Moving with NK

EsperchanEsperchan
edited March 2016 in General
Hey everyone, me and my sister are moving to Florida in a couple months and over the next five years I expect to move a couple more times. I should be getting a kai puppy within about a year, but I started to wonder if it would be best for the puppy to wait. I've read all the threads about kai being reigned and running away in the new environment. I kind of worried about that happening, the stress being too much. Obviously my kai would go with me, no rehoming going on, but would I be grounding enough for my dog to feel safe? I would love to hear about your guys' experience when moving with a dog, kai or not :)

Comments

  • WrylyBrindleWrylyBrindle
    The Kai who have gotten lost in new places were always with a new/inexperienced handler (no trusted bond) and had a surprising event occur combined with equipment failure. Your dog, being bonded to you and having a good relationship, should weather the change fine. That said - a good idea is a RuffWear Webmaster harness- it is equipment that won't malfunction :) if strapped well. as well as socializing your Kai before you move by taking him/her to new places and making it harmless->interesting->super fun so the dog is used to more than just your old house to begin with. Several members with Kai have moved a few times- and they will be along I hope to tell their stories. @mdokic and @czeig come to mind...
  • omgtainomgtain
    I have done lots of traveling with my Kai, as well as moving from WA to VA (3000 mile / 6 day road trip). My suggestion is do lots of car rides when they're young, expose them to as many different places as possible, and just create a great bond with your Kai! Lots of treats and positive experiences and they can handle anything.
  • mdokicmdokic
    edited March 2016
    Agree with both of the above in taking your dog with you to new places and getting them used to being in the car. My oldest Kai has been through 2 moves and youngest through 1, and neither was an issue. The older one did get a little nervous during the packing phase, especially when it got to the point of the old place being empty, but she quickly got over it. Lots of treats during this time, and for the tail end when we were moving boxes in and out with doors open, the girls were always crated with a chew or something good to enjoy. My oldest has a tendency to be nervous and she still did well and bounced back quick each time. I think with her, if she hadn't been to so many different places growing up (different houses, on campus for classes and events in college, traveling to visit family/friends, hiking, etc...) she would be a very different adult now.

    To what @WrylyBrindle said, create a bond with your Kai, they will know you are always there for them and all will be well...and I know everything will go great! :)
  • EsperchanEsperchan
    Whew, you guys don't know how much better I feel after your advice. :) It occurred to me this morning and I low key stressed about it all day. I plan to take my puppy as many fun places as possible, so hopefully it won't be a problem. And I totally plan on buying a webmaster! I've been looking around a bit and it seems like a good quality harness.
  • Yojimbo_90Yojimbo_90
    I will be moving in two weeks time with my shiba to a new place, which I was also really worried about! I had read dogs can suffer anxiety when moving as it is quite unsettling for them...

    After reading these comments though I am confident he will be ok as I have gone to every effort to expose him to many different environments throughout his puppyhood and he has never shown any problems or fears when in new places, if anything he is overly curious of new surroundings and a bit nosey and cheeky, I would call him fearless! He's always out and about with me in the car and we're always complimented on how well behaved he is when out.

    He's a real Momma's boy too (he sleeps next to me at night) so I believe we have a special bond :) (he doesn't do this with my bf :p )

    Will keep you updated of how he gets on in the transition :)
  • EsperchanEsperchan
    @yojimbo_90 I would love to hear how your move goes. Good luck!
  • PoetikDragonPoetikDragon
    edited March 2016
    Kai having issues in their new environment largely has to do with new *owners* not new locations. The dog didn't have enough of a bond/trust to return to their new family when they got spooked.
  • Yojimbo_90Yojimbo_90
    Just an update for you guys on my move with Yojj!

    It went swimmingly well :) he absolutely loves his new den and we haven't had any problems with him! We have a garden now too which he adores, when we first let him run around he did a shiba 500!

    The only change in behaviour I have noticed is that he is beginning to listen to me more and respect me as boss funnily enough! Usually when I tell him no or try and retrieve something he has stolen on me it would always be a challenge with him, now to my surprise he actually drops the thing he has stolen!

    He is also sleeping by my side at night more often too which is very sweet, and is overall a lot more cuddly. It could be that this is coming with age, as he just turned 7 months yesterday. It's as if the move has brought him closer to me as he realised he needed to trust in me to keep him safe :)

    The only concern I have is when we are walking in our new area, he has started barking at some strangers and children, which I put down to fear stage. My pockets are loaded with treats to combat this! This also only happens if someone comes up to him suddenly and tries to pet him from above which I know he is sensitive of. I always stop children before they come up to him and ask them to be gentle and show them to pet him from underneath. Although then today he licked two strangers on the face with his ears back, so it really depends on his mood...

    Other than that and back to my original point is that there shouldn't be any issue moving with your Nihon Ken once you have made all the efforts from the get go to expose your pup to all types of environments and new places. The bond is most important, and from my experience it could bring you and your doggy even closer together :)
Sign In or Register to comment.

© Vanilla Keystone Theme 2024