Tips for Helping Your Dog Adjust To Your New Home

When you get a dog for the first time, you’ll likely experience road bumps along the way. As you move through the process of getting a new house, consider the adjustment period that your dog will undergo between moving and making the house their new home.

You’ll have enough to worry about on your end when it comes to switching locations—an anxious dog shouldn’t add to your anxieties. Read these tips for helping your dog adjust to your new home.

Keep Your Dog Out of the Move

As soon as you start packing boxes and moving things out of the house, your dog will pick up on a change in the atmosphere. Helping with the adjustment to the new home starts before you even begin to pack. Start packing boxes slowly, without your dog noticing. Once you start packing up the more noticeable objects in your house—furniture, electronics, bedding—find somewhere for the dog to stay while you finish the move.

If you can, pick somewhere that your dog is familiar with, such as a friend or family member’s house. If that’s not possible, scout out the local dog boarding services and learn everything you can about them before trusting them with your nervous pup.

Introduce Your Dog One Room at a Time

While every dog has a different personality and may react in a unique way to a new home, most dogs will take a while to acclimate. Give your dog a base to start and fill it with familiar objects, like their kennel, toys, and furniture with their scent on it.

Once your dog gets curious about the rooms outside of their domain, walk them around and give them a guided tour. If they stop and refuse to move further, don’t force them on. Simply return them to their base and work on familiarizing your dog a little bit at a time.

Stay Home With Your Dog as Much as Possible

Until your dog fully adapts to their life at your brand-new abode, the home will feel no different than a stranger’s house. You’ll probably want to enjoy life in your new house anyway, but you should keep your dog company and give them attention. Show your love and gently demonstrate how safe the new house is—especially if there’s more noise than where you were before.

Be patient with your furry best friend, no matter how old they are—your mood can be a deciding factor in how anxious they feel. After following our tips for helping your dog adjust to your new home, they’ll come to enjoy the switch-up.