The stress that comes with moving house is significant, but can be even more apparent for pets.
You want to ensure that you make the move as stress-free as possible for your dog. That said, there are various things to remember when moving with a dog to ensure your move is as seamless as possible.
5 essential things to remember when moving house with a dog include, but aren’t limited to:
- Finding them a vet before you move
- Keeping them on the lead when walking them
- Maintaining the same routine
- Organising pet care for removal day
- Having patience
1. Finding Them A Vet Before You Move
You never know when your dog is going to be in need of medical care, so one of the most essential things to remember when moving house with a dog is finding them a vet.
Many vets have long waiting lists due to ‘the ongoing staffing shortage’ in the veterinary industry, and some are simply at capacity.
As such, you will need to ensure that you research your new area and find a suitable vet ahead of time.
While it’s important to look at reviews of a few vets in the area when making your choice, with the shortage of vets, it’s mainly important that you sort one as soon as possible.
Infographic created by Moving Proz.
This will ensure that your pet is well cared for should any accidents happen shortly after you move home.
2. Keeping Them On The Lead When Walking Them
Next, you will need to remember to keep your dog on a lead when walking them in a new area.
It’s considered best ‘to explore new areas a few times on-lead to see how your dog behaves’. This comes down to the fact that pets can take a long time to settle in a new area, so you don’t want them running off and getting lost.
As they’re experiencing this new area for the first time, this increases the risk of them ignoring you when you call them back which could lead to them getting into all sorts of trouble.
Be patient and keep your dog on the lead for the first few weeks of living in a new area to be safe.
3. Maintaining The Same Routine
Something else you will need to remember when moving house with a dog is to maintain the same routine.
Moving house doesn’t warrant you throwing your dog’s routine out the window. Dog’s require routine to ‘help them predict events’ which is essential for their mental wellbeing as it helps to prevent them from feeling anxious.
Bearing this in mind, you will need to ensure that you’re keeping their feeding schedule the same, as well as their walking routine.
Additionally, you will want to set aside a decent amount of time and dedicate this to playing with your dog and spoiling them with plenty of attention. Remember, dogs can’t understand why you’re too busy to give them attention, and boredom can quickly lead to destructive behaviours.
While moving house is a busy period, it’s essential to make time for your dog to ensure that they don’t feel neglected or lost in their new home. After all, you want them to thrive and settle in as soon as possible!
4. Organising Pet Care For Removal Day
To ensure that your pet is as safe as possible for the duration of removal day, it’s best to organise pet care for removal day.
Regardless of whether you’re using a professional removal company or not, people are going to be coming in and out of your house all day to move boxes. This can be incredibly overwhelming for your dog, and they might even escape outside if someone leaves a door open by mistake.
If you can’t get a trusted family member or friend to look after your dog for the day, then you can look into booking them into a kennel.
This will ensure that your pet is safe and out of the way for the duration of your move, and gives you time to prepare a safe space to help them settle into their new home.
5. Having Patience
Lastly, you will need to ensure that you have patience with your dog during this unsettling time.
Even if they’re normally pretty independent, it’s important to note if their behaviour changes at all, this is likely down to them being in an unfamiliar environment.
Generally speaking, it can take around ‘3 weeks’ for your dog to settle in and feel at home somewhere new. They’ll soon get used to it, but you need to reassure them by giving them plenty of time to settle in and lots of love. As such, be patient and ensure you’re doing everything that you can to help them to get comfortable in their new home.
Written by Jemima Thomas on behalf of Falconer Removals, the oldest family-run removals company in the UK.
