Packing things
For dogs, maintaining a daily routine is important. You will minimize stress on moving day if everything goes as usual in the morning. You feed your pet and walk it at the usual time.
The process of packing things before moving is a troublesome task. You will be too busy and there is a high chance that you will leave your four-legged friend unattended. He will be worried about the fuss and be afraid of strangers (when calling a special service); he may run away unnoticed into the street. Give your pet for foster care on the day you pack your things and move - then you can take him to his new home. Ask friends or use pet hotels. This way you will minimize stress on the dog and will not be distracted by it. It is better to book a hotel room in advance, without delaying the decision until the last few days.
If there is no opportunity to place your dog, and you are collecting things together, then follow these simple recommendations:
- temporarily isolate your pet in a closed room;
- tell family members and helper workers not to open this room.
If circumstances permit, pack slowly. Start preparing for the move in advance so that the dog gets used to the boxes of things in the apartment. When the owner is not in a hurry and is not nervous, his excitement will not be transferred to the pet on the important day. The more methodical and calm you are, the calmer the dog will be.
Prepare a separate box for dog things. Let the dog observe the collection process. Place this box last - then unload it first and you can immediately give your pet familiar things.
Where to place a dog
If the search for a new owner among friends and relatives is unsuccessful, then there are only two options left. Submit an ad in the media or arrange admission to a shelter.
Advertisements can be placed electronically on popular Internet resources (updated daily), submitted to a newspaper, or posted on paper advertisements. In any case, the advertisement indicates the animal’s age, gender, weight, height, temperament characteristics, takes clear (preferably color) full-length photographs of the dog, describes possible health problems, but pays more attention to positive characteristics.
You can donate an animal to a shelter by contacting it directly or through charitable foundations that deal with animal problems in the city. However, it is not always possible to place a dog in a shelter, because they are often overcrowded. Veterinary clinics can help.
Questions should be asked of potential owners to ensure they can care for the animal.
Once the dog has found its new owner, you should not visit it. Adaptation of a pet to a new family will be faster if it does not return to the past. This way you can minimize your own sadness and the animal’s stress. In addition, it will be unpleasant to see how your pet gradually begins to move away, stops enjoying the meeting and even barks. If proper attention is provided and care is provided, the dog will quickly get used to the new owner and new living conditions.
Should I give my dog a sedative?
To prevent your dog from feeling nervous or stressed, there are sedatives available. If you think you cannot do without them, consult your veterinarian. As a rule, the drug is prescribed to be given a week before moving. It will relieve stress and allow the dog to more easily accept changes in life.
Sedatives will help if you have a long journey ahead - by car or on an airplane. If the dog does not tolerate the road well, ask the veterinarian to select a drug. Do not exceed the recommended dosage. If you are afraid that your four-legged friend will become aggressive and difficult to deal with, then ask for a strong remedy. But don’t “prescribe” it yourself!
Keep in mind that taking sedatives often provokes thirst. To avoid dehydration, ensure unlimited access to water. Remember that a side effect of sedatives is a decrease in the severity of the reaction.
Stages of adaptation of a dog from a shelter to a new family
| Period | What happens to the dog | What should the owner do? |
| 12 o'Clock in the noon | Problems that the dog is prone to begin to appear. The dog may be apathetic or hyperactive. | First of all, let the dog get used to the house. It seems to you that you need to surround it with attention and care, but this is not so: the dog may see your persistence as a threat. The less you pay attention to your new friend, the better. |
| 3 – 4 days | The dog gradually begins to show interest in its surroundings, behaves calmer, and sleeps better. But I’m not ready to play yet. And he may refuse to eat. | The pet will appreciate walks, but they should only be on a leash. The dog may pull - this is normal at this stage, you can start training using positive reinforcement. Avoid any punishment. If the dog is eating, you can hand-feed part of the daily ration and then use it as a reward for completing a command (of course, if the dog is not aggressive and it is safe). |
| 2 weeks | The dog begins to show the first signs of affection. She may follow you around, lick your hands, or refuse to be left alone. If left alone in the room, she may howl, damage things, and urinate. | Train your dog to be alone. Leave it alone for a minute at first, then gradually increase the time. And remember: during this period there are no punishments! |
| 2 weeks – 3 months | The dog chooses “his” person and refuses to communicate with others. Extremely attached to the new owner. | Remember that attachment cannot develop for all family members at the same time. While the new member of the “pack” builds a relationship with the “chosen one,” others will only be tolerated (at best), or even driven away or avoided. If the whole family treats this with understanding and does not pester the dog or behave in a threatening manner, it will gradually become attached to the rest of the family members. Give the dog time |
| 3 – 12 months | Attachment gradually develops. The dog knows what to expect from you and becomes more predictable itself. You begin to trust each other, the first shoots of mutual understanding appear. | It is important to keep in mind that your dog's behavior is constantly changing and not to be alarmed. Typically, behavior stabilizes by the end of the first year. |
Setting up in a new place
Usually the dog is interested in where it came. Enter your new home first, leaving your pet tied on a leash at the front door, in a carrier, or in the car if you arrived by car. Make sure the new home is safe for the dog so he won't get hurt. Broken glass, exposed wires, sawdust, spilled paint, etc. are dangerous.
