Getting Your Pup Used To a New Environment

June 10, 2021

Needing some time to adjust to a new location also applies to your pet. Matter of fact, it might take a bigger toll on Cecil because she thrives on the familiar; familiar places, intimate knowledge of room locations, all of that stuff. 

So, uprooting her from the familiar and taking her to an all-new location might have her acting up; it can even be downright traumatic. This is why you need to make sure that she gets used to the new conditions as quickly as possible. Here are some tips that can help: 

1. Create Familiar Feelings 

If you’re moving to a new home, the biggest mistake you would make is tossing out all of your dog’s toys, thinking you would get her new ones. 

To create a sense of familiarity, you would need objects that your dog was familiar with previously such as her toys, bed, feeding and drinking bowls, the cloth she liked to tug on, her favorite ball, all of these things. 

This way she isn’t thrust into an all-new experience that is difficult to handle. 

2. Extreme Patience Would be Needed 

Your pup would be getting a new location for her bed, her feeding and drinking bowls, different-smelling grass, basically a whole new environment. It would therefore take some getting used to for her, it might take a while to get a perfect peeing spot, so, you would have to sit tight while she circles round and round. 

She has to test out all the corners before selecting her favorite, might not like the location of her bed, etc. New preferences take a while to establish, and you would have to be patient through all of this. 

3. Spend Quality Time With Cecil   

Of all the familiar things you brought along, the most familiar remains your face, your scent, your touch, your voice, everything about you. So, a great deal of her getting adjusted to a new environment lies on your shoulders. 

Spend time playing catch outside so that she gets used to the sight and smell of that and start taking regular walks along the same path so that she adjusts to that gradually. Once the feeling of familiarity starts to return, she would be less tense and carefree once again. 

4. Maintain Your Routine! 

Doesn’t it surprise you sometimes that at exactly 5:45, your dog is at the door waiting and wagging its tail to welcome you home? 

While dogs may not understand passing time, they do have a perception of it and if you have a routine, it’s easy for them to catch up to it. In a new location, do your possible best to maintain your routine because Cecil thrives on it. 

Wake up at the same time, go to bed at the same time, breakfast, walk Cecil, playtime, all of these using the former schedule. This easily recreates the sense of routine and allows for easier adjustment.