Moving Houses - Any Advice?

[Guest rachelee]

Any advice on how to help Bistro deal with the transition to a new house?

 

I have brought him over to the new house (we're moving locally, thank goodness) several times and treated him every time we are there. If I'm downstairs with him, he'll relax enough to eat a treat. We brought a dog bed from home for him to have a place to lie down.

 

He WILL NOT go up the stairs in the new house. I haven't pushed him to do it until yesterday (we move tomorrow) when I got him up to the first landing on the stairs. He wouldn't move any further. I didn't push it.

 

I am very concerned that he's going to freak out. He's very attached to me and usually gets frantic when he can't find me by running all around the house. He doesn't have problems with the stairs in the old house and the ones in the new house are *much* less steep and easier to climb.

 

Do you think time in the new house once all the furniture is there will help him? I wonder if he'll just want to sleep downstairs in the new house. (He sleeps on his own bed in our room, usually.)

 

He gets easily stressed out with change, and I'm worried about the transition. Also, we currently has a fenced yard where he can run, but it's going to be about a month until we can fence in the new yard, so only leashed walks for a while. He loves to lie outside in the sun and that seems to relax him so I'm concerned about that too.

 

Ugh! As if moving wasn't stressful enough!

 

Any advice would be appreciated.

[Batmom]

Relax. He'll likely be fine. If he's used to sleeping in your bedroom, I'd get him up the stairs each night by whatever means necessary (e.g., put muzzle on if need be, your legs behind his butt, one hand on collar, other hand to move one foot at a time up the stairs) -- it'll probably take just once or twice before he realizes they're just stairs and he can do them on his own. For sunbaths, could try a lawn chair and a book for yourself, leash for him. A month isn't long, tho -- it'll be like a vacation. Good luck!

[Guest LolaNLucy]

He's going to sense that you're stressed out and that's the last thing he needs. Relax, they are far more resilient then we give them credit for. When you move get his beds set up around the house and ignore him. He'll pace and pant for a bit while he settles in but if you try and sooth him you're reinforcing the idea that there's a reason to be freaked out. If you ignore him he will settle and relax much sooner.

[Brindles]

I agree with the above. Just relax! Act like nothing is different and he'll most likely be fine. In the five years I've had my greyhounds I've moved five or six times. They didn't care the first time and they won't care the next time. Greyhounds are really good at adapting.

[Guest dee]

My dogs just want to be where I am and I bet yours is the same. Relax and good luck in your new home!

[Guest BooBooMama]

Each time you visited he probably sensed that you were not staying. He might have thought that you were going to leave him there. Once you are moved in he will realize that you are there to stay and he will relax.

[Guest Tes623]

When I moved with my four from Michigan to Texas I don't think they even realized we were in a different house. Greys are very adaptable and Bistro should be fine.

[Guest MyBoys]

I went through the same thing when we moved, my bridge boy Gunnar was one of those dogs that did not handle change well but it only took a few days and he was a happy camper. When we first moved he found a safe spot which was on the landing of our stairs, the first few days he only came down to go outside, I even had to feed him there. Then all of a sudden he realized life was still good, if not better in the new house and he was going to survive . This was a dog that was a total spook and terrified of everything, I was actually surprised how fast he adjusted and he actually seemed happier in the new house then the old house. As for your yard not being fenced right now, if you can stay outside with him maybe try letting him lounge for a bit in an xpen in the yard until you get the fence up. Enjoy your new home he will be fine.

[GeorgeofNE]

My advice is advice I'm frequently given: don't worry about something that hasn't, and may not, ever happen!

 

George and I moved--he didn't bat an eyelash. He cried for five minutes the first day when I left for work, and aside from that, he's been amazing!

 

Hopefully Bistro will be as completely and utterly unconcerned as George was. I think as long as YOU are there, she'll be fine!!!

 

If you're anywhere near us in Canton, perhaps we should go for a walk??

[Guest GryffinSong]

Whenever I've moved, I move all the furniture out of the old house and get it set up in the new place before bringing my dogs or cats to the new home. That way, they're either in their familiar old home, or surrounded by their stuff. Mine have always settled in really quickly.

 

Good luck!!!

