by Claire Anderson
Most of us have to relocate with our animals at least once in our lives, and it can be very stressful for both humans and animals! I’ve packed up my car and moved cross-country three times and while it wasn’t easy, my animals were as comfortable as possible. If moving causes anxiety for us people, imagine how stressful it can be for a dog who doesn’t understand what’s happening.
Moving is one of the more disorienting experiences a dog can have. Everything familiar—the smells, the sounds, the rhythm of daily life—disappears at once. Your dog might be panicking because their entire world just changed and nobody told them why. The good news: there's a lot you can do to help. Here's what to focus on at each stage.
Image by pixabay.com.
BEFORE YOU GO
The best thing you can do for your dog during a move is start before the chaos begins.
Dogs are remarkably good at reading their environment, which means they'll often start picking up on your stress—the packed boxes, the disrupted routines, the energy in the house—well before moving day arrives. You don't need to protect them from all of it. You just need to give them something stable to hold onto while everything else shifts.
Keep their routine as intact as possible in the weeks leading up to the move. Walks at the same time, meals at the same time, rest and play at the same time. When the physical environment starts to change around them, that rhythm becomes their anchor.
If your dog will be riding in a car or crate during the move, now is a good time to make those things feel good, not just neutral. Feed meals near the crate. Toss treats in without asking your dog to go inside. Take short, low-stakes car rides that end somewhere enjoyable. You're not running a formal training protocol; you're just warming those associations up before they're needed.
If you're moving to a place your dog has never been, see if you can take them there once or twice before the move, even just to sniff around outside. Familiar by smell is a head start.
And if your dog has any known anxiety about travel, strangers, new spaces, loud sounds, this is the time to reach out to a trainer or your vet. Not the week of the move. Medications, supplements, and behavior support all work better when they're not introduced in the middle of a crisis.
One more thing: try to protect their enrichment and play time during this period, even when you're busy. A tired, mentally engaged dog handles stress better than one who's been cooped up watching the furniture disappear.
Start with scent. Dogs orient themselves through smell more than any other sense, so one of the most practical things you can do is get some of your dog's bedding, blankets, or a worn item of your clothing into the new space before your dog arrives. If you have any access to the new home ahead of time, drop their things off first. You're essentially pre-loading their comfort before they've ever set paw inside.
If you're flying or taking a train, give your dog some time to practice being in busy, unfamiliar places before the trip. A crowded outdoor mall or a busy hardware store works well. Keep the outings short (15 to 30 minutes) with a treat pouch in hand. You're not trying to "fix" anything in those sessions. You're just building a small bank of positive experiences so the travel day isn't their first encounter with overwhelm.
Photo by Andrew Pons, used under a Creative Commons license.
ON THE ROAD
Whether you're driving or flying, your dog needs two things: somewhere safe and familiar to settle, and something appropriate to chew. Both reduce stress significantly.
In the car, set up their travel spot with a bed or blanket they already know. A window cracked slightly helps with air pressure. Calming music—classical tends to work well—can take the edge off. Plan for potty breaks every couple of hours, and if the drive is long, two real walks per day makes a meaningful difference.
On a plane or train, chews are your best friend. The act of chewing is self-soothing for dogs, and it gives them something to do with the stress they're carrying. Confirm with your airline what's allowed in the cabin, and plan for those items to be readily accessible.
Photo by Becky Stern on Flickr, used under a Creative Commons license.
Moving In
Once you are ready to move into the new house or apartment, there’s more to do to ensure a peaceful transition. Here are some helpful tips:
Prep the new digs
It can be very helpful to prep the new house or apartment with some of your pet’s items that have their scent. Some examples of these items are beds, blankets, or your pet’s crate. Go in prior to your animal entering, and place their items in the new home. This will help them feel more comfortable.
Make sure the new place is pet-safe and you have removed or prevented access to unsafe areas or items.
If possible, do short trips to the new place to help your dog get comfortable in bits before moving in full time. I’d probably bring a yummy chew, some treats, and some beds and blankets from home and play music or run a fan while you are there to limit stressors.
Build Boundaries
Some pets sometimes mark their new surroundings by urinating and defecating (or BOTH!) either because of stress or they’re marking their new territory. So it’s a good idea to keep your dog on a leash for a while until you can trust that they are comfortable in your new space.
Next step is to remove the leash but only allow supervised wandering. Take your dog out to go potty frequently (once every hour or couple of hours) and reward them after they go in the desired location for the first few days to establish the potty location.
If there are areas of the new home that are not quite set up yet, use baby gates or ex-pens for dogs to prevent access until they are pet-safe zones. This will set them up to be successful!
Create a sense of safety with Predictability
Dogs do really well with a simple, predictable schedule. By providing your dog with predictability, you are reducing their stress significantly. This does not mean every day needs to look exactly the same for you, but you should try to keep your nervous dog’s schedule regular and similar to the schedule they maintained at your previous location. Find a schedule that works for you and your pooch and stick with it—consistency is key. For example: if your pup can rely on a 20 minute walk or play session, followed by a snack and time to relax in their crate or bed around the same time each day, they will not be stressing about what might happen next.
Reduce Stressful Triggers
There are a gazillion new smells, sounds, and images that can flood the senses in a new place. Reducing access to many of these senses can help!
For sounds, play a white noise machine or classical music quietly to mask other sounds. Visually, you can minimize potentially stressful triggers by keeping the shades or blinds closed, covering your windows with frosted window clings, or preventing access to windows until your dog acclimates to the new environment.
Back to the Basics
Keep all communication clear and consistent. Practice their cues and behaviors and anything else they enjoy training. Now is probably not the time to add in brand new tricks, but it’s a great time to practice their known behaviors.
Exercise and mental enrichment are also extremely important elements of every dog’s life. Be sure you are safely providing at least 30 minutes of exercise and brain games to keep your pup busy, happy, and tired. Walks/runs, kongs, puzzle toys, and scent work are wonderful ways to provide this mental enrichment and exercise. You can use your walks or runs to explore your new neighborhood!
Remember, don’t expect perfection. Dogs adapt fairly easily to new situations, but there is a lot to take in. Stay calm, reinforce positive behavior, and try some of these tips. We hope you find them helpful!
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