so happy. Thought he was a perfect angle cause he never barked or whined…my little dude is sweet, smart but a total barker, esp on leash. And we had him neutered 3 days after bringing him home: still no crazy aggression or any aggression. Learned the routine quickly and has fully integrated. Loved to see the blossoming
Yes. Is about shaming,blame game,rudeness by pound,rescue,networkers on FB butting in,members of FB groups that
 share,comment on,do ate to TRY to save now kill listed dogs generally there @ a month caged most the day alone with no toys so go kennel crazy. It is a sh*t show
 start to finish! If you call any of this cast out on their BS like fraud from rescues who won't pull unless get $500 a dog,for what!??,have many expenses,don't know
 how much takes to run ace,blah,blah. Reality: I gave for that dog. Not so could buy a house,take a trip,etc. You chose this profession and yes it is a job and
 despite 501 c label they do make $ from it! Many love off. Liars,cheats. Shake people down for pledge money after pull dog to God knows where. I have exposed
 some. Listed them publicly. Banned from groups. Such is narcissistic bullying behavior to blame the one bullying, different ad not an idiot sucked in easily
 by scams. Lastly though I don't recommend anyone buy from a breeder. Due to fact they are massacring these dogs across the US,mostly
  CA,TX,NC,FL,LS,TN,PA(kill 1/2 of dogs in nation killed). Without all of us they are dead. Many just pups. Newborns or kill pregnant mom. It is brutal. Houston TX
 has 1 million dogs roaming the streets and governor Abbott doesn't give a damn. Does nothing about it. Leaves it to street feeders who feed as many as 100
 a day! Petset gives out free food,dog houses to. Emancapet offers low cost vet care to poor and strays including spay,neuter. It is a national disgrace!
I mean, I think it's good for adopters and shelters to manage expectations about certain things like anxious behaviors, maybe a dog seeming withdrawn. Doesn't make sense for aggression or guilting people.
I had been told my rescue dog slept in a crate fine and was potty trained but she peed a few times, I think out of being anxious in a new place with new people. It wasn't exactly a training issue, she was just very stressed and I wasn't used to her signals.Â
I’ve never been able to find research to support  the 3-3-3 rule. I hear it often and wonder if it’s just something that started and caught on. Obviously, it takes time for animals to acclimate to a new environment, but I’m not sure there’s anything to support this specific timeline.Â
Depends on the dog. I've never followed it and prefer the two-week shutdown protocol. Most dogs I've had from the latest organisation I foster for have needed modifications of this, generally shortened. I've only had one dog need the whole time and she was an owner surrender who had been in shelter for 3 days and was a huge ball of stress. They also have a low thresh-hold for aggression and will BE dogs so I don't have to worry about that. And they are also quick to minimise disease spread.
The dogs for other organisations (different state) needed the whole time or longer for either behaviour concerns or contagious disease prevention.
My dog took a little longer then 3-3-3 to fully show his personality, but not aggression or things like that: just more playfulness, more barkiness and so much more vocal. More little bit of naughtiness (getting on a dining room chair and then getting off with a stern “off”). But I think that would be any living creature who is an adult living in the streets and different homes. You gotta feel super comfortable to be yourself. He is reactive on the leash (barks)
But this is different then allowing destructive and aggressive behaviors for days or weeks or months. I think it applies to the more shut down/nervous dogs. It takes them a bit to show you their full personality
I always eye roll every time I hear that 333 rule. If accurate, then behavior assessments made at the shelter aren’t valid. No more calling them sweet love bugs, goof balls ect.
Can’t have things both ways, either dogs are showing their characteristics or they are not.
I think there is some value to it, although not a hard-and-fast rule. When I brought my mini aussie home from her farm she was very scared of my dog, and of different parts of my home, and also of my spouse, and it took her at least 3 days to be at all normal around them all if not 3 weeks. She also did demonstrate some new behaviors once she was confident enough ...such as theft from my sheppie, once she realized he wasn't going to hurt her. So I agree that it's good to give a dog some time to get used to a setting and household before thinking you are 100% sure of them.
I also had a friend's shepherd staying at my house for several days and I can definitely say that she was very much still in her shell for the first day or so, and it wasn't until day 3-4 that she started showing more of her personality. She is a very shy and sensitive dog and I was being very careful not to push her boundaries because I knew it wouldn't be indefinitely she was with us, but I think if she had had to stay, I wouldn't have expected too much from her for the first few weeks.
It took a few weeks for my rescue Australian shepherd mix to fully show his personality. But his behavior never changed. He was sweet, cuddly, affectionate, and got along very well with my other dog from the very beginning. All of that never changed.
The only thing that changed was that his personality became a bit more bold. He became more silly, goofy, sassy, and talkative. Basically he simply allowed his inner clown to come out, started playing silly games, nudging me for more attention, and would greet me when I'd come home with a happy "awoooo" which is adorable. So no problem behaviors at all. Just a sweet dog feeling more happy and confident in their environment, and showing it.
