Before the Move
You can start paying attention to your dog’s needs before the move even occurs with these tips.
1. Choose a Dog-Friendly Home and Neighborhood
If you’re renting, you’ll need to find a place that’s okay with dogs. Before you sign a lease, make sure you’ve read over all the apartment’s rules about pets. You should feel you can follow them before you commit to move in.
If you’re buying a home, you still want to make sure you find a safe place for your pet. Ideally, you’ll find a home with an adequate yard space and a fence. The interior of the home should have a place for your dog to eat and sleep and enough room for your dog to roam.
Your new neighborhood should also be a place where you feel comfortable with your dog. Make sure you choose a home in a neighborhood with sidewalks for safe dog walking. A nearby dog park can be an added bonus as well.
2. Take Your Dog to Visit the New Place
Once you’ve chosen your new home, bring your dog to check out the new place a couple of weeks before the move. Your dog can become familiar with the sights and smells now so they’re not as strange when your dog moves in. You could even take your dog on a walk around the neighborhood and show him or her the nearest parks.
During the Move
The actual process of moving with your dog can be stressful and chaotic for your pet, so follow these tips.
3. Have Someone Watch Your Dog as You Pack and Load
During the packing and loading, your dog may become unduly stressed. When the door is often open, he or she could take the opportunity to escape. Spare this headache by having your dog stay with a friend or at a dog kennel on moving day.
4. Take Walking Breaks on the Drive
If you’re driving to your new home, make sure you stop every few hours. Your dog should have the chance to walk, drink, and relieve himself or herself.
After the Move
The first weeks in your new place can be a difficult time for your canine friend. He or she might struggle to adjust to the new place and might become unusually energetic or clingy. You can make things easier with these tips.
5. Keep Your Dog’s Same Stuff
After your move, you probably plan to buy many new things to furnish your new home. However, don’t go out and buy your dog a new bed or toys—at least not right away. Having the same stuff in the new house can help your dog adjust. If possible, place your dog’s things in a similar location as the old house.
In the same vein, another way to help your dog adjust to your new home is to use a similar scent in the new house that you used in your old house. For example, if you often used a certain type of air freshener in your old home, you could place that air freshener in the new home as well.
6. Maintain a Regular Routine
Another way to ease the adjustment of moving with your dog is to maintain his or her same routine. Even though you need to unpack and do many other things, make sure you keep your dog’s same walking, eating, and playing schedule. This routine helps your dog feel loved and cared for. It ensures your dog that his or her daily life hasn’t changed much, even when he or she is in a strange, new place.
7. Take Your Dog to the Vet
Make sure you introduce your dog to his or her new vet as soon as possible. You and your dog should quickly develop a relationship with a local vet, so you have someone to turn to whenever your dog has health problems. Plus, the vet can make sure your dog doesn’t have physical and emotional problems from the big move.
Moving can be hard on humans, but it can be equally hard on dogs. Follow these tips to make sure your dog adjusts well.
If you need help moving with your dog this summer, count on the experienced movers at Bekins Van Lines Inc. We can safely and efficiently move you and your pets anywhere you need to go.
