How to Help Your Dog Adjust to a New Home

So you and your dog have moved to a new home? That's a big event for any family member. Though dogs are particularly skeptical of any changes. This experience may be really stressful for them. Hence, as from now, your main job is to make your dog feel comfortable at this new home. Dogs need some time to adjust, feel free, and safe at a new place. Hence, it is up to you to help them in doing so. It's not such a hard process after all. Of course, knowing a few special tricks won't hurt. So here's our guide on how to help your dog adjust to a new place.

Set up a dog's place
Your doggie needs to feel comfortable at your new home right away. Think of things that you want to see in your new place as soon as you move in. If you love to cook, your kitchen gear will be the first to get unpacked. Some will start decorating their bedrooms right away. Your dog, though, after finishing up sniffing and checking everything around, will need a place to rest. It's good if you've moved with old pieces of furniture. This way your dog will recognize some of the old smell and will probably stick to those familiar areas. Though, if not, you need to hurry up and put it's favorite blanket or mat somewhere. It's important that your dog could find a bed and a place to rest right away. This way they will feel at home.

Show them where their bowl is
Just as with people, for dogs, food is associated with safety and comfort. Hence, to help your dog adjust to a new place, you should show them where their food is going to be. As you set foot into a new place, bring your dog to the kitchen and fill their bowl with snacks. This way, your dog will relax and feel less suspicious about the novelty of the surroundings. Also, we understand that moving into a new place can be pretty expensive. Of course, your dog should not suffer because of that. Here are some gnc dog vitamins reviews to help you find some extra treats for your four-legged companion. Just check out the list and see what your dog would prefer. Also, it's much better to not change their diets on the verge of such big changes. So, it will be better to start feeding them new food a bit ahead of time.

Maintain your routine
Some things should not change. Things like your routine. Your god should see that regardless of changes, many things remain unchanged. We understand that getting into a new house is accompanied by chaos. Though, you should try for what is in your power to prevent your god from feeling this chaotic life around it. Hence, do your best to maintain the usual routine. Also, we don't mean you just need to keep your walking hours untouched. You also need to maintain the little things that make your time with your dog special. Perhaps, you like spending some a few minutes in the morning together, when your dog is allowed in your bed. Maybe, you have your traditional playtime around dinner time. These small things matter. They can drastically reduce the anxiety caused by a new house and make your dog happy right away.

Give them the attention they need
As we have mentioned before, your dog will probably find this whole experience rather stressful. To help them reduce anxiety, you need to be extra attentive to your dog in the next few days. If it's possible, you should stay at home for the first days after moving in. Your dog needs to adjust to a place and you being next to them in this unfamiliar environment can really help. Overall, act as if you had a very upset friend next to you. Cuddle up more, present some special treats, buy a new toy. Do things that your dog loves doing. As soon as their initial fear and suspicion of a new place are gone, they'll be back to being normal selves. You just need to show some patience for a while.

Stay active
The best way to help your dog with anxiety is to help them let the excess energy out. So unpack your snickers and go to the park. Once your dog is too tired to be nervous anymore, you can head back home. It's honestly quite a simple but very efficient trick to make your dog accustomed to changes. Once your dog is tired after a good long walk or heavy training, it will only look for a place to rest. That's where her freshly set-up bed will come in handy. After a good nap, your dog will feel better, less stressed, and ready to explore the new house with more enthusiasm than before.