Adjusting to Your New Home

You’ve made it safely to your new home. Congratulations! Before unleashing the hounds, take a few days and introduce your dogs slowly and carefully to your new home.

Many times, new homeowners or renters contact me within a week of moving into their new home. Most complaints include dogs making potty training mistakes, being nervous and escaping their yard. Here’s what’s worked for us in the past.

First 24 Hours

Maintain your dogs’ eating, sleeping and potty schedules when moving in your new home. Routine means predictability, meaning less stress for both you and your dogs.

Set up your sleeping area until movers deliver your furniture. I highly recommend crating your dogs next to your bedding overnight. This keeps them safe and secured instead of exploring or escaping. Set up soothing music before bedtime and toss in food stuffed Kongs in crates. This keeps dogs busy until they fall asleep.

RELATED: Calming Music for Dogs

For homes with a backyard, I highly recommend bringing your dog potty on leash until you can fully inspect the fence for holes, loose boards, protruding nails and escape routes. On leash walks inside your yard, provide plenty of sniffing opportunities, but slowly introduce your dogs to their new surroundings. Many times, unfamiliar sounds can startle dogs, sending them straight to any and all escape routes–yikes! Keep them on leash at least for the first 24-48 hours.

Keep bed and bathroom doors closed to prevent dogs from sneaking off, pottying on, or chewing new items. If needed, you can section off an area with baby gates.

Week One

Your furniture should have arrived by now. It’s amazing to see the difference in dogs once they smell their own stuff. Most will snuggle right in their favorite chair or snooze on their comfy rug. By now, your dog is romping through his new yard unleashed, but stay close just in case.

Week Two

Everything should be pretty normal by now. Both you and your dogs are familiar with new sounds and surroundings. If your dog should have a few potty accidents, I recommend starting back at square one with potty training. Usually, this issue will be resolved within a few days.

If something should crop up, take a few steps back and follow the tips for the first 24 hours for a few days. This usually resolves most issues. If not, I highly recommend seeking a professional dog trainer in your area to provide suggestions and answer any questions.

Enjoy your new home!

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