We Moved! 8 Tips for Moving With Pets

Whether you are moving 1 mile or 100 miles, moving sucks, you don’t have to remind me. The transition to a new location can be incredibly stressful for anyone. From packing, and cleaning, to carrying stuff in and out of the house, and then unpacking everything…I’m already exhausted! A lot of people don’t consider the toll their move will take on their pets. But with planning and careful consideration, your move doesn’t have to be difficult. 

Read on for a few tips we gathered from our recent moving experience with Duke and Navy.

1. KEEP YOUR PET SECLUDED DURING MOVE

If you can, try your best to keep your pet away from the action during your move. If you have movers coming in and out of your home, or even if you are in and out carrying boxes and furniture, your pet may get a bit worried. We ended up letting Navy stay at her grandparents the weekend we moved. Unfortunately, we had to keep Duke with us while he recovered from his surgery. We tried our best to keep him secluded to the bedroom as we packed, cleaned, and moved the remainder of the house.

2. LET YOUR DOG GET FAMILIAR WITH THE NEW SPACE

If you are moving locally, try to allow your pet to get a few sniffs of your new digs ahead of time. Even if it is just going for a walk around the new neighborhood, having the extra time with you in this new location will seriously help the transition.

3. LET YOUR PET TRAVEL WITH YOU

I know some people who move longer distances are not able to travel with their pets when they relocate. It was highly recommended to us to have Duke and Navy ride along with Zach and I as we moved into our new house rather than be dropped off by a friend or a family member. Having the two right there with us just added an extra layer of comfort for the pups.

4. KEEP THEM AS CALM AS POSSIBLE

Dogs can sense your stress and during a move stress levels tend to be high. Sometimes you need to give your pup a little something to help ease the anxiety associated with moving. Last year we experimented with giving Navy CBD treats to help calm her anxiety. Recently our friends at Vital Essentials introduced their line of freeze-dried hemp chews to help pups feel calm and comfortable in stressful situations. We will have a full review of their line of hemp treats soon, but spoiler alert: we are obsessed and the RELAX line of treats!

5. PREP AN OVERNIGHT BAG

Pack a bag with some of your pups’ favorite toys, treats, and enough food to last a few days. Things can easily get lost or damaged during a move. You want to make sure you have easy access to these things once you arrive at your new location. 

6. NOTIFY YOUR VET

Give your vet a heads up that you are moving. Our vet’s office was able to recommend a few tips for us. Knowing Navy all too well, they prescribed some anxiety meds for her to take as well. They were also able to recommend an awesome vet in our new city and transfer Duke and Navy’s records for us. If you have a longer move, make sure to stock up on your pet’s meds ahead of time.

7. ALLOW YOUR PET TO EXPLORE THE NEW SPACE

When you arrive in your new location, give your pet some time to adjust and explore. There will be a lot of new smells for them to experience! We walked Navy and Duke throughout every room on their leash and gave them plenty of time to sniff things out.

8. SET BOUNDARIES

Besides walking Navy and Duke around on a leash in our new home, we made sure to set some pretty strict boundaries. We transitioned from an 800 sq ft apartment to a single family home of over 4000 sq ft. We’ve mentioned this once or twice before, but not creating boundaries for Navy as a puppy made potty training extremely difficult. In our new home, we decided that the doors to all rooms will be shut when we are not in them, leaving Navy and Duke just the common areas to explore without mom and dad.

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Despite all the stress and drama associated with our move, things ended up going fairly smoothly once we were in the new house. Navy and Duke had a seamless transition, and yes they are loving their new home + yard.

Thanks for reading! Have you ever moved with a pet? Let our readers know your top tips in the comments below.