Moving with a dog: 17 tips to reduce stress in your pup

Updated 27/09/2024

Moving home can be stressful at the best of times, but moving with a dog? It’s a lot. 

For our furry friends, moving house can mean a reshuffle of the routine they’re used to and a whole new host of new scents, sounds and of course, neighbors (human and furry!) to suss out.

That’s why we’re here to help with tips to help you prepare, advice to make moving day easier on your doggo, and ways to help your pup adjust to their new home. So without any further ado, let’s get into it.

Moving with a dog: preparing for the big day

Help your pup avoid house viewings

Once the moving process starts, it’s an unavoidable amount of change for you and your furry friends. It’s new smells, surroundings and a change in routine. 

So, to help keep things as normal as possible, one idea is to help your dog stay away from viewings. That means organizing walkies or a trip to see their favorite (human) aunt when potential buyers are viewing your home.

Maintain their daily routine

Dogs and moving isn’t exactly a match made in doggy heaven, but it’s a fact of life, and there are certainly ways you can make it more manageable and bearable for your pup. 

One way is to keep their daily routine as similar as possible throughout the process. That’s meals at the same time, walkies at the same spots and play when they’d usually expect it.

Get them acquainted with their new home

If you get the keys to your new abode before you move out of your current home, one great way to reduce change-related anxiety is to introduce your dog to your new pad ahead of time. 

Before your moving date, visit regularly and put your pup’s familiar toys and bed inside. That way, the home will feel (and smell) somewhat familiar to your scent-sensitive pooch.

Get your dog used to moving supplies

Moving home often means having your house cluttered with boxes, bubble wrap, tape measures, and sometimes unusual cleaning products. While the sight of it all can be stressful for us humans, the clutter and the new smells can be overwhelming for our canine companions. 

So, create a positive association with the new objects around your home, praising and treating your pup when they take an interest. 

Desensitisation 

Moving with a dog means a whole lot of change for your furry pal - traffic and city noises they’re not used to and walkies spots they’re unfamiliar with. So, before you arrive at your new home, try to desensitize your furry buddy to their new sensory environment. 

Whether it’s dog walks in the city or coffee stops in somewhere a little more stimulating, exposing your pup to the sounds and smells of their new territory will help to reduce anxiety when moving time comes.

Keep your home looking as ‘normal’ as possible

While moving means lots of changes to your current home, one way to keep your pup feeling calm and happy in the lead up to the move is to keep your home as familiar as possible. If you can, keep their usual hangouts in the same spots - that’s their food and water bowls, bed and lounging spots intact. 

Moving day: tips for the big day

Create a safe space

If for moving day itself your pup will be along for the ride, there are ways to make it a less stressful time for both your canine pal and the other human(s) you’re moving with. And let’s face it, a calm doggo is a (slightly?) calm furry fam. 

We advise creating a safe space (in your current and new home) for your dog to rest and feel safe while the move happens around them. You could also consider making a DIY anxiety wrap to make them feel extra safe and secure.

Make use of toys and puzzles

Another great tip on how to move with a dog: don’t think for a second about packing away your dog’s toys and puzzles. Pick out a few puzzle toys that’ll keep them entertained, and you will probably see better behavior with less boredom and frustration in the air.

Keep it interactive

Moving with a dog sure is busy and distracting for pet parents, but it’s important to carve out a few minutes here and there to walk your dog during the move, and play a stimulating game that’ll keep them settled afterwards. 

Not only will this help your pooch stay calm, it’ll give you a great excuse to get outdoors for a few moments!

Ask family or friends for a hand

If you’re lucky enough to have a trusted friend or family member near enough to care for your furry pal for the day, it could certainly take the weight off. So to save your dog moving with you, have a friend take care of your doggo for the day so they’re away from the chaos - ignorance is bliss.

Just make sure it’s someone your dog is familiar with who they enjoy spending time with, or this could make them more stressed. 

How to help a dog adjust to a new home

Continue with normal routines

To make moving with a dog less anxiety-inducing for your trusty pup, one way to create a sense of normalcy is to continue with the daily routine they’re used to, despite being in a different house. 

Our canine companions thrive off routine - it helps them feel safe and secure. So, amongst all the change, keep meal times, walkies, training and play as similar as you can, post-move.

Consider your dog’s sensory environment

Once the heavy lifting of your house move is done and dusted, teach your dog to enjoy their new space by considering their sensory environment. 

It’s no secret that dogs’ sense of smell and hearing are super sensitive, so create surroundings that help your pup feel calm by choosing a relaxing playlist for dogs, and maybe even consider a pheromone spray.

Carve out quality time

Moving with a dog can mean not spending quite so much time with your pup as you’d like. But, as you’ll know, our furry friends need that quality time with their humans to make them feel safe and secure. 

So, carve out time for your dog once you’re in your new home - whether it’s treating them to a dog massage, tricks training, or bread-and-butter activities like walkies and a game of fetch.

Keep familiar furniture

If you need quick advice on how to get a dog used to a new home - one simple way is to keep familiar furniture. 

As you’ll know, dogs are scent-centric beings, so keeping the couch, throw or dog bed from their old home will help the new place feel a whole lot more familiar, reducing anxiety and overwhelm in your pup.

Create a safe space

As with the move itself, the new home can be somewhat chaotic when you’re first in. So to help your pooch feel a little less lost in their new pad,  kit out a corner with their bed, toys and familiar blankets and snacks that’ll help them feel right at home. 

This can also be a super useful tip if you’re moving your dog from a house to an apartment, as the adjustment is only greater in the new layout.

Don’t leave them home alone straight away

Dogs adjust at a different rate to us humans, and they’ll need time to wrap their heads around their new abode. So to make it less stressful for your pooch, avoid leaving them home alone straight away.

Watch for signs of anxiety

Who knows - your pooch might take to their new pad like a duck to water (or a dog to biscuits?), but it’s important to watch for signs of anxiety if they’re not adapting as well as you’d hoped. Look out for changes in behavior like barking, howling, panting, hunching, destructive behavior and even out-of-character aggression.

Meet our veterinary expert, Emma

This article has been checked by veterinarian Emma Chandley, BVetMed MRCVS PGCertSAS. Emma graduated from the Royal Vet College in London in 2011. She has a keen interest in surgery and went on to do a postgraduate certificate in small animal surgery and was then awarded advanced practitioner status in the same discipline.

What can I give my dog for anxiety?

Moving with a dog can be anxiety-inducing for our furry pals, so watch out for the signs and consider the best way forward. For tips and advice on what to do about dogs with anxiety, explore our blog.