Moving to a new home is not just stressful and daunting to humans but also to animals as well. They are extremely sensitive and get attached to their place. That is why they tend to take a lot of time to adjust themselves and feel comfortable in their new home.
Following are some tips that can help you speed up their adjustment phase.
Don’t Disturb Their Routine
Like every human, animals tend to develop a routine to navigate through the day. This may include their meals, walks and naps. Although small variations may occur, they expect their day to go according to their routine. When you move to a new house, your dogs may be overwhelmed and confused due to new surroundings. So, make sure you stick to their routine and try not to disturb it to reassure your dogs and help them to settle down in their new home.
Play with Them
Give your dogs some extra attention and time after moving into your new home. Play their favourite games with them and help them get familiar with their new home. This will keep them distracted and create a sense of safety and happiness in their new home. This has shown to reduce their adjustment period considerably.
Set Up Their Space
Set up their space as soon as you move into your new home and give. Whether it is a temporary corner or their permanent space, they should have a place where they can feel comfortable or can retreat to. Use their own stuff that they are familiar with. Their old stuff and familiar smells will provide them with a corner where they can retreat.
Hire a Dog Sitter
If you feel that your dogs have not settled in their new house, leaving your dog alone in your new home may be a bad idea. In a state of stress and confusion, they might get into an accident and hurt themselves or damage the property. Hence, you should consider hiring a dog sitter for a few days while you go out to work.
Make Your New House Dog Proof
Dog-proofing your new house is highly important and must be kept a top priority. Remove or secure hazardous items like toxic substances, small objects, and electrical cords. Block off restricted areas using gates or barriers, and store fragile or valuable items away. You can also check your garden to make sure that it is safe for your dogs to play.
Check the Fence for Any Holes
Inspect your fence and ensure it has no holes in it that your dogs can escape from. Walk the perimeter, and patch up visible gaps with wire mesh or sturdy materials. Make sure the gate is securely latched, and consider adding a self-locking mechanism. Closely supervise your dog outdoors until the fence is secure to prevent escape attempts.
Try a Pheromone Diffuser
Female dogs emit pheromones to the surrounding after giving birth to the puppies. This pheromone has a huge calming effect on the dogs. So it may be a good idea to invest in a pheromone diffuser to help your dogs to settle down in their new home.
Use a Microchip
Dogs can bolt to loud sounds in a state of confusion and nervousness. So, it is better to embed a microchip in their collar to keep track of their location. Being new to the area, they may not recognise their new home and may get lost; a microchip will ensure that your dog can be brought back to their home.
If your dogs already have a microchip, update your new address details as soon as you move into your new home.
Explore the Area with Them
Dogs love to explore new areas and learn how to navigate around their home. So, taking them out and familiarising them with their surroundings and neighbours will be a good idea. This will help your dogs to get comfortable with the surroundings and settle down in their new home.
Be Patient with Them
Moving to a new place can be very overwhelming for dogs. It is normal for them to feel nervous and frightened. So if you see them barking at strangers through the window or getting into accidents and breaking stuff, you should know that it is merely a reaction to their confusion and anxiety, and they are trying their best to cope with their new surroundings.
Make sure you give them extra attention and stay patient and positive with them. Try to create happy moments to help them feel normal again.