Fostering puppies can be extremely rewarding, especially in the form of lots of puppy belly rubs and cuddles. A few tips for fostering puppies include:
- Select the Right Time - Foster a puppy when you can spare a few hours of sleep. From needing midsleep potty breaks to missing littermates, you should foster a puppy when a great night’s sleep isn’t critical.
- Puppy Proof - Remove all cords or potentially hazardous things in the area your puppy will be spending time in. Pretend you are babyproofing your home because that is essentially what you are doing when you bring home a foster puppy!
- Play Pen - Get a playpen or gate in addition to a crate to keep your foster puppy safe. Puppies are naturally curious as they explore a new world. Creating an enclosed space for your foster puppy will also help them develop a sense of independence.
- Potty Training Success - Cover the entirety of your foster puppy’s area with pee pads to set him or her up for potty-training success! Starting out with 100% accuracy will speed up the house-training process if you can begin to cue and associate their potty wins. Slowly remove a pad one-by-one as your foster puppy develops a positive association with the pee pad.
- Multiple Mealtimes - Feed 3-4 times per day and give your foster puppy access to plenty of water. While you are potty-training your foster puppy, cut off water consumption 4-5 hours before bedtime to ensure they have time to empty their bladder before sleep.
The Complete Dog Fostering Guide with Jess of @101Fosters
How to Become a Foster Dog Parent
Advice for a First-Time Dog Foster
Tips for Bringing Home a Foster Dog
What to Expect the First Day with Your Foster Dog?
How to Introduce a Foster Dog to Your Dog?
How to Make Crate Training a Foster Much Easier
5 Tips for Feeding a Foster Dog
Don’t forget, if you are fostering puppies, you are required to pay puppy tax in the form of cute photos and videos. If you can, consider fostering a mamma dog and her puppies!
Jess was recently a guest on Bark Building’s Fostering & Adoption 101 Virtual Chat, which is now on YouTube.