Kirska

Does anyone have any recommendations for the best way to handle an in-town move with dogs? We have just bought a house about a mile away from our current one.

Should we take the dogs and let them explore the empty house or wait until our stuff is in it?

Every time I have moved before it has been a long distance move so I've never given this much thought.

My biggest concern is housetraining. The new house has gorgeous hardwood floors or tile in every single room, even the bedrooms, so it should be much easier to clean up messes but I'd like to start off on a good foot. Harley is 99.9% reliably housetrained, Anabelle is probably closer to a 70% success rate. We have a dog door now and I intend to have one ready to install the 1st day we move in.

Harley has a tendency to be very territorial.

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Mom to Anabelle and Lila, rescued ladies and Harley, Corgi/Beagle/Basset/?? mutt

"Saving just one dog won't change the world, but it surely will change the world for that one dog." - Richard C. Call

Lightning&Stomps

I can't really address the issue of moving to a new house near the old one, but when I moved I went back to the housetraining basics with my dogs. I wasn't so worried about Lightning, but Stomps seemed more of a territorial marker. So I restricted their access in the house and slowly expanded it (and I had dog doors too). I never did give them full access, but that was mostly because I didn't want to expand the fur zone. Good luck.

Mikey T

I don't think it really matters. I would make sure the yard is fenced and the doog door installed before the dog come in. I would tend to wait until the furniture is in place not because it would help the dogs only that it is likely easier to move in the furniture without having to worry about a dog escaping out an open door.

FWIW i had the fence installer sart working a couple hour prior to closiang on the last house I bought. I bet risky but you have to do what ya have to do. There was no one living in it at the time.