Moving from one home to another can be a really stressful time for each family member, including your dog. Dogs are creatures of habit and a house move can be a terrifying experience for them. When a dog’s familiar home is not their safety zone anymore, they can become anxious, stressed out, and even depressed.
When you’re moving with a dog to a new home, your animal friend may begin to act out and start behaving in a way you’ve never seen him before. During such a highly transitional period, it’s important that you do your best to make your dog comfortable in the new place. Use proven tips and tricks to help your dog adjust to the new environment, quickly and trouble-free.
Here’s how to make a dog comfortable in a new house.
Keep your dog safe
When you reach the new home with your dog, the very first thing you should do is take the confused, stressed and scared animal to a secure room where he will be safe until the strong initial shock starts to fade away, little by little.
Check to see if the windows and the door are secure – some pets can act in unpredictable ways when put under a lot of stress. And what’s more stressful than moving your dog to a new environment where, all of sudden, everything is strange and nothing makes sense anymore?
Start with short leashed tours around the new place. Familiarize him with one room at a time and let him get accustomed to the new sights, smells, and sounds. If you just moved to a new home that has a safe enclosed area outside – a house with an inner yard, for example, you can take your dog there for a while as long he’s eager to explore the new surroundings. When outdoors, always keep your animal friend on a leash too.
To stay on the safe side, double check to make sure your pet cannot possibly escape that outside area and don’t leave your canine friend unsupervised in the yard as some dogs are experts in digging under or jumping over fences, especially when they’re scared and anxious.
See also: How to move with a dog across the country
Unpack your dog’s essentials box
A good way to make your dog comfortable in the new environment is to unpack the box that contains all his essentials items – the things he’s perfectly familiar with from the old home. Don’t rush to the pet store to get new gear for your canine friend, at least for now.
Instead, take out his old beaten up water bowl, his old dog bed, his blankets, his favorite dog toys no matter the shape they’re in. Remember that all those things are comforting for your pet, and right after the house move, your dog will need all the comfort he can get.
The chances are that your pet won’t be too interested in his toys or even treats right after the move. Provide all the essentials to your animal pal but don’t overstimulate him in the first several days – just take it slowly in the beginning and just let your dog adjust to the new settings at his own pace.
Read also: What to unpack first when moving
Keep your dog’s old routines
To make a nervous dog feel comfortable in a new home, you’ll need to establish a comforting routine for him as soon as possible. Remember that dogs thrive on routine so the sooner he learns how things are done in the new place, the more comfortable he’ll get as days go by.
Whenever possible, make an effort to feed your dog, take him out for walks, engage in play with him and get him ready for bedtime at the same times before you moved to the new home. To help your dog feel more comfortable in the new apartment or house, you should definitely try to re-establish the routines he’s well familiar with.
That may not be possible though as the house move will have introduced certain changes for each family member. And if that’s the case, then you should establish a new routine ASAP, and then stick to it. Once your dog has a predictable routine, he should be able to relax and acclimatize sooner to the strange surroundings.
Must-read: 7 Things to do on the first day in a new home
Dog-proof the new place
One important task for your right after moving into the new home with your dog is to dog-proof the new house or apartment. As a caring dog owner, you must make sure your best friend is happy in the new place, and that’ll be only possible when he’s safe and healthy.
Unfortunately, a new home can hide numerous dangers for your pet – potential hazards that you never had to worry about in the old place. So, find the time to go from room to room in search of potential dangers for your canine companion, and then take the necessary safety measures to eliminate those dangers.
Keep out of reach any foods that are dangerous for your dog – chocolate, raisins, avocados, garlic, and onions. Your pooch should never have any access to alcoholic drinks. Coffee is out of limits too.
Keep all chemical products in kitchen cabinets that can be locked safely. Keep all medications in a safe place where your dog can never reach them. Electrical cords and cords to window blinds should not be accessible by your pet. Small metal items, plastic bags, and batteries should always be kept in a safe place.
Make sure there are no poisonous plants inside the house and outside in the yard.
See also: How to pet-proof your new home room by room
Spend more quality time with your canine friend
It goes without saying that the best way to make a dog comfortable in a new home is to spend more quality time with him. The immediate post-relocation period will be a super-busy time for you – unpacking, remember? – but you’re still going to have to find time in between to give your dog lots of attention.
Show your animal friend how much you love him – commit to spending quality time with him every day and as much time as possible. Go for walks, play in the yard, play on the floor of the new home, and just be together. And that’s what you do best, isn’t it?
When you have to leave the home, wait as long as you can until you actually walk out the front door – it’ll be some time before your pet learns to be okay when left alone. Whenever possible, leave somebody with him at a new place for the first week or so that he’s never left entirely on its own. That’ll definitely help your dog feel more comfortable in the new home until he gets back his former confidence.
Useful info: What to do after moving into a new home
Be very patient with your dog
Possibly the best thing you can do to help your dog feel more comfortable in a new environment is to be patient and let him adjust to the unfamiliar settings at his own comfortable pace. Some dogs will be pretty comfortable in a new home within a few days, others will struggle to settle in for much longer – sometimes it can be months before a dog feels right again at a new place.
And no matter how much time your dog needs to adjust to the new home and feel comfortable once more, it’s really important that you show your pup just how much you love him by being patient, caring and understanding during that tough post-move adaptation stage.
Might be useful: How to overcome relocation depression