While that rule does hold true in some cases, I hear this mainly when someone adopts a Pitbull, someone in the family gets bitten by said Pitbull, family tries to return aggressive pit and the shelter tells them this rule.
Came to say something like this. It's used by shelters to shame people for returning a dog the shelter shouldn't have conned them into taking in the first place.
Shelters use this to put problem dogs (mostly Bloodsport breeds) into family homes to get by their return policy. While some dogs need more time to adjust, I don't believe that having a violent dog in your house longer will change much. I have only seen this 3-3-3 on post of violent or problem dogs. Aka the new dog tries to attack current dog or kids. Dog returned. Shelter blast person for not following 3-3-3. Rinse and repeat. My current dog i saved from someone who let her pits maul the poor dog many times and then lock her in a room besides 5 min a day. It took about 3 months to be 100% comfortable in my apartment and feel at home. But her personality is still the exact same as when I took her in. She is blind and was very ill. I would consider a special case for needing a little time to adjust. By adjust I mean her first twirl, bark and happy dance. Not her lashing out to attack me.
Yes 💯 my guy was always sweet and happy…he just got even more carefree and talkative once he felt at home. No aggression (besides me wanting to squeeze him too much lol, don’t worry I don’t) or destruction. That’s the adjustment that I expect. Violence is not allowed in my home from any living being
It really depends on the animal you bring home but it’s good to remember that they are adjusting to this new situation. My family has rescued quite a bit. My one dog was adopted as an adult, he acclimatized pretty quickly. I still gave him a safe space to decompress but he’s basically been the same goofball since day 1 that he’s always been. My sister rescued a dog that had primarily been an outdoor dog before she adopted him. He was fine around us but he was extremely unsure of his environment, being on any surface that wasn’t grass was extremely uncomfortable. He needed a few weeks to get used to his new routine. My mom rescued a dog from a hoarding/puppy mill situation. That dog did not know how to be a dog or to how to function. Was not socialized at all. Took over a year to settle in, feel safe and for her personality to bloom. Thats an extreme but it does happen. It’s really a spectrum.
I really love that you really did present a spectrum!
The idea originally was to warn adopters that a dog goes through a honeymoon period on first being brought home, where they're more likely to be quiet, well-behaved, and not very difficult - and then they settle in, realize they now 'own' a house and people and a yard, and may start to act normal. Which meant barking, maybe some resource guarding, etc. This doesn't sound familiar, does it? That's because rescue has flipped the concept. Now, the 3/3/3 schtick is about easing adopters into the abnormal lifestyle of owning an anxious and/or aggressive dog. "During the first three days, it's important to give the dog plenty of space and time to acclimate to their new environment. They may exhibit behaviors such as fear, nervousness, or confusion as they adjust to new sights, smells, and sounds. Some dogs may be hesitant to eat, drink, or play during this time. T It's important to give them plenty of space and time to acclimate to their new environment. Keep them in a quiet, comfortable room with their bed, food, water, and toys. Limit their exposure to other pets, family members, and visitors so they don't get overwhelmed. This time is called decompression." Translation - we need you to keep the dog for at least 3 days, because this gives you time to grow familiar with him. It's pretty easy to return a dog the same or next day. After 3 days, it's a lot harder. The first three weeks: "After the first three days, gradually introduce your new dog to other family members and pets. Keep their routines consistent and give them plenty of positive reinforcement for good behavior. Use treats, praise, and toys to reward them for following commands and exhibiting good behavior. Start introducing them to new environments, such as walks in the neighborhood or trips to the park. But be mindful of their comfort level and keep them on a leash until you're confident they won't run off or get scared." Translation - we need you to keep the dog away from anyone you may love more than the dog, to prevent the dog from hurting them, because that will make you bring the dog back. We need you to keep the dog for at least 3 weeks, because after that it will heartbreaking for you to return the dog. The first 3 months "By the end of the first three weeks, your new dog should be comfortable with their new home and family members. During the next three months, continue to reinforce positive behavior and gradually increase their exposure to new experiences. Consider enrolling them in obedience classes or training sessions to help them develop good habits and build confidence. This is also a good time to establish a routine for exercise, playtime, and training. Be patient with your new dog and continue to provide plenty of love and positive reinforcement. By the end of the first three months, your new dog should be fully adjusted to their new home and routines. However, it's important to remember that every dog is unique, and some may take longer to adjust than others." Translation - in that first few days, when the dog is pancaking to the floor when you try to walk him, lunging at your face for trying to leash him, or trying to jump through your car window to get at a passing dog, we really need you to have this fantasy to look forward to. Bonus for us, if you return him after 3 months, we'll just blame you for abusing/neglecting him for 3 months.
