Wonder if any of you can give me some advice on the best way to handle a house move for our
7 month old cocker!

He came from the breeder when he was 3 months old and has not really been in any other 'home' environment since. I am just a bit concerned that he will find the whole thing as stressful as we probably will but obviously we know why, he won't!

We hope to move end Jan/Mid Feb so he'll be 8 months by then - i.e. adolescence (which I've been warned is the worst time anyway!). I am nervous about putting into kennels and there isn't really anyone nearby who he knows who could take him whilst the upheaval is going on.

Any advise or suggestions would be very helpful.
Thanks.

I would recommend him going into kennels for the day. The whole process of packing and moving furniture etc. would be too much for him to cope with and having to watch him all the time would double your stress level.

Plan now and if he's never been into kennels before, try a couple of trial nights. Just one night at a time and then he'll know that a trip to kennels means you're coming back for him and he won't think that everytime he goes into kennels that you'll move home!

We've moved twice since we got our rescue collie and the first time we didn't put her in kennels and she was just AWFUL. Second time she went into kennels the day before and she was absolutely fine.

Good luck. :)

We moved house 4 months ago and have 2 dogs. Our youngest dog was almost 7mths old at the time. We keep our dogs in indoor crates so whilst we were packing things up either one of us had them out for a walk or if we were both busy they were put in their crates with stuffed kongs.

On the actual day of our move we fed them early and about 1½hrs later (which gave us time to shower and dress etc.) we took them for an early morning run to tire them out, we then popped them into their crates in the car and they slept for a good couple of hours, we kept checking on them, they have toys and a water/feed bowl in the car anyway. After a sleep they were ready for the toilet so I let them out for a pee and a quick run then popped them back in the car with their stuffed kongs which they happily sucked for ages then fell asleep again. By the time they woke up again for the toilet we were getting in the car ready to drive to our new house. Once there they had a good run in the garden, sniffed the new house from top to bottom, scoffed their tea and slept for about 1½hrs by which time we were as unpacked as we were going to be for that day and so we took them for another walk.

I don't know if this would work for everyone as my dogs are used to spending time in and out of the car as they go to work with my partner but they were certainly not bothered by the move at all and loved our new house instantly with a nice big garden just for them :-)

When we moved, my dogs spent a week in my sisters kennels as the new house had to have fencing put up before we could have the dogs home. when we picked them up they were so pleased to see us and delighted to inspect their, and our, new home, they were no trouble at all. But there were four of them, one a puppy, and the adults were used to being kenneled at my sisters for a short time although never when I was not there. So I agree, kennel for a day at a suitable kennel before the day, do it more than once if you can and I think you will find that interest in your new home will take over from any worry your pup may feel. The fact that you are aware of your pups feelings, will probably mean you will have no problems. Hope it all goes well for you. JH

As others have suggested try kennels for a day before you put him in. Also, where are you - we're in Poole/bournemouth area - we'd be happy to puppy sit for a day or so.

We moved a year ago with an older dog and picked up our puppy on the way (moved from Dundee to Poole - LOOOONG trip). It worked out well for us. Older dog adjusted very well to both the move and the new pup, and pup settled in quite quickly.

Wendy

Thank you for the offer - unfortunately we're in Leamington so bit too far away!! Thanks for the advice received so far. It seems to go better if there is more than one dog as they're company for each other. Also, as we don't have a crate that doesn't apply. I am nervous about putting him into an unknown kennels so if anyone can recommend one for this area that would help! We're a bit isolated up here as we don't know many people or have family to help out!

That really is a shame that you don't have someone who could take him for a day while you do that. I would probably recommend that you look into about 5 or 6 kennels in the area and see if you can find one you're comfortable with. I did that when we lived in Dundee and found the BEST kennels - our dog LOVED it there. It also made me realise that if anything happened to us we had previously had nowhere that we could rely on to look after Chelsea for a week or two (say car accident or hospital stay). If you've got a kennel you've checked out and left him in for a day then you know if an emergency were to happen later that you've found a good place and don't have to worry later. Might actually be a good opportunity.

Wendy

Is that Leamington as in Leamington Spa!
if it is, there is a good kennel in Claverdon that i know several people use although im not sure of the phone number

Yes it is Leamington Spa and I know Claverdon - will have a look in yellow pages and investigate. Thanks for the tip.

Why not take him to the grooming parlor. Oh thats if hes already used to it. My friend did this when she moved when the dog came back 3 hours later most of the hustle and bustle was over and her dog was ready for his dinner and a good sleep.