The Brindles are Moving
After being laid off for 4 1/2 months, Jeff has gotten a job in Vermont- which is where I have always wanted to live after a childhood of summer weeks staying in various corners of the Green Mountains. YAY! This is GREAT news for us, and an example of how out of a bad thing (being laid off and all the economic and emotional stress that entails) not a good thing but an even BETTER thing can happen (not only getting a new job, but one in a place we weren't sure we'd ever really make it to). So I am writing not just to celebrate, but to hear everyone's advice and experiences about moving with your dogs.
My dogs have only ever lived here (well except for their shelters and foster homes as puppies down south), so I havent had to move them. They aren't used to crates, but they are used to gates. I have travelled with them to my sister's in Penn.- both her old house and her new farm, so they have some experience with staying different places for a week, but I am sure it will seem quite surreal to them for all our stuff to be someplace new.
I am wondering- though not super hopeful- that a new home will enable me to reset some of Sage's behavior patterns and management. We still need to find a new house but in the area we are looking we can afford more land around us, so we will seek a place where he is exposed to less intrusion and surprise than he is here- room around us, a longer view. To Sage, boring = safe and good. He was enthralled, not reactive, at my sister's house looking out over the valley at the milling cows.
We are moving to a remote area, small towns, mountainous terrain, not sure if theres cable, sketchy cell service, no FiOs- in fact if you watch a verizon ad where they show the map of service coverage with all the red- its the little hole in Vermont with none...I bet I'll get a lot more artwork done with so little connectivity...who knows?
This is also bear country (I wonder if that means fewer coyote?). When Sage barks at hawks here, or Reilly and he bark at the roofers working next door, or the neighbors getting wood from their woodpile, it's something they are thanked for but asked to stop. If they bark away a bear, however, that's a useful JOB. But to them, it's the same behavior..."Oh, so now you WANT me to bark? NOW it's 'Woo-Hoo! Good Boy!?'" We are so confusing to dogs!
Tell me about moving your dogs- what is good to do? what would you do differently? How long did it take for them to feel at home in the new place? I expect Sage to take longer than most of yours...but I am hopeful that the move will be good for him. We'll certainly pick our house with these two special dogs in mind!
My dogs have only ever lived here (well except for their shelters and foster homes as puppies down south), so I havent had to move them. They aren't used to crates, but they are used to gates. I have travelled with them to my sister's in Penn.- both her old house and her new farm, so they have some experience with staying different places for a week, but I am sure it will seem quite surreal to them for all our stuff to be someplace new.
I am wondering- though not super hopeful- that a new home will enable me to reset some of Sage's behavior patterns and management. We still need to find a new house but in the area we are looking we can afford more land around us, so we will seek a place where he is exposed to less intrusion and surprise than he is here- room around us, a longer view. To Sage, boring = safe and good. He was enthralled, not reactive, at my sister's house looking out over the valley at the milling cows.
We are moving to a remote area, small towns, mountainous terrain, not sure if theres cable, sketchy cell service, no FiOs- in fact if you watch a verizon ad where they show the map of service coverage with all the red- its the little hole in Vermont with none...I bet I'll get a lot more artwork done with so little connectivity...who knows?
This is also bear country (I wonder if that means fewer coyote?). When Sage barks at hawks here, or Reilly and he bark at the roofers working next door, or the neighbors getting wood from their woodpile, it's something they are thanked for but asked to stop. If they bark away a bear, however, that's a useful JOB. But to them, it's the same behavior..."Oh, so now you WANT me to bark? NOW it's 'Woo-Hoo! Good Boy!?'" We are so confusing to dogs!
Tell me about moving your dogs- what is good to do? what would you do differently? How long did it take for them to feel at home in the new place? I expect Sage to take longer than most of yours...but I am hopeful that the move will be good for him. We'll certainly pick our house with these two special dogs in mind!
Comments
I wish I had some good advice for you, but I've never been through a move with my dogs. My suspicion is that you are going to be the biggest problem with the move. Moving to a new home is extremely stressful and your dogs are gong to pick up on that. So, make sure you budget lots of time to destress with your pups.
Shoushuu is pretty territorial so he is quick to the marking and "claiming" of land, lol. It doesn't seem to phase him at all.
Lynxiene does takes a little while to adjust though
Kotomi was a baby puppy during all her relocations (twice while in Japan and then to my house), so I don't think she really counts, she was fine when I brought her home. Perhaps I'll fine out next year how she'll react. As I'm planning to relocate...don't know if you've all "caught" on to my relocations...but...generally it means a "surprise" and I just gradually continue to add to my family
Really, just ignore any whines or "complaints" from the dogs and continue to do your daily routine as usual. The only difference is location...eventually they just "get use" to their new surroundings or rather "desensitize" and it won't be long before they claim their new territory as home. They might gain a lot more "pent up" anxiety, so I guess if you do anything...take them out for extra walks, hikes, runs and extend playtime a little bit. Other then that, I'd just keep everything else the same...and act like nothing has changed.
Congrats on the move! It sounds exciting, green and mountains...can't beat that.