[Guest queenme2]

Whenever I've moved, I move all the furniture out of the old house and get it set up in the new place before bringing my dogs or cats to the new home. That way, they're either in their familiar old home, or surrounded by their stuff. Mine have always settled in really quickly.

 

Good luck!!!

 

Nina is four days into our new move and she is doing well. She follows me around a little more but she really loves her new yard, before we lived in a small townhome. So she seems great. Now my two cats that is whole different story , Nina could teach those two a thing or two

[cleptogrey]

batmom's advise will work. my "oh-no-i'm scared" dog went w/ us to a new setting. she saw the huge flight of stairs, (it was those mega steps at a beach house) and froze. with dog bed under my arm, pup on lead and a good push on the tush....in the pitch black night i managed to get her up the mega flight of open wooden stairs.if you are positive and not at all tentative in your actions you dog will follow. with in a day she mastered the open staircase.

 

how about adding a bonus food reward when he makes it to the bedroom. it's good to have staches of dog treats to encourage his positive moves.

relax!!!

[Guest rachelee]

I've got to try to force him upstairs tonight because last night he kept me awake and I slept on the couch. Now I'm exhausted.

 

He really likes cat food so I've put a little on the stairs and he will go up a couple of them -- further than before -- but not all the way. I think tonight my husband and I are going to have to push/pull him up there with lots of cat food rewards.

 

Wish me luck! I definitely need more sleep tonight!

[Guest Houndstown]

As Batmom said, just relax and let it happen. The best thing to do is come in, throw his bed on the floor, and act as though nothing happened. Bistro is going to take whatever subliminal hints you are throwing out there-good or bad.

[Guest rachelee]

Couldn't get him up the stairs lat night, but he was *much* better. I put some throw rugs on the landings and he got halfway up. The top half has 6 steps and he's clearly afraid of them.

 

He really got pissed at my husband last night for simply calling him to come with him as he went up the stairs. He growled and bared his teeth and everything. Bistro is clearly terrified of our staircase.

 

He really wanted to come up but couldn't get up the nerve. I may get a muzzle and try even more.

 

Sigh.

[Guest Mollysmom10]

We had to get out of our other house that sold earlier than expected and move into a partially renovated house - we were not allowed to go into one side of it. Molly freaked out a little, but we just made sure that she felt comfortable. It took some time, but she soon found her "space" and settled in nicely. She also did not like a set of stairs, they were a little different angle-wise and she was clearly not comfortable with them. In hindsight, we should have kept her from using those. It takes a little time, but I'm sure Bistro will settle in.

[Echobelly1]

We made a major move about a year ago with Ali (Boston to Florida). He adjusted fine. We were in a rental house for a few months, and were careful not to leave him alone for more than a few minutes at a time for a few days so he could acclimate. The first time we left him alone for a few hours, we did come back to a chewed mini-blind. When we moved to the new house, again the first time he was left alone for a few hours, he chewed the door molding. That's been the extent of it, though. We did have a weekend house in VT where he never went up to the second floor. The stairs were steep, and we didn't push him. He had a bed at the bottom of the stairs and was happy sleeping there instead of with us.

[Guest rachelee]

It's been a week and he still won't go up the stairs. I wouldn't mind so much except that when he wakes up around 4:30 or 5, he starts whining. If I come to the 2nd Fl and he sees me, he'll let me sleep for another hour or so, but if I don't come down he'll whine until he's barking and then it's really bad. We walk around 6 (though I'd love it to be 6:30 )

 

Anyway, I haven't tried with the muzzle yet. I've tried coaxing and bully sticks and cat food and adding carpet to the tops of the stairs. He's stuck.

 

But he seems really happy here, so that's good.

[TheFullHouse]

Try giving him a 3mg. tablet of Melatonin about an hour before you want him to go upstairs for the night. This may relax him enough so that you can actually work with him. Get a really hard to resist treat that you know he likes, something with an odor that is really yummy. If you can get him up the first steps without the treat, save them for those last 6 steps. With him more relaxed you may make some progress by putting a treat on each step until you reach the top. If he makes it, praise the heck out of him. I don't know if you have a baby gate across the top but I'd put one there so he won't go down at night and try to come back up or worse yet, fall down them. If you can get him relaxed enough he may respond.