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Help Your Dogs Adjust to Your New Home

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Adjusting to Your New Home

Moving With Dogs

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!

You may also  like: 4 Tips for Moving With Your Dogs

4 Tips for Moving With Your Dogs

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Moving Day: Tips for Moving With Dogs

Moving Tips

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

Moving With Dogs: Relocating Out of State

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Relocating With Your Dog

Moving With Dogs

Well we’re right smack in the middle of moving to another state and I’m literally writing this as packers are boxing up our belongings and loading them on a moving truck. I’d say hubby and I are professional movers with dogs, as we averaged eight moves within 11 years while hubby was in the military. We got this!

But moving with dogs can be a challenge, especially if this is your first time. Allow me to provide some tips as I listen to tape whistling and boxes shifting in the background. 🙂

4 Weeks Before Packing Day

Sort and separate dog toys, bowls, treats, chews, bedding and crates to bring along during your move. Check and update your pet first aid bag. If you haven’t done so, download a pet first aid app for your smartphone. Plus, you’ll need a copy of your dog’s vaccination records, especially proof of rabies, so bring your rabies certificate with you–a rabies tag is not enough proof in many states.

Now, plan and pack enough food and treats for seven to 10 days, if possible, so you’re not unpacking boxes in search of dog food. Personally, I pack my dogs heart worm medication, flea control, dog food, treats, chews and any prescriptions in a suitcase to reduce searching through boxes later.

RELATED: Natural Pest Control for Your Home

2-3 Weeks Before Moving

Contact your vet to ensure all dogs are updated on vaccinations required per state regulations. Many states have different requirements, and it can become confusing as rabies regulations can change by county or parish. Do your research upfront and arrive prepared with proper paperwork, which is a must even if traveling to visit family and friends. To verify up-to-date rabies requirements, contact a veterinarian practicing in your state and county (or parish). He can easily guide you in the right direction.

1 Week Before Moving

Choose a quiet and safe room to crate your dogs, and locate a room far away from movers and the moving truck. Trust me, this is not the time to socialize your dogs. Your job is keeping your dogs stress-free so the rest of your move is seamless. I’ve witnessed dogs displaying confusion and sheer terror when crated near a main entrance or in the same room as movers boxing items. Dogs don’t know what’s going on and they can easily become reactive and stressed. Also, never leave dogs loose in your household while movers are coming in and out. Your dog can easily run right out the doorway or backyard gate so keep your dogs confined indoors.

Personally, we’ve chosen a bedroom located in the back of our home to set up our dogs’ crates with bedding and chew toys. Plus, we kept our packed suitcases and other items we chose to hand-carry during our move in the room next to our dogs. This makes sure movers don’t accidentally pack needed items. Also, I play soothing music to drown out loud talking movers and rustling or moving of boxes.

Dog Training Nation is a dog training blog for pet owners and dog lovers. We cover a range of topics from puppy socialization tips to dog aggression to dog health. It is our hope you share our content to make the world a better place for dogs.

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