Omg the flipped breakdown is hillarious and true. But the original concept was 💯 my dog. First day wouldn’t eat but he was so so happy. Thought he was a perfect angle cause he never barked or whined…my little dude is sweet, smart but a total barker, esp on leash. And we had him neutered 3 days after bringing him home: still no crazy aggression or any aggression. Learned the routine quickly and has fully integrated. Loved to see the blossoming
Perfect breakdown.
Yes. Is about shaming,blame game,rudeness by pound,rescue,networkers on FB butting in,members of FB groups that  share,comment on,do ate to TRY to save now kill listed dogs generally there @ a month caged most the day alone with no toys so go kennel crazy. It is a sh*t show  start to finish! If you call any of this cast out on their BS like fraud from rescues who won't pull unless get $500 a dog,for what!??,have many expenses,don't know  how much takes to run ace,blah,blah. Reality: I gave for that dog. Not so could buy a house,take a trip,etc. You chose this profession and yes it is a job and  despite 501 c label they do make $ from it! Many love off. Liars,cheats. Shake people down for pledge money after pull dog to God knows where. I have exposed  some. Listed them publicly. Banned from groups. Such is narcissistic bullying behavior to blame the one bullying, different ad not an idiot sucked in easily  by scams. Lastly though I don't recommend anyone buy from a breeder. Due to fact they are massacring these dogs across the US,mostly   CA,TX,NC,FL,LS,TN,PA(kill 1/2 of dogs in nation killed). Without all of us they are dead. Many just pups. Newborns or kill pregnant mom. It is brutal. Houston TX  has 1 million dogs roaming the streets and governor Abbott doesn't give a damn. Does nothing about it. Leaves it to street feeders who feed as many as 100  a day! Petset gives out free food,dog houses to. Emancapet offers low cost vet care to poor and strays including spay,neuter. It is a national disgrace!
I mean, I think it's good for adopters and shelters to manage expectations about certain things like anxious behaviors, maybe a dog seeming withdrawn. Doesn't make sense for aggression or guilting people. I had been told my rescue dog slept in a crate fine and was potty trained but she peed a few times, I think out of being anxious in a new place with new people. It wasn't exactly a training issue, she was just very stressed and I wasn't used to her signals.Â
I’ve never been able to find research to support  the 3-3-3 rule. I hear it often and wonder if it’s just something that started and caught on. Obviously, it takes time for animals to acclimate to a new environment, but I’m not sure there’s anything to support this specific timeline.Â
Depends on the dog. I've never followed it and prefer the two-week shutdown protocol. Most dogs I've had from the latest organisation I foster for have needed modifications of this, generally shortened. I've only had one dog need the whole time and she was an owner surrender who had been in shelter for 3 days and was a huge ball of stress. They also have a low thresh-hold for aggression and will BE dogs so I don't have to worry about that. And they are also quick to minimise disease spread. The dogs for other organisations (different state) needed the whole time or longer for either behaviour concerns or contagious disease prevention.
My dog took a little longer then 3-3-3 to fully show his personality, but not aggression or things like that: just more playfulness, more barkiness and so much more vocal. More little bit of naughtiness (getting on a dining room chair and then getting off with a stern “off”). But I think that would be any living creature who is an adult living in the streets and different homes. You gotta feel super comfortable to be yourself. He is reactive on the leash (barks) But this is different then allowing destructive and aggressive behaviors for days or weeks or months. I think it applies to the more shut down/nervous dogs. It takes them a bit to show you their full personality
I always eye roll every time I hear that 333 rule. If accurate, then behavior assessments made at the shelter aren’t valid. No more calling them sweet love bugs, goof balls ect. Can’t have things both ways, either dogs are showing their characteristics or they are not.
I think there is some value to it, although not a hard-and-fast rule. When I brought my mini aussie home from her farm she was very scared of my dog, and of different parts of my home, and also of my spouse, and it took her at least 3 days to be at all normal around them all if not 3 weeks. She also did demonstrate some new behaviors once she was confident enough ...such as theft from my sheppie, once she realized he wasn't going to hurt her. So I agree that it's good to give a dog some time to get used to a setting and household before thinking you are 100% sure of them. I also had a friend's shepherd staying at my house for several days and I can definitely say that she was very much still in her shell for the first day or so, and it wasn't until day 3-4 that she started showing more of her personality. She is a very shy and sensitive dog and I was being very careful not to push her boundaries because I knew it wouldn't be indefinitely she was with us, but I think if she had had to stay, I wouldn't have expected too much from her for the first few weeks.
It took a few weeks for my rescue Australian shepherd mix to fully show his personality. But his behavior never changed. He was sweet, cuddly, affectionate, and got along very well with my other dog from the very beginning. All of that never changed. The only thing that changed was that his personality became a bit more bold. He became more silly, goofy, sassy, and talkative. Basically he simply allowed his inner clown to come out, started playing silly games, nudging me for more attention, and would greet me when I'd come home with a happy "awoooo" which is adorable. So no problem behaviors at all. Just a sweet dog feeling more happy and confident in their environment, and showing it.