Over the last week, my two and four legged family moved from our one bedroom apartment on a busy street to a much larger space. The biggest bonus from our pooch’s perspective, is that our new neighborhood boasts grassy hills to sniff and pee on and best of all, a dog park - right across the street!

Moving with dogs adds a whole other component to the basic stress of packing, unpacking and settling into new digs. Here is a short list of advice on how to move with dogs and make it as stress free as possible to all parties involved.

• Start far in advance. Start your packing slowly, start boxing up belongings well in advance of the move so as not to shock or disrupt your dog’s surroundings, as much as possible.
• Make sure to get a new ID tag, in advance! Get new tags for your dogs with your new address and telephone number that you can attach to their collars on the day you get into your new home. An unfamiliar neighborhood can cause a dog who gets loose to get really, really lost. He doesn’t know where home is! Make sure you have a recent photo in case you need to make posters to find a lost pet. An accurate ID tag can save you a lot of heartache.
• Plan to safely confine your pet both during the moving out of your old home and into your new one. He doesn’t need to be barking at the movers or running around your feet while you try and get everything into its new place. You will get stressed out and so will he. Ensuring that he is located in one safe area, like a crate or room will keep your pet from wandering out of open doors while you may be distracted with the move.
• Prepare your new home. Make sure your dogs necessities are easily accessible and unpacked immediately. Food and water bowls, food, toys, dog bed, crates and anything else that your dog is used to having around will help  both him and you relax. Stick as closely as possible to his normal feeding/ walking schedule.
• Once you are in the new home, the stress of moving may cause some potty training to be undone. Don’t get mad! Instead, get into a walking routine as quickly as possible, including extra potty trips for the first week until your pet settles in. Have an enzymatic pet odor cleaning solution on hand to clean any accidents. You don’t want Fido to have scent marked an area in your new home and continue to use it!
• Make time for playtime. De-stress your pet by giving him a little extra attention. Make sure you are observing him and keep him close by. He doesn’t know where he is. By having him near you, he can see your routine and start to settle in.

Remember, dogs are creatures of habit. A big move disrupts a dog’s sense of security and routine! The quicker you can reestablish routine, the sooner he will feel secure and at home.

As for us, we are mostly settled and have been making daily trips to the dog park! Our walks are more frequent and longer then usual. Louis and Ella Bean are handling the move like champs!

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