Moving house with a dog

One of the most difficult aspects of removals is when you are moving with your toddlers. This is what many people say. But others that have experienced relocation may not agree with this lot. I know many who will only tell you that moving with kids is nothing when compared to the hectic world of moving with dogs.

Yes, they say that when you move with a dog, you are actually trying your hands on the most difficult part of the relocation exercise, and you must have a good knowledge of the move before you can ever get it right.

Here, you have to take serious measures before, during and after moving with a dog. The problem with the relocation of dogs lies in the fact that your dogs may encounter problems travelling in vehicles for a very long distance, while others will have problems adapting to the new sound, smell and sight of the new home.

Things to do Before relocating with dogs

In preparation for the move in the first place, you have to take some actions. There are certain thing to do before you start relocating your dog. These actions are all meant to get the ground prepared for the movement of the dog. The number one action to take in this aspect is to run an investigation on the regulations and animal control laws that are in place in the zone you are moving to especially if you are shipping the dog overseas.

There are some rules in different countries like Australia, Canada, USA, South Africa, New Zealand , France or Germany cantering on the limit of dogs one family can own, the prohibition of having particular breeds at home, methods of barking control or even some restrictions on the size of fence acceptable in such zones or certain countries. For you not to default on any of these, you have to contact the local government authorities and get the full written laws from them.

When you are through with this, also get the restrictions that are available in subdivisions if you are moving abroad with a dog to a town house, apartment complex, condominium and housing estate. There may be restrictions by the residential associations concerning pets. Get the best information about this here. If you are moving to London with a dog you should speak to your landlord or local council to acquire relevant information.

You also have to take this preparation for the dog relocation to the department of health in the city.

They will give you information about the specific laws and restrictions, and the requirements for the health certificate of the dogs before entrance. In preparation for this, you have to give your dog all necessary treatments and shots as required. Insure that they have their rabies inoculations and treat them of all ailments that may be problematic to the move.

Especially if you are moving abroad with the dog you need to check the dog import requirements. You must know that all countries have different dog transport and importation requirements. For example if you are sending your dog to Australia it will have to spend at least 2 weeks in the quarantine.

When moving house with a dog overseas you have to get your dogs record from your wet. You can also demand that he tells you or recommends you to some of the best vets that are resident in your new area. This will make it very easy for you when you get there.

When you have taken care of the dog’s health and regulations in the new area, then remind your dog all you have taught it about obedience to commands. This will ignite the sense of discipline in it and also make it to be attuned to strangers.

The next thing to do prior to transporting your dog to a new home is to make sure all the things you will be moving with are in place. This starts from insuring that you have a secured crate for the dog. This is where the dog will be kept when the removals company will be packing and moving things from the house to the car and when things will be moved out of the car.

Looking after the dog on the moving day

On the day of the move with dog, there are few things you have to do. The best advice for you is that you should send your dog away albeit to a comfortable home while the move is going on. It may be problematic for you to be able to take care of the dog while things are being packed out of the house and to the van. The verdict is that you should send the dog either to a kennel, day care, or even to a friend or neighbour, so far as you know the dog will be safe When this is not possible, then you have to use the crate option to cage the dog and secure it comfortably. Another aspect you must not miss is to pack all the dog’s favourites, ranging from toys, snacks, food etc. You can use some our our packing boxes for it. You can use small amount of food to get the dog relaxed, until you get to the destination and settle down in the new home.

At the new home

The number one thing to observe here is that if there should be any type of breach of movement or stop over between the arrivals with the dog into the new area and moving into the new house, then you should make sure that your dog is comfortably kept in a kennel during this interval. You should not be seen moving around with your dog in the hotel or even in a temporary quarters. You should only take your dog home when the furniture and other things have arrived. This must be when you must have made the new home to look a little bit like the old one which the dog is familiar with. Make sure all the properties belonging to the dog are unpacked first. The dog’s place should be made first and everything placed where it used to be in the past.

At this juncture, you just have to introduce the dog to the new neighbours and allow the dog to have a look at them. This will take you to the government bodies as you have to call them and find out issues about dog licenses, their deadlines, rules about nuisances and many others.

After this, move over to locate a vet around. Get to the place and access the vet and then arrange a meeting with your vet and the dog so that the dog would be accessed and examined for injury or disease. Before you settle down with the vet, check his or her attitude towards your pet. There are some pets that your vet may not be comfortable with, and you should leave your dogs in the hands of a vet who is not comfortable handling you dog.

You also have to notify the necessary registry for change of address and phone number if your vet was tattooed or micro chipped. This is to insure that is lost and found, you dog will be sent to you easily and not to your old home.

Moving abroad with a dog

It is possible that you are moving abroad with your dog or other animals by air. Here, you have to take care of some things before and during the international dog transport by air.  The rule that guides the shipping of dogs overseas has been tightened further. Dogs are not shipped as simple excess baggage. For you to ship, you have to do this through a professional international dog transport company that must prepare the pet before it can be flown for you, and they are the people who know the particular regulations against this.

The restrictions here also involve some temperature laws. These restrictions must be observed by the departure airport, arrival airport or any stopover airport.

For you to help your dog to settle down in the new home abroad, you have to make use of scents. There are many ways you can get the dogs scent from the body of the dog to make the house smell familiar.

You can do this by rubbing a piece of paper on the face and saliva of the dog. When you do, drop this at the dog’s place and the smell will make the dog feel at home. You can even purchase this from the market, as there are many familiar scents being sold in the market.

You can also get the dog to settle down with the use of the normal routine, types of food or the feeding calendar.

One more thing to do when moving house with a dog is that you need to allow it to move around in the new destination since the dog is not a cat that you need to keep indoors for some days to avoid running back to the old home. However, when the dog is moving around, one member of the family should accompany the dog at least for the first few days. You can even help the dog move around with a lead to avoid getting lost. You must insure that your dog has the proper identification tags if this is the case.

If you just moved to a new home in the same area in London, the dog can always locate a familiar route and go back to the old home. You must inform the occupant of the new home, so that they will inform you to come and pick up your dog whenever this happens. You can shift the attention of the dog to yourself if the dog is not yet familiar with the new home; do this by petting and having some good time with the dog.

If you are travelling with a private car, you must move your dog in a cage. Never put the dog in a boot, inside the car without the chains or freely in the removal van. Give some travel breaks so that your dog can exercise herself when you move. During the break, you have to offer food and drinks as appropriate. Make sure your dog has the best ventilation whether in a hot or cold day and insure that your dog is not left alone in a hot car while you exercise during the journey. Your dog must be certified healthy before you move, and she must have the tags on.

For more information, advice and tips on how to move with a dog to a new house abroad please contact our office. We will be hap to tell you how much it is to get your dog ready for the move and send it abroad. If you want we can move your animal for you at affordable cheap dog moving costs.