Advice on moving with a doodle

[Rebecca bratter]

We are going to be moving from DC to Miami in May with our little girl Madiba.  I am excited about the move but I'm very nervous about the unsettling impact it may have on her.  We will likely drive down, we've done the trip with her before and that part is fine.  I'm just worried about how she will react to seeing our home slowly emptying of furniture and turned upside down and how she will adjust to her new home.  We've traveled with her before and stayed at friends homes and she loves the adventure and is just fine but I always feel like she's relieved to be back home with her crate and her things.  She's a super sensitive little doodle and she's an aussiedoodle and ridiculously smart and tuned in to us and our emotions.  Any advice on how to make things easy on her when we will be a bit stressed out ourselves?

[Sally S Miles]

Seeing familiar things in a strange place will help her to settle in, meanwhile she most likely will be a bit confused by all the packing. So I would save some essentials for last. Since she is accustomed to travel, the impact should be minimalized - but as usual you are wise to consider it.  

We have made many moves with our animals and kids, there is always a bit of stress and confusion - but the pack is what matters most to the dog and keeping your cool helps them to maintain theirs.   I talk to them while I pack, I do pay extra attention in small doses as I notice stress.    Treat it like another trip with a lot more luggage. 

Watch her as the boxing begins and see if she forms attachment to certain areas, but I have a feeling she will be great. 

Congratulations on the move, wishing you well.

[Jen W]

I moved when my doodle had just turned one and was also very nervous about how she'd do, especially since I was moving from an 1800 sq foot apartment with lots of room for romping to a 700 sq foot apartment.  I talked to my trainer about what to do and she suggested that when we first got tot he new place I should have lots of new toys and treats so that Dory would think "this place is awesome!!".  

She didn't seem to much care about the packing up, though she loves bubble wrap just as much as kids do.  The day the movers showed up I took her to daycare so she wouldn't bother them and/or escape.

In retrospect, I worried way more than I needed to.  Though I'm sure for a time she wondered when we would be going home, there were no insurmountable issues.  There were new things to overcome (for example, she'd never been in an elevator before and did not want to go in at first) but nothing that we couldn't tackle using what we learned in training class.

Good luck!

[PJ and Zach]

I think having a special new toy or two to go along with familiar things is good advice.  Our dood has moved 3 or 4 times with us over his 7 year lifetime.  He handled it just fine since his family was a constant.  I bet your dood will, too.  Good luck!

[Miss Ellie]

IMO...I think as long as she has her trusted family with her, her familiar toys, crate, blanket & established routines...she will adjust just fine...keep things as calm as possible...and keep the vibes uplifting & positive and she will feed off of that...if you are calm & contented...she will feel the same...Good Luck with your move and keep us posted.  

[Emily, Bentley, & Maserati]

I agree, she is going to mostly care that you are still there! 
Keep her beloved toys and other possessions so that she feels safe. Make sure they are the last to go and the first to unpack. 

[Amy & Albee]

We recently moved from an apartment to our home. Following what some others have said, I packed Albee's stuff last.

Granted, our apartment was very small, but the boxes and packing didn't seem to bother him much (He was 5 months at the time).

As far as adjusting to the new home, it'll take a little bit of time. Familiar smells should help. Not sure what your sleeping arrangements are now, but Albee sleeps in our room with us. And keeping together as a pack has probably helped a bit.

I'm sure the new adventures will make Madiba forget all about DC!

[Maryann,Roo and Tigger]

My only additional suggestion is to be sure and not wash the toys, bedding etc that has his/ your smell.  Best to be a bit dirty until he settles in.  Even a towel that he has had where he sleeps will help if you absolutely must wash everything else.  He will settle as he sees you settle.

[Rosemary (Ro) and Enzo]

While we have never moved with our Enzo, in past years, we have made multiple moves with our Goldens. You have been given some excellent suggestions. As long as he has his toys and personal belongings with his scent, as well as yours, and he has his family around him, he will do fine. Good luck on your new adventure!

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

Great advice.  Last thing out of the old place and first thing in the new place are her things.  Just walk her through and let her sniff around and get a feel for the place.  Then be sure that you take her to the door you want to use to potty and go outside with her a few times early on so she gets the idea about where to go to tell you she wants to potty.  We just vacationed for a month in a 3 story town home and we are normally in a one story.  I was afraid they wouldn't understand the whole going down the stairs to potty.  But the first day I just asked them occasionally if they wanted to potty and they picked it up right away.  Be extra careful as things are being packed and unpacked that she doesn't get ahold of things that fall on the floor and eat something she shouldn't.  Good luck in your move.  After the winter everyone has had I'm sure Miami is looking pretty good right now.

[Rebecca bratter]

Great, I'm feeling better now.  She will actually have much more fun in Miami, we'll still be in an apartment there like we are now but she always likes to be in the same room we're in, no matter how big or small our home.  She will have more family there to love her, we have no family in DC and, the best part of all, we can all live our life outdoors which is really what we want.  She is super social and loves begin around a lot of people, especially kids.  She knows how to ring her potty bells, we haven't had any accidents since she was 3 months old and even when we stay at friends, she knows how to tell us that she has to go, she does this kind of stare you down type of thing and then puts her paw on you, amazing communication skills.  I'm really only concerned about her feeling disoriented by the packing and emptying house, ideally we will go and stay with my brother with her for a few days while our stuff is moved out of the old and into the new, but we can't spare her the packing, she'll be around for all of that.  I also wonder if she will be wondering when she will be going back to her real home.  I understand that dogs live in the moment so in theory, as long as she has all of her things, which she will, she should feel like the new place is home right?  She loves adventure, she hates being idle but she also hates the car, I'm hoping she'll be happy enjoying the adventure.  She loves when we have piles of laundry on the bed or stuff all over the floor, she'll jump in and roll around, everything is a toy to her.  I can't emphasize how much we love and treasure Madiba, I can take feeling disoriented, I just can't stand it if she does.