You´ve moved into your new home. How can you make the transition easier for your dog?
The furniture has been moved and you´re ready to spend your first night in your new home. How do you help your dog get comfortable here?
Moving day is over and you´re ready to settle in. You can tell your dog is uncomfortable. The following tips should help you help your dog feel at home in his new space.
- When you first move into your new home, be aware of the fact that you may have to housetrain your dog all over again. The specifics of housetraining change with the specifics of each new home. Pretend that you are starting from scratch. Make sure he knows what door to walk to on the way outside and where to find you when he needs to go. Take him outside more often than usual. All the confusion and excitement will make him prone to accidents.
- The move will be overwhelming, so will your new home. Keep him in his crate at first and slowly open your new home to him. You can partition several rooms off with gates when you are ready to open more than just one room up to him. Make sure his contained area has his favorite items from his previous home: his comfortable bed or blanket, familiar food and water dishes and favorite toys.
- Do not leave your dog alone the first few times he is in your new yard alone. Even if you have inspected the yard already, your dog may find perils that you don´t think about. No one is better at finding even the slightest hole under a fence than an anxious dog. Is there an aggressive dog next door? Can that dog jump the fence? What kind of plants are those that your pooch is inspecting? Are they poisonous? You get the picture; there are all kinds of dangers to look out for. The first few times your dog goes outside go out and observe with him.
Be patient with your dog during this time. Be sure to reward his positive behaviors with a treat. Make sure he has his familiar toys as well as some new favorites to keep his mind off all the change.