All the best!
Dave, *sigh* youre right-
Stressful= yes, but I feel like it can't possibly be more stressful than the past year here, so I'm going to ride my belief that this is a good thing for them that they will love as long as I can and try NOT to agonize, overthink, talk to the dogs about it all the time. I believe this move will actually END a lot of stressful patterns we are stuck in- not just Sage and I but Jeff too. (Reilly, the cats and our daughter are already fine.) So I gotta keep believing/remembering that. You take an intense dog like Sage and drop a lot of difficulty on both his adults and maybe its no wonder he's so insecure.
I hope happier everyone will = chilled out Sage too when the move is complete. Just go with it. Cool should be the word...Rei will do fine, but Sage is tough to hide transition from, he's so damn intuitive/wary/questioning. I'll just pretend he's asking some other question-
"Mom whats going on? Where's Dad? There used to be books here..."
"Why yes! Tonight's food IS chicken...and you are going to absolutely LOVE it!"
I should never own a border collie.
8S
I hope you remember to take lots of pictures of your new home when you move
Canada is my next favorite place. I am assured by my friends in Toronto that if I show up at the border with my canoe and goalie pads, the border folks will let me move right in. that's a tip for you and Johnny to get paddling, so you too can get where you wanna be!
Only advice I can give is to tire them out, tired dogs aren't as susceptible to feeling stressed out.
We made sure the dogs had their potty breaks and a little exercise on the way to there.
A good walk around the area before going into the house is a great idea also try to give them lots of treats and special care so and try to not be too stressed out I know moving can be bad, but being calm might help the dogs be more calm with the move..
Anyways be sure to post pictures and let us know how Sage does with the move It might be hard at first, but I think Sage will settle down and love the place in no time.
As for moving dogs, I have nothing to add. I would expect for Sage to get worse before he gets better once you move, that has been my observation with big changes and dogs.
Good luck!
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I moved in May with Bella and Nola... I can honestly say, the first day or two was pretty rough... Bella is not so good with change. She stayed up the entire first night because of all the strange noises.
But after the third day, it was as if they had always been there. Keeping their routines was pretty important in keeping us all sane, I believe. The best advice I can give is to just stay positive and upbeat. Luckily, your moving circumstances are much happier than mine were, so that should be easy for you.
Good luck!!!
Yep, moving is stressful for dogs if they are not use to commotion that is involved with packing etc and moving people carting stuff away. Doggie day care or day camp while you pack up may be a good idea for the dog that is comfortable with that but stressed with packing.
In our case we let the dogs explore the boxes we were personally packing ourselves and let them generally check things again once unpacking after move in. Also ahead of the moving company arrival we moved everything out of the room we decided keep the dogs in so on moving day the movers did not have contact with our dogs. That way there is no stress during shuffle of stuff etc. Also, if you are close buy to the new home you will be moving into you may want to visit and check it out in increments. (However, I don’t think that is an option for you/your brindles from what you describe.)
You will have to work in stages ….I would get your pups adjusted to their own space with command like “go to bed” for crate or bed and work on reinforcing recalls. Use a crate whenever possible. Be sure to take those personal items along to use while you set up temporary quarters while on the road for example bed, blankets, pillows and things that smell familiar. You can also take the dogs along on the trips to pick up boxes so they get used to the cardboard and rustling that goes with packing, packing peanuts or bubble wrap. Make it an adventure to explore the new items as you pack, store, or set up and move about and out.
You can also stop and play some games in the middle of packing. If you have a good tug game with the dogs you can play that in timed sessions and give you back a break. This also can be good to do in the new places such as hotel rooms etc. Set up fun stuff to do so they won’t be focused on the unusual situation. Jumping from bed to bed is what our dogs like to do at hotels (LOL). Make novelty part of a game. An ex-pen or two can help while you stay in hotels etc to keep dogs from bolting out of doors etc while you get ice or go for a snack. Keep something like Resolve or similar item on hand in case of accidents.
Once you find the final destination home/purchase etc I would take the dogs to investigate in short sessions after closing. Explore outside first. When in the new home keep animals on leash and don’t leave them alone in carpeted areas since they most likely mark it or promptly poop in the new area if stressed. Probably anything with a new scent or the scent of the movers on it will encourage your dogs to mark said item (male or female dog). It might be best to set up your pups initially in a designated closed off baby gated acclimation area such as kitchen with their doggie goods that has easy access to outside/backyard in addition to easy clean up etc. The best idea is a place where they don’t have contact with the movers and you can easily work around. It may take some coordination but in shifts it will work out getting the goods in the home.
Also in the new home territory I would start walking the neighborhood so the dogs get a chance to mark that area and get the lay of the land. You can teach them to “go home” by using biscuits under the doormat or having Hansel and Gretel trail off the front door walk. When you return from walks use the doormat as a contact point that they get rewarded for going to/stepping/sitting on etc.
