[JulieK1967]

We're going to be moving to a new house with our dog in about a month. I'd like to make it a smooth transition for everyone so I'm hoping for some suggestions on how to make that happen. I'm home with her during the day now and that won't change so our daily routine will stay pretty much the same. Any suggestions on making this a smooth move for Molly (and me) would be appreciated.

 

[Amaryllis]

I moved 3 times with Muggsy and it was very stressful for him, so Molly is likely going to be stressed out and it's good that you know that in advance. I would make sure your schedule stays as much the same as possible: same wakeup time, same walk times, same feeding times. Also make sure she gets as much exercise as before, if not a little more. After that, just be patient. Muggsy would get very weird for the first week, afraid of things that never scared him before, losing his training on walks and reverting to lunging at strange dogs, refusing food, things like that. I just ignored all of it and kept going like always and he calmed down with time.

 

[Abbylynn]

Could you take her to visit the new house a few times before the move? It could possibly familiarize her some with the area ... if you have the house already ... etc.

 

[lisahi]

When I moved, I brought Coco over to the house a few times before we moved in. On the day when a lot of my stuff came to the house, I boarded her so she wouldn't have to be present for that type of chaos. For about two weeks I put her in daycare during the day on weekdays while I was at work rather than leave her in the new house alone. This accomplished two things (1) she wasn't alone in a strange place for hours; and (2) she got a lot of exercise during the day. I slowly introduced her to different areas in the neighborhood on our walks. After about two weeks she seemed to be pretty used to the house. Now, after two-and-a-half months in the house, she has her favorite spots to sit and sleep.

As an aside, the first morning she ever woke up in the house, she had a huge "blow-out" on the kitchen floor, likely due to stress and nerves. Luckily, she was fine after that.

 

[JulieK1967]

Thanks for the responses! Yes, I'll be able to take her over a few times before the move & walk her around our new town so she starts to learn new smells & sights. That sounds like a great way to intro her to her new surroundings.