hinsopa

I have fostered with a rescue for years. Your questions are really good ones. First, the biggest mistake I see new foster parents make is by far allowing their dog and the foster frequent contact in the beginning. The foster dog needs to be integrated into the household very slowly. This is quite a tranisition for him. Hopefully, he has been crate trained. If so, he definitely needs to travel in his crate with familiar toys, etc with your dog not allowed to get close to his crate. When he arrives home, put him in a separate area of the house in his crate. Feed him separate from your dog. Just let him get used to the smells and go about your business as usual. Allow him the opportunity to be with just you or your husband and let him take the initiative regarding how much contact he wants. This will be especially important since you are going away. I'd suggest very minimal contact between the 2 dogs until you return. He'll do fine with your plans for care when you are away, as long as he is allowed his own space with limited contact with your dog.
This is hard for new parents with the excitement of adding a new "child"; however, I have seen placements not work because of this. Good luck and let me know if I can help.