Moving Day: Tips for Moving With Dogs

The big day is here: moving day! Personally, we’re right in the middle of moving. Having multiple strangers walk through your home and touching your belongings is uncomfortable and feels weird. If we’re stressed, I know my dogs are too and that’s why we prepared weeks in advance. Now, let’s discuss tips on surviving moving day with your dog.

Keep Dogs Busy

Even though your dogs are crated in a separate room with the door closed, offer food filled Kongs several times throughout the day to give them something else to do. I keep squeezable stuffing near their crates so nothing gets lost in the moving shuffle, and I can easily refill Kongs, as dogs return to their crates.

Leash Your Dogs During Potty Breaks

Moving day is stressful so don’t forget to potty your dogs every few hours. Set a timer on your phone as a reminder. Keep dogs on leash, as your house is probably in shambles, and walk dogs in a quiet part of your yard. Walk them for 10 minutes, if possible. This provides plenty of time to stretch their legs plus observe movers walking around from afar.

Even if your dogs are friendly with movers, I usually ask movers to ignore our dogs. Having larger breed dogs, most movers scoot right out of the way when we come downstairs anyways. 🙂 If your dogs bark at movers, walk them farther away, so your dogs are comfortable pottying. Once done, bring them back to their secure room, reload food into Kongs and crate your dogs.

RELATED: Training Dogs Polite Greeting Behavior

Sweep Floors

It’s so tempting to release the hounds once movers leave. I mean, the house is completely empty, right? I’ve learned my lesson the hard way. Always take a moment and make sure nails, tape and especially staples are removed before letting dogs romp through an empty house. Remember, your dogs can easily slip, as area rugs have been removed from tile or hardwood. Lastly, close bedroom doors to keep dogs from investigating, and, if needed, place a baby gate to block access.

Now, you can release the hounds!

Close the Bedroom Door

If you’re staying overnight in an empty house, as we have done many times, I highly recommend closing the bedroom door or crating your dogs before bedtime. Once movers have left, we sweep floors and set up our sleeping area by blowing up air mattresses and moving suitcases around. Then, we move crates next to our air mattresses and set up for the night. We try and keep our dogs feeding and potty schedule the same to minimize potty accidents and keep stress to a minimum.

Oh, your dogs will be tired. They’ve been quiet, but they’ve been listening to everything going on and probably slept a little. Still, expect some nervousness. It’s weird walking through an empty house, and I’m sure your dog feels the same way.

You may also like: 4 Tips for Renting with Large Dogs