Easing Stress of Moving

Greetings all,

I have a wonderful little female Shih-Tzu, Nikki, and she has the most
friendly nature and easy going temperament of any dog I've ever had. I am
moving to a different apartment soon and I've noticed, as I've been packing,
that she seems a little bewildered. I would imagine she wonders why the
apartment is all tore up and why I'm putting everything in boxes.
She is 5 years old and aside from the home she was born in and lived the
first six weeks of her life in, this has been the only home that she has
known. My relationship with her is much the same as it was when my son was
little. I sit down with her and explain what is going on and talk with her
much as I usually do. I've heard people say that dogs don't understand
what you are saying to them and that may be true but I know that they get
the intent behind the words.
I expect that once we make the move, she is going to feel out of place
at first and perhaps stressed. I've been making sure that I spend extra
time with her, I'm packing her things last, and most of all, I'm making sure
I stick to her regular schedule of walks and such. I haven't been able to
take her to the new apartment yet but I will as soon as I get the
opportunity. Does anyone have any advise on how to minimize her stress once
we move into the new apartment?

FurPaw...

It sounds to me like you're doing the right things. My only
advice is to keep doing them, and when you move, try to keep her
on her routine to the extent possible and keep giving her lots of
attention, even if it's between unpacking boxes.

Our dogs survived a cross-country move (and four days on the
road, motels, etc.) with minimal trauma. They adapted to the new
place and quickly found their favorite spots in the house and
yard. Dogs are pretty flexible, IME.