Moving to a New Home When You Have Pets

By Don Hanson, PCBC-A, BFRAP

< A version of this article was published in the April and May 2025 issue of Downeast Dog News>

< Updated 2025-03-30 >

< The link to this page – https://forcefreepets.com/Moving-with-Pets/>

Preparing To Move

So far, in my 67 years, I have moved 14 times. The moves have been short, to the house next door, across town, or in three of my moves, exceeding 1000 miles. Although I have always enjoyed my new home, I have found the process to be stressful. I am not alone. A survey of 1,000 adults conducted by OnePoll in 2020 found that 45% of those responding ranked moving as the most stressful event in their lives, more stressful than going through a breakup or divorce, getting married, having children, or starting one’s first job.

Three of my moves also involved dogs, including the one from Wisconsin to Maine, which also involved consolidating three households. When we arrived in Bangor, we brought three elderly parents with us.

Both dogs and cats are typically set in their ways, and a total change in their environment can be very stressful, which will only add to your stress. Remember, your dog can sense your stress, which can cause them to become stressed as well. [ FMI – https://forcefreepets.com/how-your-dog-can-tell-how-you-feel/ ]

Before You Start Looking for A Home

• Please think about your pet’s needs when selecting a new home.
  • Check out the neighborhood for pets running loose and unattended; if present, you may want to AVOID that neighborhood.
  • Cats like vertical spaces as they move up when afraid. Will the new home have such spaces? If not, a cat tree or tower would be greatly appreciated by your feline friends.
  • If you have both cats and dogs, the cat will need a private area for their food and litter box that the dog cannot enter.
  • If you have multiple cats, you will need multiple litter boxes in multiple locations.
  • Dogs of any age will need an outdoor bathroom area. However, getting them up and down stairs could be challenging as they age, especially if they are too big for you to carry.
  • Stairs can be challenging, even for young pets. Pets often have problems with open-backed stairs.
  • Do your potential neighbors raise chickens and other livestock in their backyard? This could pose a challenge for dogs and cats if they are allowed outdoors.
  • Dogs need an outdoor space to exercise, sniff, and explore. The best place for that is a yard with a traditional, physical fence. Avoid Homeowner Associations that might not allow fences. Underground containment systems use electric shocks and the threat of fear and pain to keep your dog in the yard, and veterinary experts agree that they are inhumane and should NEVER be used.
  • Are there appropriate areas to take your dog for a walk where they will have opportunities to sniff and explore?
  • If you have a dog that enjoys barking at anyone approaching your door, you should avoid areas where houses are close together and mail delivery is at your door. To change this behavior, seek the services of an accredited Professional Canine Behavior Consultant.
  • What is the traffic like on the streets around your potential home? Despite your best care, your pet may get loose, and the busier the road and the faster the traffic, the greater the probability of a tragedy.
  • Are veterinarians in the area taking on new clients?
  • Is an emergency veterinary clinic available after hours within a 30-minute drive?
  • If you need others to care for your pets, are there reputable daycares, boarding facilities, groomers, and pet sitters in the area?

Before You List Your Current Home

Before you move, you may have a home to sell. That means realtors will need to show your home, and you will want prospective buyers to see your home and yard at its best. If those buyers are not pet people, you may need to put in extra effort to keep your home and yard tidy and be able to do so at short notice. A few pet hairs on a piece of furniture, the smell of a litterbox, or stepping on poop in the yard may cost you a sale.

When showing your home, most reputable realtors expect you and your pets to be away from the house. Do you have a boarding facility or a family member or friend who can care for your pets while your home is being shown?

Packing Up and Preparing to Move

You may prepare differently depending on the time frame and distance of your move. We would move a few boxes every few days over a month in two of my moves. The dogs hardly noticed. When we moved to Maine, we hired professional movers and boarded the dogs to prevent stress and their accidental escape from the two days of open doors and a team of movers packing all our stuff in a whirlwind of activity. This was my most stressful move ever.

Moving Day, the Road Trip, and Unpacking

Due to the length of our move, we drove for four days and spent four nights in hotels. We wisely looked for places along our route that would accommodate three dogs and made reservations weeks in advance of our departure. This is a crucial consideration when relocating long distances. It took us longer than the moving van because we had to make many more stops. After all, we transported three dogs and three elderly parents, all of whom needed frequent bathroom breaks.

When we arrived in Bangor, we went directly to the business we were buying, where we already had reservations for our three dogs. They remained there throughout the entire unloading and unpacking process, as well as for a few extra days while we settled into our home and adjusted to our new role as business owners. I recommend that you think ahead and have a boarding facility or friends and family committed to taking care of your pets until you get settled in your new home. Your pets will be in a new environment, stressed, and likely to bolt out through an open door and escape.

Settling into Your New Home

Do not bring the pets home until you feel settled and everything is put away. I suggest using the following checklist to integrate your pets into your home.

• If your pets are microchipped, update the microchip services with your new address and phone number as soon as possible.
• Visit your new veterinarian and introduce yourself so you know where they are located.
• Visit the closest emergency veterinary facility to familiarize yourself with their hours and location.
• If the yard where the dogs will go to the bathroom, sniff, and play is fenced, check to ensure the fence is secure, especially the gates. If the yard is not fenced, call a fencing contractor and arrange to have it fenced.
• Start with the cat(s). Set up a room with a door you can close, specifically for the cats. It should include their beds, food, water bowls, one litter box per cat, and one additional litter box in a separate location. If they have a cat tree to provide vertical space, set it up in this room. Plan on visiting with your cats several times daily for a week before incorporating them into the rest of the home. Ensure they always have access to this room and the dogs don’t.
• Ensure that you unpack your dog’s supplies and have them organized so that everyone knows where they are.
• Pick up the dogs and bring them home. Have them on 6-foot leashes and allow them to thoroughly investigate the yard before taking them inside. Be patient, as there will be many new scents for them to explore. When they go to the bathroom, urinate, or defecate, reward them with a treat within 2 seconds every time they urinate or defecate for the next month. Your dog may have been perfectly housetrained at home, but that doesn’t mean they will be in your new home.
• Bring your dogs into your home and allow them to explore, but think of them as un-housetrained puppies requiring 100% supervision until they have proven they are housetrained in this new environment. If they have an accident, it will NOT be their fault.
• If your dogs are crate-trained and do well in their crates, crate them when you cannot provide 100% supervision. This may be especially important when you leave them alone at home for the first few weeks. You don’t want your dog to panic at being separated from you and hurt themselves or cause damage to your new home and furnishings.
• For the first few weeks, stay outside with your dog while they enjoy their fenced yard until you know they are comfortable and unlikely to panic and try to escape.
• Take your dog on frequent walks in their new neighborhood, giving them ample opportunities to choose where they go and the time they need to sniff.
• If your pets have trouble adjusting, talk to your veterinarian, a reputable pet trainer, or pet behavior consultant.

I hope your move is as stress-free as possible and that you and your pets enjoy your new home