Moving to a new house

Do you crate your dogs?  If you already do then this then that is a good start because the kennel can become their safe and familiar place for them to relate to and feel comfortable in no matter where they are.  Keep the same bowls, toys and blankets in the kennels that have yours and other familiar smells on them.  You may crate them a little more then normal for this situation. That is alright because at this moment confinement can be a good thing as not to upset some of the balance they are going through right now as long as you do it without punishment. Use the same kennel in your new home as you did your old home. Treat with some of the good treats they like so they feel like they are not in any danger and something good is coming out of this.  Give them treats at random times throughout the move. Most of all just keep them feeling safe.

It is stressful but in a few weeks time when everything is coming together they will realize things are safe and should adapt.  I'm sure it is overwhelming for yourself but dogs are wonderful at reading your body language and responding back with similar behavior. Some dogs deal with changes better then others.

When in the new home, start small.  Confine the dog to only one room at a time till they are confortable with that room then start allowing them more space.  Treat them the same way you would if you were bringing a new dog into your home.  Too much space and new things all around can be overwheling for the dogs.

kralicki

We are moving to a new house on Friday and my boys are freaking out.  For the past week, they have seen their favorite sofa and all the rugs leave the house.  There are boxes all over and new people coming in and out.  They are not doing well with it. 

It would have been better to have begun this before -- but show them you are packing THEIR STUFF in with your own.  Take them  (if possible) to the new home with you.  But essentially make sure they see everbuddy's stuff is getting packed THEIRS TOO.

WHEN YOU GET THERE -- unpack some of their stuff -- their bowls, a few toys, etc. so they KNOW this is where they will be.  Show them this -- take them on a LEASHED walk around the propety.  I don't care if this is a dog who hasn't seen a leash in years - USE ONE.  It will take you weeks to **ensure** that everything is totally secure.  Dogs can find breaks in fences, weak spots, etc. that you wouldn't have a clue were there.  PARTICULARLY if they are already stressed and antsy.

kralicki

Tomorrow they are coming to take all the furniture and we are moving in to the new place on Friday.  The new house had a dog and 2 cats living there...so, the question...how do I keep my guys from total panic? and what can I do to make the transition easier?

Keep them on leash.  Keep them in sight of you if possible LEASHED or tied somehow.  Even if you're in the house -- on moving day everyone is opening/closing doors all over, so don't rely on thinking "we're inside" because a nervous dog will find that open door and be GONE before yo know it.  Seriously ....

 EXERCISE HUGE HUGE CAUTION!!!

I had a very very serious problem happen once when moving -- we'd been back and forth between apartment and house, and my dog was fine with that.  The next day was understandably pandemonium -- friends helped us move so everyone was familiar BUT ...

Late in the afternon one of our helpers let the dog "out" of the room I had her contained in thinking it would be FINE.  But with all the coming and going in and out of the house SHE got out, and decided to try to find me (and I was back at the apartment cleaning).

It was a HORRIFIC day.  This dog was elderly anyway, and she literally got half a mile down a SIX LANE HIGHWAY (and she was deaf and blind at this point).  I ultimately found her but quite honestly both the dog and I were not in good shape. 

Everyone's intentions were good.  No one tried to be mean -- but in a moving atmosphere no one really knows what everyone is doing, and all the best plans can go horribly awry.  The kid who let Prissy out into the living room liked her (he was a teenager -- this wasn't a tiny child thing).  It was just that I thought I *knew* she was contained, and everyone else was trying to "help" when I wasn't there.

MORAL??  Make SURE the dogs are super contained -- if you put them in a room (a crate IS best) PUT A NOTE ON IT that says something like "DO NOT LET THE DOG OUT -- ONLY _____________ will salk them!" or something. 

Dogs in an unfamiliar area will try to get out, and will try to find you, or find "home".  They are unpredictable and everyone has too much to do, honestly, to find YOU to take care of the dog.  So make it perfectly clear -- however you need to do it -- to ensure that only you or a spouse will deal with the dogs.  Just shutting a door isn't enough.  I got Prissy back, but it was literally a miracle.  It had been 8 hours since we 'moved' and by that time I was looking for a dead dog in the road.

She was a long long way off the road and had found a fence that was similiar to the one we'd had at the apartment complex.  It wasn't the same one (it was a mile away) but she was confused and paniked.  She was a smart old girl -- if she hadn't been she'd never have survived. 

Everyone that helped move me was a friend, and it was a "fun" atmosphere -- truly not one I would have thot was conducive to totally losing a dog.  But all it takes is that one tiny wrong judgment where someone thot they did something "ok" because they mentioned it to someone they thought would make sure the door was shut. 

If it's feasible, take them to the new house as often as possible before the final move.  It'll take a few weeks but they'll adjust.

I have big dogs including one that likes to run away so having them underfoot during moving was not an option.  Luckily my boys are all crate trained, and trained to travel in my kennel-van.  So, the day of the move we packed them into their kennels in the van and parked at a new house under a tree.  I let them check out the new yard for a while.  They stayed in the van while a bunch of relatives came by to help with the move.  They got to have lunch in their new yard and got to eat marrow bones while we finished the unpacking.  If I didn't have intact dogs I probably would have signed them up for dog-daycare for that day.  It would have been too stressful for us busy humans and the dogs having them around during the actual moving.  Once we were all done and all "their" stuff was in place, they got to come out for good.

For me, moving is an upcoming stage, so I try to organize everything and make the new home as comfortable as possible for each of us.

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