In the old home we also set up wind chimes on our front and would ring it going in or when we got home. When we moved in to new place and pulled out the chimes the dogs got very excited by the sound, so we set that up outside right away along with some pots from the old house. The point being, you want the dogs to know where you are relative to the new environment. Many pets are lost in the first month of move in so it is important to get them comfortable, acclimated and navigating the environment as quickly as possible so they come back if they get out the door. Anything that avoids panic should they get loose and allows them to wonder back to a contact point is of benefit.
Those who do not have dogs are not aware, so know all you entrances and exit points and double check them including yard side gates etc. Use lock down methods to keep careless events from happening. We had a situation happen with escape out our back and through the garage. Those helping to move went through to the garage and left all the doors wide open, although no furniture was coming in that direction. They just left it open and left to get a cup of coffee. Fortunately a good recall and nice reward of cheese in my pocket got dogs back in while I ran like a crazy woman in the opposite direction so they would follow (LOL).
Anyway, good luck and congratulations….. Can’t wait for photos of the new place and new life : )
Snf
PS: Here is a link to basic stuff:
http://www.hsus.org/press_and_publications/press_releases/planning_on_moving_soon_help_keep_pets_safe_during_the_transition_with_tips_from_the
The only thing I can say is that our dogs are very in-tune with our emotions. If you stress, Sage will stress. Even if you try and hide it, he will feel it. It's ok, stress is just a temporary emotion and you both will be fine. On the other hand, if you are happy and go lucky he will be too.
Our move is about 3 hours away from here, so not super far, no hotels anticipated. Although you never know yet how dates will go logistically. If it is possible to bring the Brindles to visit the new place in advance, I will make sure to do it. We need to sell this house and find a new one first. I am wondering a bit about when our house is shown- I will need to get my dogs out of here for however long that takes, and crate my cats I suppose? Or take the cats with us, too? I can easily imagine killing time with my dogs by hitting the woods but the cats are not hikers or great car riders...(read: noisy and distressed)
We feel very happy about the move and the hunt for a new house. I hope the dogs will pick up on our joy about this and feel happy too, mitigating some of their inevitable stress. Jeff is going up to begin work Dec 1, and will stay in a hotel during the workweek, home on weekends. Our routine will be a bit disrupted, but not as disrupted as if I was leaving them. (The Brindles are Mama-centric) Today I feel I can do anything and it will be a great thing. I missed 'happy!'
No worries- if I don't have internet I can't continue my illustration work, and I wont give that up! So it's definitely a criteria we will have. I dont know if I will have to come up with some kind of independent communication solution for remote areas...but we'll see. Not my area of expertise, but it is an area we'll have to figure out.
The only thing missed from what everybody has said already is that the MOST important part of the move is that the dogs are with you. Bottom line is they want to be with you, no matter where you are. We have made many moves, with past and present dogs, including across the country and down into Mexico City and back, and it's never been a big deal. When we got to the new destination, I throw down some semblance of a bed that they recognize, throw down a couple of toys and bingo! They're home. They always enjoyed investigating the new place. Some attention has to be paid to doors and movers, as someone mentioned (crates help), but if your dogs have been out of their yards at all, they should be just fine as long as you are around. For sure keep them leashed up when outside because getting loose and lost in a strange place is an entirely different ball game than getting lost in home territory where there is some hope that the dog can find his way back home.
That said, I have dogs that have always gone places and done things with me from early puppyhood, and we spend multiple weekends per year in motel rooms, so mine are more accustomed to moving around and sleeping in strange places than most. But still, I think you might be pleasantly surprised at how well they travel, especially such a short distance, and how well they settle in once you get there. Hopefully they'll see it as a great adventure!
Good luck with the house hunting and then the packing and getting and keeping your house clean and ready for sale and the packing and the realtors and prospective buyers and the haggling back and forth and the looky-loos and ......LOL
PS -- I think your realtor will be happier with you taking the cats with you when they are showing the house - in a cat carrier in the car when you take the dogs, preferably.
My dogs have not done hotel rooms, but I have travelled with Reilly overnight for weekends and weeks to visit my sister and friends at Cape Cod and Pennsylvania lots of times, and you're right- where ever we are together is home. Sage has been to Pennsylvania weekends 3 or 4 times, and as noted in another thread, he did really well. (Due to excessive predatory nature toward my sis' cats, my dogs were limited indoors to the finished basement, so Jeff and I slept on the sofabed down there with them. The pack dens together. Firm.) Reilly goes with me lots of places - stores, the bank, anywhere that will allow her, I bring her. We did this with Sage as a youngster, less so once it became blatantly apparent that he derived more discomfort than enjoyment out of it, but he's as good as he can personally be, and we'll go with it.
I'm going to keep this as happy - but not hyper!- evenly happy attitude- as possible for them.
I think I may grab an extra cat crate. I usually stuff them both in one, but we generally are only going to the vets. Cats may feel comfortable with a little more room if they have to sit in the car for an hour or so.
edited to add: Camping! I forgot- I have taken both of them tent-camping twice, too. I guess they *have* had a variety of experiences denning in new places. They will be fine.
Absolutely they will be fine. Dogs haven't survived all these millenia for nothing: they are, if anything, supremely ADAPTABLE! Like cock roaches, you know??