Moving and Senior Dog

[Anonymous]

First: no, putting him down is NOT an option for us.

We’re moving from a condo to a house in about a month. When we moved into the condo from a studio apartment 10 years ago, our dog had extreme anxiety for a few months trying to adjust. We think not being able to see the whole place all at once made him uneasy.

Now we’re about to move into a house and he is 14. I’ve brought him to the house for hours at a time and he seems okay, but I know he’ll lose it the first time he’s left alone. We never crate trained (don’t @ me - we couldn’t leave him howling in an apartment complex without getting kicked out!). We have a retractable gate on the kitchen wall but I’m worried he’ll rip it out of the wall and possibly hurt himself (he’s 70 lbs).

Anybody have any tips or tricks? I’m already stressed about coming home to pee on the new rugs or the hardwood and we’ll be doomed to smell it every time it’s humid out 😭😭

[Anonymous]

I’d talk to the vet about anti anxiety meds. The dog is old, make him comfortable the last few years.

[Anonymous]

+1 on the anti anxiety drugs given his age.

[Anonymous]

He might not react the way he reacted before, but you're correct to plan for the worse, just in case.

I hope the anxiety drugs work. Maybe don't put down rugs just yet? I've fostered dogs who had diarrhea on my hardwood floors and with cleaning, there's no bad smell left over, even on humid days (trust me, I have a bloodhound nose). Enzymatic cleaners are your friend.

[Anonymous]

Sorry, yes he is already on anxiety meds (gabapentin for hips/anxiety and trazadone for anxiety). Good thought to the PP who said no rugs yet - we just have vinyl planks at the condo so I’m scared of ruining hardwood. Good to know!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:First: no, putting him down is NOT an option for us.

We’re moving from a condo to a house in about a month. When we moved into the condo from a studio apartment 10 years ago, our dog had extreme anxiety for a few months trying to adjust. We think not being able to see the whole place all at once made him uneasy.

Now we’re about to move into a house and he is 14. I’ve brought him to the house for hours at a time and he seems okay, but I know he’ll lose it the first time he’s left alone. We never crate trained (don’t @ me - we couldn’t leave him howling in an apartment complex without getting kicked out!). We have a retractable gate on the kitchen wall but I’m worried he’ll rip it out of the wall and possibly hurt himself (he’s 70 lbs).

Anybody have any tips or tricks? I’m already stressed about coming home to pee on the new rugs or the hardwood and we’ll be doomed to smell it every time it’s humid out 😭😭

We have two rescues with lots of separation anxiety who we never create trained due to getting them when they were two and living in an apartment at the time. We put them in our bedroom or one of our kids’ bedrooms when we’re away, but you can try putting your dog in any room. Ideally the room would have a comfy bed and/or chairs for them to lay on and be a place they spend time during the day. Our dogs are 10 and they love one of our kid’s rooms. It has our old queen bed, the one we had when we got them, and it’s pretty large and looks out onto the street so they can monitor everything. Definitely spend time in whatever room you put your dog in and maybe put a tshirt or something that smells like you in there. I would also recommend trazadone or Prozac during the first few months of transition.

[Anonymous]

Is there a way to confine him in a room where he has a view to the outside? I moved with my senior dog with separation anxiety a few years ago from one apartment to another. The new apartment has a big picture window he can sit in and look out at the street. When I leave him alone, he spends the whole time at that window keeping watch, but also sleeping, and is far less anxious.

[Anonymous]

Crate train him now. Start at your old place. Make the crate the best place possible: soft bed, favorite toy, a kong w/ peanut butter or some other longer-lasting treat... Put him in the crate when you're packing, and keep the crate in the same room you're in so he can see you while you work. He'll get used to it, and will probably look forward to his "crate breaks" because there are only good things in the crate. When you get to the new house, the crate will be his familiar place. Crate him while you unpack.

Anything else is asking for trouble. There's no safer place for a dog while you're out than a properly-sized, properly-equipped crate. Do what you can to minimize the shock of it and he'll be fine. Dogs LOVE their dens! It's natural behavior for them, not a punishment.