Tips for Relocating with a Dog

Our pets are as much a part of the family as any of us, and when it’s a dog we are talking about, the feeling is definitely mutual. Unfortunately, some dogs have a particularly hard time adjusting to the whole process of relocation, starting from the move itself, to getting adjusted to the new location.

The problem becomes even more of a hassle if you happen to be moving often due to the nature of your work. Nevertheless, it is perfectly possible to make your pooch get more comfortable with relocations, through a bit of preparation.

1Ensuring a Comfortable Ride: Space is Important

The bigger a dog is, the more space it needs to settle down and be comfortable during the long ride from your current home to the next. If it’s a really long, cross-state ride, you will need plenty of cargo space to have food, water, toys and the bedding laid out inside the car. Just in case you have a family with kids as well, there will never be a better time to buy a Honda CR-V, or maybe a Toyota RAV4 for the excellent cargo space which these compact SUVs offer. It will make the whole relocation go a lot smoother for not just the dog, but pretty much the whole family. The large cargo space becomes a second home for the pet as well if you happen to be a frequent traveler.

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2Locate and Make an Appointment with a Good Vet Before the Move

Veterinarians are not as hard to find these days, thanks to search engines and geo tagging, but you need to find one before actually making the move.

Make an appointment beforehand and take your dog in for an introduction, even if he/she has had all the shots before leaving. Aside from establishing a good rapport between the pet and the vet, this is also important because relocating to some areas will immediately raise your dog’s chances of getting heartworms, ticks and a whole range of other infections and/or parasites. Your new vet will warn you about the dangers and provide the vaccines or precautionary meds, as and when applicable.

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3Downsizing Will Require Training to Adjust

Perhaps the most dreaded and unfortunate situation for a dog to be in is, when the owner has to downsize. If your dog is used to living in a big house with an open yard, shifting to an apartment building will be a very hard and difficult one for the poor pet to adjust with.

Training will most likely be necessary to keep your dog from barking too much, as well as other behavioral changes that must accompany shifting to an apartment building. In any case, make sure there’s a park nearby, and that your dog is taken to the park for some exercise and playtime regularly.

Do keep in mind that some dogs react more to certain very particular stages of moving than others and that is perfectly normal, because just like human beings, dogs have different personalities too. If one part of the relocation and readjustment feels more taxing for your canine friend, simply focus on making that part easier for the pet. At the end of the day, since they did not have any say in the move, you do need to make up for that with a lot of attention, playing and love!

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