Once you’ve made sure that the house is safe, let the dog in and let him explore all the rooms. Perhaps your pet is one of those who does not strive to examine everything quickly and does not show interest in a change of environment. Don't force your dog to explore its new home. Interest will come gradually.
During the first hours in the new home, show the dog his place where there will be a bowl of water and food. If the dog is still small, it may not immediately remember where you put the bowls. In the first days, lure your pet there with treats.
Place familiar objects and toys on the bed so that the dog quickly gets used to the new place. To reinforce positive emotions, give your dog a treat or play. Let her see the new home as a positive place. You can hide several treats in different places in advance - when the dog finds them while exploring the house, this will also create positive associations.
When things are sorted, take care of the dog’s safety in the house. There have been cases when animals tried to return to where they were taken from. Therefore, regularly check that doors and windows are closed.
The exact time frame for a dog’s adaptation to a new home after moving cannot be determined. Too many factors determine this indicator, including the character of the pet. Usually you can fully get comfortable in a new territory within 3-5 days. To make adaptation to the new environment easier, try arranging the furniture as it was in the old house. This way the dog will perceive the new home as less foreign.
Adaptation of a puppy to a new home
You brought the puppy home. Now he is a member of your family. However, at first it will be difficult and scary for him, because the baby was torn away from his mother, brothers and sisters, with whom it was so cozy and fun. We need to help the puppy adapt as quickly as possible. Advice for new "mom" and "dad".
Puppy in a new home: why is he scared?
— Moving to a new home is a serious stress for a puppy. Make sure that in the first days of his life it is calm and quiet at home with you: you should not immediately call neighbors and friends to admire your pet. Give him time to get comfortable and get used to the world of new smells and things, and get to know you better. If you have children, do not allow them to grab and cuddle the puppy - this will cause additional stress for him.
— The first days at home are an important stage for both the owners and the puppy itself. Remember that for now the baby is scared by absolutely everything: he feels lonely and lost. Therefore, for the first two days he may constantly whine and cry, calming down only in his arms. Take him in your arms, but do not hold him in your arms for a long time: this way he will never get used to independence.
- At night, the puppy will certainly come to you - for him, this is the only, in his opinion, worthy refuge from nightmares in a new place. Be prudent: if you do not plan for an adult dog to sleep with you, do not take the puppy into your bed , otherwise it will be impossible to wean him. It's better to lay a fluffy towel next to the bed for him and touch the puppy every time he starts to whine. Very soon the baby will get used to the new place, to you, and will feel at home.
How to adapt a puppy to a new home
— If possible, try not to leave the puppy alone in the first days after the move. He is not yet accustomed to his new habitat, and your presence somehow calms him down.
- If you still need to leave the house for a few hours, make sure that the puppy is not so scared. Lock him in the smallest room with constant access to food and water, and place a few of his toys in a visible place. Do not leave a cordless telephone receiver or anything else in the room that could suddenly make a loud sound.
— At the same time, if your usual rhythm of life does not allow you to spend a long time at home and you plan to leave your older dog alone, you do not need to accustom your puppy to the fact that there is always someone with him. Habits are actively developed between the ages of one and three months. When the time comes to disrupt the puppy's normal life under your constant supervision, problems will begin: whining at the door or constant barking.
There are several rules to follow:
1. Accustoming must be done gradually: you cannot leave a puppy at home alone at one month of age for more than 4 hours, at two months old for more than 5 hours, at three months old for more than 6 hours.
2. If the puppy is left alone in the new home at night, the light must be turned on where he is.
3. There should be fresh water and food in a place accessible to the puppy.
4. Be sure to give your puppy special toys while you are away.
5. It will be great if someone checks on the baby: feeds him, plays with him, cleans up the piles and puddles.
6. When you return home, behave kindly and calmly with the puppy in any case, even if you don’t really like the trashed apartment.
How to avoid clutter at home?
As soon as the puppy has settled into the new home and is quietly left alone at home, the next problem arises - the total chaos that the puppy creates while exploring the new space. His curiosity and mobility are completely normal and indicate good physical condition, but the degree of destruction can be reduced by properly organizing the home space.
— There should be no wires within the puppy’s access—he will certainly want to chew on them.
