New House ~ Suggestions for move

[loislane]

We have recently bought a house (I'm so excited to have a place where we can have a fenced in yard for Rocky). I would love some suggestions on how to make the transistion smooth for our dog. What are some things we could do to make it easier on him, because I'm sure he will have a lot of trouble sleeping and settling in. We haven't packed our stuff up yet, so we are still looking at 1-2 months before we are in.

 

[bubbatd]

I imagine that you'll be going back and forth many times before the actual move. Take Rocky over with you to get used to it. Take something that he has slept on and leave it there. Might be a good idea to plan one of your trips around his supper time and feed him there. Before you get too busy, get a tag made with his new address on it with your cell phone number.

 

[loislane]

Yes, I imagine by the time we do all of our back and forth trips we will be exhausted. I really dread trying to move in the winter, but we have wanted this for so long. Those are great suggestions. I had mentioned to my husband about taking Rocky along with us a few times. We had planned on getting new living room furniture, but we are going to wait until the Spring so that he will have some familiar items in the house (especially "his chair"). I like the idea of feeding him a few times there. Thanks

 

[Renee750il]

Grammy's given you excellent advice, as usual I really wouldn't worry too much - most dogs are "home" wherever their family is.

 

[panzer426]

if he normally sleeps on a certain dog bed, with certain toys etc or in a crate in your bedroom etc, be sure to maintain that same routine. take him over to the new house with you as often as possible and let him explore, off leash if its secure (older house or new house where construction is complete, doors are installed and fence is up).
when you are moving in you MIGHT want to let him see you arranging the furniture. my gsd has to spend a minute or two getting used to things if we rearrange furniture without him. we just put up our christmas tree the other day and had our back door open. the whole time he was out back playing with his sister and when he came in the tree was set up...he wasnt acting afraid but was between us and the tree for a good 30-60 seconds sniffing it and keeping an eye on it. then he walked away and didnt care anymore.

 

[Barb04]

I think dogs make the transition better than we think. I lived with CJ in the same house for 5 years and then in the next 7 years we moved 3 times (including a townhouse with no yard to run in and then houses with yards). I always took her favorite chair to sleep in, and she was excited each time to check out all the rooms in the new place.

 

[bubbatd]

Definately bring " his" chair.!! When I re-homed Kobe , I was worried about him as he had been with his family for 6 years... I had him here many times when his folks were on vacation, and the first 2 times , he really was edgy . I took Kobe down to visit his new mommy before he went permanently , and let him check out every room. I also left a blanket there with all his good smells on it. The transition went beautifully. One of the reasons his family gave him up is that they had moved, and he started to pee and poop in the new house..... he's been with his new Momma 4 weeks now without any accidents. He's soooooo happy !!!!!

 

[kelbel]

Just make sure he knows where his new potty spot is and how to ask to go there. When we moved to Colorado we had a walkout basement. We didn't have on in our old house. Rudy went down to the basement door where he could see the yard, instead of the door on the main floor (where the people were) that let out onto the deck. When no one came to let him out he pooped in the basement. Our fault of course.