Recently I moved. Really really fast. It took us two days of packing things here and there and another two days to move all the furniture and set it up, bring in the boxes, all that. It had been less than eight hours of unpacking and we're almost done already.. The place (a condo, so we have lots of neighbors now) is nice and while I'm getting by I can not promise you this was a move we wanted. But then there's my dog.
She's a (smaller sized) boxer. She never makes a peep. We brought her last night with us and shows her around. She doesn't like some of the smaller rooms but we're working on getting her over her fears. She has been whimpering a noticable amount and tends to run down the hall when we take her out. We want her to be as comfortable as possible- we are, however, in a position to bring her back and forth between the new place and the old place. I'm wondering if this would cause more trauma for her, or if she would feel better that way (keeping in mind she'll spend 93% of her time in the new place.)
Right now I'm in the best interest of her. There's also a small issue of her not eating properly, but we have waved her rules of "if you don't eat it you don't get it" temporarily, so she does eat what she is given by the end of the day. I'm sure she will be back to her usual habits when she's more comfortable. I could talk about her every move some more but I won't.
Thank you
-BL
She's a (smaller sized) boxer. She never makes a peep. We brought her last night with us and shows her around. She doesn't like some of the smaller rooms but we're working on getting her over her fears. She has been whimpering a noticable amount and tends to run down the hall when we take her out. We want her to be as comfortable as possible- we are, however, in a position to bring her back and forth between the new place and the old place. I'm wondering if this would cause more trauma for her, or if she would feel better that way (keeping in mind she'll spend 93% of her time in the new place.)
Right now I'm in the best interest of her. There's also a small issue of her not eating properly, but we have waved her rules of "if you don't eat it you don't get it" temporarily, so she does eat what she is given by the end of the day. I'm sure she will be back to her usual habits when she's more comfortable. I could talk about her every move some more but I won't.
Thank you
-BL
I see this a lot in foster dogs I've placed, or rescues I've gotten in. Don't take her back and forth, instead let her have your new place. She more than likely is in distress, it takes about a week to two weeks for a dog to really get into the habit of a new home.
What I like to do with my foster dogs is find a room for them, all my dogs and fosters are crated so I set up their crate in their room with all their things. Let them come and go, let them explore. As long as I'm home they can do whatever they want.
What you don't want to do is break routines. If you normally removed food if the dog didn't eat it, continue to remove the food. Your dog may miss a few meals but it'll be alright, your dog will tell you when it's ready to eat again.
Don't baby the dog, just give it quiet time. Once it realizes that "This is where I belong." and you all are settled in everything should go back to normal.
Remember that feeling you had when you first got in the condo? That's exactly how your dog is feeling.
Don't fret, the more you worry the more your dog will.
What I like to do with my foster dogs is find a room for them, all my dogs and fosters are crated so I set up their crate in their room with all their things. Let them come and go, let them explore. As long as I'm home they can do whatever they want.
What you don't want to do is break routines. If you normally removed food if the dog didn't eat it, continue to remove the food. Your dog may miss a few meals but it'll be alright, your dog will tell you when it's ready to eat again.
Don't baby the dog, just give it quiet time. Once it realizes that "This is where I belong." and you all are settled in everything should go back to normal.
Remember that feeling you had when you first got in the condo? That's exactly how your dog is feeling.
Don't fret, the more you worry the more your dog will.
Rubix is RPR's dog whisperer! Heed his advice.
Always remember that dogs do not experience human emotion. They are creatures who don't dwell in the past or longingly miss your old home. Right now the dog just lost her place, and it's important that the pack leader treats the new home as home so the dog can fall into place again. That's all it really is. If you start treating the dog differently then she will feel there is a justified cause for distress and then the behavior she exhibits now will be reinforced and likely become an issue. You are the example the dog will follow, so if you get comfy and settled, the dog will too
Always remember that dogs do not experience human emotion. They are creatures who don't dwell in the past or longingly miss your old home. Right now the dog just lost her place, and it's important that the pack leader treats the new home as home so the dog can fall into place again. That's all it really is. If you start treating the dog differently then she will feel there is a justified cause for distress and then the behavior she exhibits now will be reinforced and likely become an issue. You are the example the dog will follow, so if you get comfy and settled, the dog will too
Thanks guys
I can go confidently knowing I'm not messing her up! She's a sweet thing- I can't thank you enough.
I can go confidently knowing I'm not messing her up! She's a sweet thing- I can't thank you enough.
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