The Dog Behavior Answer Book - Arden Moore [94]
Moving is one of life’s big stressors for both dogs and people. The break in the routine with furniture being moved, items being packed, and strange men coming in and out of the house can take a toll on a dog’s self-confidence and feeling of security. Fortunately, dogs tend to bond more with their people than zip codes. (Cats, by comparison, truly prefer to be homebodies.) The good news for Emma is that once she settles into the new locale, she will happily continue her great life with the two of you.
While you are in the process of packing your belongings and preparing the house for sale, maintain Emma’s usual routine as much as possible, especially your daily walks — the exercise will help all of you unleash some tension and stress. Speak to her in an upbeat, happy voice to reassure her. Help her feel more comfortable with the changing household by setting up cardboard boxes in rooms all over your house. As you pack items, let Emma sniff and explore. Point out the box to her, say the word box, and then hand her a treat. You are building up a positive association between the boxes and the treats for Emma. Take a break once in a while and pay special attention to her by reinforcing her basic obedience commands or having her perform one of her favorite tricks for treats.
On moving day, you have two options: taking Emma to a doggy day care, a kennel, or your veterinary clinic, if it offers boarding facilities, or keeping her in a closed room in your home. If Emma already likes doggy day care, this provides a perfect outlet for her to expend some energy with canine chums in a safe, supervised setting. When you pick her up at the end of the day, she will be tired and relaxed, even when walking into a near-empty house. Even if she is not used to being away from home, it might be less stressful for her to spend a few hours (or even a day or two) being cared for by professionals while you focus on the activity back at the house without having to worry about how Emma is doing.
If you do opt to keep her at home, choose a room that has already been cleared of all furnishings. Place a big sign on colored paper on the door to alert the movers that your dog is inside. During the hustle of moving items, you don’t want to risk Emma escaping in fright and getting lost or hit by a car. If she likes her crate, let her stay in there with her favorite chew toy and water in a closed room. If she doesn’t have a crate, provide her with her familiar bedding, a couple of favorite toys, a chew toy, and water. Turn on a portable radio to mute the sounds of the moving crew. Make sure she is wearing a collar and ID tags (or even better, a microchip ID).
It is very important that you take her for a 10-minute walk every few hours. Make sure you put her leash on before you leave the room. Encourage her to meet and greet the movers if they are willing. Speak in happy and calm tones. Dogs are masters at picking up our emotions.
Before you move into your new condo, see if your realtor is willing to place one of your used T-shirts or towels and a couple of Emma’s saliva-slobbered toys inside the condo before you arrive. Just mail them in advance of your cross-country trek. That way, when Emma steps her first paw in your new place, she will immediately smell and see familiar objects to help her feel more at home.
Not the Right Dog for Our Family
Q We’re in a dilemma. My wife and I adopted a two-year-old collie for our three children. They are now between the ages of nine and thirteen and have pestered us to get a dog for many years. They finally reached the ages where we felt they were mature enough to help with the responsibilities of having a dog. The problem is that Buster isn’t fitting into our family. He barks constantly, chews the kid’s toys, is hard to walk, and generally causes havoc in the house. We’ve taken him to obedience classes and worked with a behaviorist,