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Permalink Reply by christy fry on October 16, 2009 at 3:45am

When we moved my dogs at the time (no corgi's yet) didn't seem to upset about it. they acted weird for a day or two, compulsive wandering and sniffing off the new house but after that they settled right down =) There is a very popular dog park on 192nd and 164th I can't remember the name though I'll get back with you on that also a great doggy day care in this area is called Camp Good Puppy my pups love it there it's 20.00 for a 12hr supervised day =0

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Permalink Reply by christy fry on October 16, 2009 at 2:55pm

the dog park's name is Dakota Memorial Dog Park and the park Katy Loggins is refering to is called The Ross Complex Dog Park
Good Luck with the move

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Permalink Reply by Stephanie on October 16, 2009 at 11:44am

Bear doesn't like it when I move furniture around - I think it's the herding thing, everything in its right place. He also gets suspicious when there's a new car in the parking lot outside our condo - I would say this is where the issue with the boxes is coming in - they don't belong. I would go with leave it on the boxes...and just be prepared for a little drama with the move :) Best of luck!

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Permalink Reply by Jane Christensen on October 17, 2009 at 9:19am

A few things that I would do when right before and after is. I would not wash Owen's bedding etc. and I would have all this ready with his items having his "smell" on them and if it were me I might add an old tshirt or pillow case with your smell on too for him to have during the move. I would get all of his toys,crate etc. ready and as soon as you get there put them out so that he has "his" area immediately.If you can have him and some of his "stuff" in the car with you would help too. Someone also stated make it a positive thing which is a good idea. Maybe let him get used to the house/yard before venturing away from home. My dogs will bark if there's anything different ( a car parked different, a tree limb down).

As for behaviors...I think he will adapt quickly with someone there and it will be wonderful to have a parent at home more especially at 1st.Just remember to introduce things slowly and let him get comfortable.

Good Luck!

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Permalink Reply by Beth on October 17, 2009 at 9:40am

I have not been involved with moving with a dog since I was a child, but I did move with a cat and cats don't move as easily as a dog. So I can give some pointers that helped with the cat:

We were fortunate enough to be able to build a house, and so we spent lots of time here painting and stuff before we moved. That means when we went back to the apartment every night, we carried the house scent with us. It also means that our scent was in the new house, which helped.

If it is at all possible to take the dog to visit the house once before the move, and just spend time and give some treats there, it might help. If that is difficult, it would be great if you could get a damp towel, rub it around the dog's face and belly and paws, then put it in a sealed bag and when you get to the house, take the damp towel and rub it on corners and edges of doorways and walls, right at dog level. That way you are transferring the animal's scent to the new place so it smells familiar. Again, cats mark more with their chin glands than dogs do, but dogs also have scent markers on their body and this can help.

The other thing is, if the prior owners had pets please try to de-scent the home as much as possible. When I moved my cat into an apartment that had cats before her, she would not come out from under the bed for weeks. I think she smelled the other cats and was afraid they might show up at any time and come kick her butt. A dog is less likely to have a fear reaction, but more likely to mark if it smells other animals.

As for the boxes, I agree he barks because they are strange. The other day I walked downstairs wearing a heavy jacket and Maddie barked and barked at me because while she has seen me in that jacket, I usually put it on downstairs and don't walk down the steps with it on. Jack ignores vehicles but if one is parked where there are usually none, he'll bark. So if he gets barky about the boxes, just tell him it's ok, or that's enough, or whatever you would use to stop him from alarm barking.

Dogs usually change homes fairly easily; they are more attached to their people than to their place. Canids all have strong migratory tendencies, so moving is usually ok for them.

Good luck!

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Permalink Reply by Stanley & Charlotte on October 17, 2009 at 11:07am

Beth and Jane gave great advice. But I just wanted to chime in as someone who recently relocated apartments with Stanley. I will tell you that Stanley's transition to the new place was a little bumpy. He began acting out, barking a lot, seemed especially needy of attention all the time, and he had a few potty accidents (number 1 only) in the new place. Moving is stressful for everyone and I'm sure he was also picking up on our moods. I'd say this went on for 2-3 weeks. But once he felt more comfortable here and everything was settled, he began to calm down and was back to his normal self. I'm sure all corgis react differently. But either way, hang in there and rest assured Owen will be just fine.

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Permalink Reply by Liam's Mommy on October 17, 2009 at 11:21am

Welcome to Vancouver! Both of the dog parks mentioned are great ones. Both are HUGE! Dakota Memorial is all flat ground, whereas the Ross Complex has a huge hill to get from one side to the other. You could also go to the corgi meetups in Portland. They are at Normadale Park in NE Portland (http://corgi.meetup.com/111/) and meetup the 3rd Saturday of the month. The park is maybe 20 mintues from Vancouver and there is usually about 20-40 corgi/corgi mixes. We used to take Liam but he won't be able to go back until he gets fixed. Once that happens we'll be back every meetup!

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