Here is the thing about moving with a dog. Your dog thinks moving day is the greatest day of their entire life. Strangers coming inside! People carrying furniture! So many new smells! The front door open for hours! They have absolutely no idea what is happening and they are fully committed to being part of it. They will try to help. They will not help. Here is how to survive moving day with your dog without losing them, injuring anyone, or completely losing your mind.
Get the Crate Ready Before Moving Day — Like Weeks Before
If your dog has never spent time in a crate and you suddenly produce one on moving day, congratulations — you have just invented a new level of chaos. A few weeks before your move, leave the crate out with the door open, a blanket inside, and treats scattered around it. Feed them near it. Let them investigate it on their own terms. The goal is for the crate to feel like a cozy little den rather than a terrifying box of betrayal. A dog that willingly walks into their crate on moving day is worth its weight in gold. A dog that has never seen a crate before and is now screaming inside one while strangers carry the TV out the front door is — well, it’s a lot.
The Dog Room Strategy — And the Sign You Must Put On the Door
On moving day, set your dog up in one quiet room — bedroom, bathroom, laundry, anywhere with a door that actually closes — with their bed, water, food, a chew toy, and ideally something that smells like you. Then put a sign on the door. Not a small sign. A large, impossible-to-miss sign that says DO NOT OPEN — DOG INSIDE. Laminate it if you have to. Because someone will open it. A well-meaning mover checking if the room is empty, a friend grabbing something, someone looking for the bathroom — it will happen. And a large enthusiastic dog launching himself through an open front door past a moving truck is not a fun afternoon for anyone.
Tire Them Out the Night Before — Completely
A tired dog is a manageable dog. The evening before your move, take your dog for the longest walk they have ever been on in their entire life. Hit the dog park. Find a hill. Do laps around the neighbourhood. The goal is for your dog to be so thoroughly exhausted that moving day is just a mildly interesting blur they half sleep through. This strategy works remarkably well and we cannot recommend it highly enough.
They Go in the Car — Not the Truck
Your dog rides with you in the car. Not in the moving truck. The truck is loud, dark, not climate controlled, and smells like the existential weight of a hundred previous moves. Your dog goes in their crate in the back seat, window cracked, with a familiar blanket and something to chew on. Do not let them ride loose in the car. A seventy pound dog climbing onto your lap on the Port Mann Bridge because they spotted another dog is a situation that ends badly for everyone.
Update the Tags and the Microchip
Moving day is one of the most common times for dogs to go missing — doors propped open, unfamiliar people coming and going, a dog who is either too excited or too stressed to pay attention. Before moving day, double check that your dog’s ID tags and microchip are up to date with a working phone number. Keep a recent photo of them on your phone. Hopefully you will never need it. But you will feel much better having it.
The New Place — Start Small
When you arrive at the new home do not just open the car door and release your dog into the unknown like a furry missile. Set up one room first with their bed, food, water, and toys. Let them sniff around and decompress before opening up the rest of the house. Walk them around the new neighbourhood on leash before giving them backyard access — especially if you haven’t fully checked the fence yet. Dogs are escape artists at the best of times. A new and unfamiliar yard on an already weird day is not the moment to test the perimeter.
They Will Be Fine
Your dog may be confused for a day or two. They may pace. They may give you a look that says I trusted you and this is what you do. But stick to the same feeding times, the same walk schedule, and the same bedtime routine and most dogs settle into a new home faster than you’d expect. They go where you go. That’s the deal. They just wish you’d warned them.
Ready to move — dog and all? Call us at 604-720-0931 or get a free quote online today.
Brothers Moving has been helping Vancouver families and their four legged family members relocate since 2008. We serve Metro Vancouver including Vancouver, Burnaby, Richmond, Surrey, Coquitlam, North Vancouver, West Vancouver, New Westminster, Delta, Port Coquitlam, Port Moody, Maple Ridge, Pitt Meadows, Langley, Abbotsford, White Rock and Horseshoe Bay. We also serve Vancouver Island including Victoria, Nanaimo, Courtenay, Campbell River and Parksville, and throughout BC including Kelowna, Kamloops, Penticton, Chilliwack and Prince George.