— The puppy’s uncontrollable interest in the new home will also be aroused by any of your shoes, which need to be hidden in closed cabinets for a while.
— A stack of papers lying neatly on the desk will probably be scattered in an even layer all over the floor and bitten in places by the time you arrive. It's easy to avoid this - put all papers in drawers.
— Toilet paper will also seem like an excellent toy to the little household tyrant: to protect it from being torn apart, replace the regular toilet paper holder with a sealed one.
— You should also meticulously inspect all surfaces in the house: anything that is poorly secured may end up on the floor within the first hour after you leave. It is better to remove everything valuable and important from shelves and tables for a while. You can return all decorative elements to their place when the puppy grows up a little.
Walking
— Start walking your puppy only after he has received all the necessary vaccinations. Otherwise, the very first walk may result in an infection and a long treatment process. In addition, they are accustomed to walks when the puppy’s adaptation to the new home is complete and he gets used to his owners.
- Walking is needed not only to satisfy physiological needs and improve health, but also to gain life experience, study the environment, and develop the correct reaction to various, including strong, external stimuli - strangers, animals, vehicles.
— The first appearances in the world should be done with the utmost caution. There are a lot of cars, people and other dogs on the street, so the puppy will be scared.
- Start with a 15-minute walk. For the first 10 minutes, hold the puppy in your arms, letting him get used to the noise and smells.
— When returning from a walk, put the puppy on the ground for a while, but do not allow him to sit on it if it is cold and wet.
- Wait until the puppy goes to the toilet, and be sure to praise him. This way he will gradually understand that he needs to wait until he goes for a walk to go to the toilet.
- Puppies older than three months should be walked daily, gradually increasing the time.
— It’s better to do this on a leash and with a collar
— In quiet places away from roads, you can let your baby walk freely.
- If the puppy is afraid of something, take him to the object to reassure him that there is no danger, and give him a treat.
Gradual socialization
After the first two weeks of careful walking, you can go to the dog park. There the puppy will have to meet his own kind - often big and very scary! Always be close to your pet, without letting him off the leash, and at first limit contact with large dogs.
Once your puppy has mastered basic commands, allow him to run around on his own while remaining within your line of sight.
What to consider when walking
Recommendations for walking in a new place that must be followed so that the dog does not get lost:
- do not let off the leash at first;
- make sure that the chip contains new information about your place of residence;
- put a medallion with a phone number and address on the dog’s neck.
Even dogs with perfect obedience in a new, unfamiliar area may become confused and not immediately respond. Wait until your pet's stress goes away and new experiences are no longer overly vivid. Only then can you start letting him off the leash.
Make sure your dog relieves himself while walking. To do this, take him out more often in the first 2-3 days. When moving, some dogs tend to get confused about where they can do their business and where they can’t. Let your pet remember the “rules of the game.”
Long, active walks will benefit your dog. During games, endorphins hormones are produced, giving a calming effect.
Where to start preparing your animal for relocation
- First of all, the owner himself must radiate calm and confidence. The owner's worries associated with the move will be transferred to the animal. All family members must agree to speak in a calm tone, and emotional hand movements are prohibited. The dog feels the owner’s emotions more acutely than other animals; it is important for him to know that the person is calm, which means everything is fine.
- You should start collecting things, packing boxes, packing suitcases 2-3 weeks in advance. When changes occur gradually, the animal has time to get used to it, and the stress level decreases. Let your furry friend carefully sniff the collected boxes, suitcases, and lie astride the prepared bag, if he wants.
- If it is expected that during transportation to a new place of residence the animal will be in a carrier, it is worth accustoming it to it in advance. They accustom the pet by placing a blanket with its scent in an open carrier and leaving it for several days. The dog must be able to enter and exit without hindrance. When moving long distances, it is better to choose a hard plastic carrier. It will protect against possible injury due to uneven roads.
Where to arrange a sleeping place for a puppy
There is nothing wrong if your four-legged friend sleeps in the bedroom, naturally in his own bed, and not in the master's. Sleeping with other family members will be beneficial for those dogs that spend a lot of time alone while the rest of the family is at work or school. Even though you are sleeping, for the dog the time spent next to you does not pass without a trace. She becomes attached to you and feels like an important part of the community.
However, if you want the dog's place to be in another room, that's your choice, but don't leave your baby alone for the first few nights. The puppy needs your company more than it seems.
Rules for organizing the toilet before and after vaccination
A very important point that is often overlooked is the rules for organizing the toilet. In the first weeks, the puppy will not be able to walk outside. Even if you live in a private house, the baby will not be able to endure walking.
To avoid “wet surprises”, it is better to immediately accustom the puppy to the allowed place to relieve himself in the house. A puppy can be trained to go to the toilet using oilcloth, a moisture-absorbing diaper, or a litter tray.
