Helping Your Pets Adjust To A New Home

Once you arrive at your new home, you might be tempted to let your pets loose to run around. After all, they have been cooped up at least all day and maybe even for a few days and are probably anxious to explore. It's important, however, to control your pets' exposure to their new surroundings carefully.

If you have more than one pet, consider the dynamic between them. The types of pets you have play a big part in this. Having several different types of pets will require a different approach than having several of one type of pet.

If you have a few of the same type of pet, be sure to follow the pack order and introduce the pack leader to the home first. This will help to keep the pack running smoothly and will avoid some behavior problems that can result if the pack leader feels its dominance is being challenged. Having a familiar dynamic within their new environment will be comforting to all of them.

If you have a couple of pets of different species, pay attention to how they interact before you move. Are they bitter rivals that only behave nicely to avoid getting in trouble? Do they tolerate, but basically ignore each other? Are they inseparable cuddle buddies? Each of these types of interactions require different methods of introduction to your new home.

Rivals can be tricky. It's a good idea to get some specific advice from your vet before you move regarding how to deal with each of them attempting to use the new environment as an opportunity to finally establish dominance over the other. A good rule of thumb is to keep everything as equal as possible. Introduce each of your pets to the new home with one person for each animal. That way, if a problem arises, each person only needs to deal with one animal. If it's possible to do safely, try to have them enter the home at the same time, even if you have to use separate doors. Once they are both inside, they can be taken through the house at the same time, but on separate pathways. Making their first exposure to their new home is separate but equal will encourage them to keep the same dynamic they had at your previous home rather than causing new dominance struggles.

Pets that tolerate but ignore each other also benefit from a separate but equal first exposure to a new home. The concern over one trying to establish dominance over the other isn't usually as high, but introducing them to the home at the same time with one person each helps encourage them to continue their civil tolerance of each other in the new environment.

Pets that are best friends are easiest, of course. You can just bring them into your new home, one in each arm and they will usually transition quite easily.

No matter how your pets get along (or don't), these simple suggestions can help them transition into their new home while keeping the same behavior dynamic they had at your previous home.

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