In about two weeks Loki and I are relocating to KC from the Chicago area and I want to be sure I do whatever is necessary to make sure this doesn't cause a problem for him. He's an 8 Mo. Shih Tzu puppy. It's just been the two of us and he's very well behaved..he has his days of course like we all do. We havent' been through obedience training yet, but we will be going once I land in my new home.
I have noticed that when we are at home, he does not like his crate, because I've used the crate as a form of "time out" for him. He's house trained so I have no reason to use it on a regular basis for anything other than this, although it sits freely in the living room and the door is always open. He DOES stash his bones in there I've noticed, so when I think we are out of "chew things" I just check the crate to see what goodies he's put in there. However, when we travel to visit someone, he gravitates toward his crate, which is perfectly normal as I understand it, because then it resembles HOME to him. I've never washed anything in the crate, and it's complete with a cushy bed pillow in a pillow case.
Our new place comes with a few changes for him. First of all, he will have his own fenced in back yard so he can finally run free for play time. He's a house dog and will remain a house dog and I have no intentions of leaving him in the yard unattended ever. Shih Tzus rarely ever potty in their living areas (maybe once or twice as a puppy in my bed but NEVER in his crate and not again since he was very young in my bed). So, of course his "potty walks" will continue without interruption even though he has a back yard, because I'm thinking he may designate the back yard as a play space..and hence a living space. The other change will be from carpet to wooden floors, as my new home only has carpeting in the bedrooms. THIS will present quite the challenge for the LOKI RUN 500, as he breaks out in a full dead run around the house as fast as he can go for a good 5 or so minutes (which is delightful to watch because it's obvious he's having a good time). THIS will be a big difference for him and I'm assuming he'll be using different muscles due to the lack of traction! (While it may be somewhat humorous to watch him sliding around, I'm thinking it could be a stressful thing for him, so I won't be laughing)
I'm also thinking of switching up his dog food. I currently feed him Pedigree Puppy dry dog food, which is what he had at the breeders and I chose not to switch it. Now, I want to put him on a more nutritous diet but I'm wondering if a new home and new food is a good idea, even though I would be introducing the new food gradually.
Anyway, since he has not been neutered yet (my brother also has a shih tzu puppy (female) and she is several months younger than Loki and we are trying to decide if we want to mate them one time before I have him neutered) and he leaves his scent EVERYWHERE within a 30 min radius of my home where we walk every day. I'm taking him completely away from anything that smells familiar outside....or is that just no big deal? I've never washed his clothes, his bedding or any of his toys so he'll be taking all these things that are "home" to him, with him.
He'll be riding with me in the car of course on the big moving day. I have a harness that allows him to sit in the front seat with me, and he has a pillow to lay on. I also have the crate in the back seat if he gets too excited and I just put him in the crate, but he has to be able to see me, or he gets overly stressed. He has a car seat, but HATES it. I do have passenger side airbags, but they do not deploy if the weight is less than 80 lbs., which of course he is only 14 lbs.
Any advice anyone has on a big move and how you can curb stress for your pet is greatly appreciated!
Thanks!
I have noticed that when we are at home, he does not like his crate, because I've used the crate as a form of "time out" for him. He's house trained so I have no reason to use it on a regular basis for anything other than this, although it sits freely in the living room and the door is always open. He DOES stash his bones in there I've noticed, so when I think we are out of "chew things" I just check the crate to see what goodies he's put in there. However, when we travel to visit someone, he gravitates toward his crate, which is perfectly normal as I understand it, because then it resembles HOME to him. I've never washed anything in the crate, and it's complete with a cushy bed pillow in a pillow case.
Our new place comes with a few changes for him. First of all, he will have his own fenced in back yard so he can finally run free for play time. He's a house dog and will remain a house dog and I have no intentions of leaving him in the yard unattended ever. Shih Tzus rarely ever potty in their living areas (maybe once or twice as a puppy in my bed but NEVER in his crate and not again since he was very young in my bed). So, of course his "potty walks" will continue without interruption even though he has a back yard, because I'm thinking he may designate the back yard as a play space..and hence a living space. The other change will be from carpet to wooden floors, as my new home only has carpeting in the bedrooms. THIS will present quite the challenge for the LOKI RUN 500, as he breaks out in a full dead run around the house as fast as he can go for a good 5 or so minutes (which is delightful to watch because it's obvious he's having a good time). THIS will be a big difference for him and I'm assuming he'll be using different muscles due to the lack of traction! (While it may be somewhat humorous to watch him sliding around, I'm thinking it could be a stressful thing for him, so I won't be laughing)
I'm also thinking of switching up his dog food. I currently feed him Pedigree Puppy dry dog food, which is what he had at the breeders and I chose not to switch it. Now, I want to put him on a more nutritous diet but I'm wondering if a new home and new food is a good idea, even though I would be introducing the new food gradually.
Anyway, since he has not been neutered yet (my brother also has a shih tzu puppy (female) and she is several months younger than Loki and we are trying to decide if we want to mate them one time before I have him neutered) and he leaves his scent EVERYWHERE within a 30 min radius of my home where we walk every day. I'm taking him completely away from anything that smells familiar outside....or is that just no big deal? I've never washed his clothes, his bedding or any of his toys so he'll be taking all these things that are "home" to him, with him.
He'll be riding with me in the car of course on the big moving day. I have a harness that allows him to sit in the front seat with me, and he has a pillow to lay on. I also have the crate in the back seat if he gets too excited and I just put him in the crate, but he has to be able to see me, or he gets overly stressed. He has a car seat, but HATES it. I do have passenger side airbags, but they do not deploy if the weight is less than 80 lbs., which of course he is only 14 lbs.
Any advice anyone has on a big move and how you can curb stress for your pet is greatly appreciated!
Thanks!
