Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Moving With Your Dogs

As many of you know, I recently moved and will be moving again shortly. Cody is a little too smart and knows the second a box appears that we are moving again. He dislikes change so I like to try to make the transition as smooth as possible.

The last time I moved, I had a friend help and her sole responsibility was to watch the dogs. We could be in and out and doing this and that and she was the calm and fun person for the boys to hang with. It worked quite well. This time I will not have that option but the move will be much smaller. I also plan to have the dogs at the groomer and bring them to their new house. Copper will be fine and Cody will settle in.
Calm Your Dog In a New Home

Moving with your dog can be simple, most dogs just want you to be with them. But here are some things you can do to make moving with your dog a little easier.

Choose a spot for your pet’s bed or crate and set it up first so there’s something familiar when they come in.

Include a soft shirt or towel for them to lie on, best if it smells like you!

Put his/her food dishes down with water and food.

If your move is local, take your pet to the neighborhood to walk around before your move. There should be some familiar smells to him. Go inside the new space if possible. This way it won’t be completely new on moving day.

If your pet is still nervous, you may want to try a soothing smell like lavender.

Moving Day

Make sure your pet is secured. Preferably somewhere he or she feels comfortable. Can your pet stay with a friend during the moving out/moving in? Or will he be calm in a crate? With doors propped open and heavy stuff being moved in and out, it’s not safe for a dog to be running in and out and “helping”. Or getting very anxious. There’s enough anxiety with a move…

Make sure your pet’s tags are current and include a cell number in case he does get out! Also, make sure to have tags with the address for the new place ready to go on.

Is there a yard with the new home? Is it fenced? If so, check it thoroughly for holes or tears before letting your pets run off leash. You don’t want anyone making an escape!

Moving with your dog shouldn't be too much more complicated than moving without a pet but by following a few precautions, you can make the transition smoother.
Good luck and happy moving!

Annie, Cody and Copper
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1 comment:

Pauline said...

That was a good read. I loved moving when we were younger - always so exciting. But all we had was a cat so she usually stayed at 'grandma's' while we moved in.

I enjoyed this Annie - and so glad that you will find the perfect place for you and your pets.