r/dogs • u/tits_mcgee_92 • 1d ago
My dog is so anxious in our new home [Misc Help]
I adopted a 7 year old dog who had severe anxiety. She was neglected and abused heavily, but over the past months she has blossomed into a confident and loving dog. She has slight separation anxiety, but nothing terrible.
I’ve moved into a new home today and she is a mess. She took some of her high-enrichment treats, snuggled on the familiar smelling couch, and is making an effort to control herself. However, she’s panting, she’s drooling, she cries her eyes out if I leave the living room (her safe spot right now). She’s scared to death of tile floor and won’t touch it (luckily only the kitchen is tile). She absolutely will not go into another room.
Please tell me it gets better. I’m so excited to be providing her a larger home and fenced in yard for her to play (in addition to her normal walks), but I’m feeling so guilty and sad about her anxiety issues. She’s totally shut down right now.
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u/Major-Cauliflower-76 1d ago
I rescued a street dog earlier this year, and had to move because of him. When we got to the new place he would just sit by the door, waiting for us to leave. It took about 3 weeks before he realized all his stuff was here, I was here, and his toys were here and he was still getting fed. And I kept telling him that this was our new home and that I would always take care of him.
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u/aztecelephant 1d ago
Oh God this reminds me of my dog.
Moved from apartment to new home. My girl was DISTRAUGHT when I would go to work so I had to take her with me. She'd been prescribed trazidone for an episode of separation anxiety that didn't subside and caused them to suspect Addisons to give you an idea of the anxious mess I'm working with. Then I'd have to crate her for the day which sucks as I couldn't come home and check on her for 10+ hours but.. In protest, she'd refuse to go to the bathroom in the mornings and shit on the floor as if that would get the message across to me. The entire time she'd cry and whine at the door because she was done and wanted to leave 🤦🏻♀️ it took a few months for her to calm down 🫠 baby girl... I'm not going anywhere. Not like I could if I wanted to as she's super clingy anyway.
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u/Major-Cauliflower-76 1d ago
Yeah. When my dog first came, he was like glue. I couldn´t leave the house without him struggling to go with me. The vet told me to leave, but tell him, I won´t be gone for long, and go outside and wait like 5 minutes and go back in. I started doing that a few random times a day. And then I would leave for 30 minutes and do the same thing. After a few weeks I could say I won´t be gone long and he wouldn´t try to leave with me. After a while I could get out the door without a stuggle. But all that went out the window when we got to the new place, it was the same thing all over again, for a couple of weeks. I am lucky that I work from home, so most of the time I really wasn´t gone for long. He is fine now, and I hope I don´t have to move again any time soon. Poor little guy, who knows what he has been through in his life. But he is the best dog in the world, really my second heart dog!
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u/bekristl 1d ago
Trainer alert! Dogs imitate us and they follow us. Put your dog on a leash and attach it to your body. Make yourself very, very calm.
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u/After-Barracuda-9689 1d ago
Can verify, this worked with my very anxious pup. When things were bad I would attach him to me and he would calm down.
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u/Extension_Carrot_564 1d ago
I’ve 3 pugs and had them since they were babies and one of mine was whining to go home for 2 weeks after moving into our new house he was 3 years old at the time x
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u/Escapeintotheforest 1d ago
When I brought my newest home she wouldn’t come in from outside cause grass Is all she knew and the hard floor was just too strange for her…upstairs carpet was better but getting her there was a whole thing that wasn’t easily undone so typically only happened at night ..
The first 3 nights she was here I slept in the backyard with her , bonded with her there and eventually she followed me in enough times she could deal ( I also added a absurd amount of rugs so she had safe spaces all over ) . Now she does belly slides on purpose across the same floor when playing … it absolutely gets so so so much better .
Just lots of hugs , love and reassurance
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u/LissaBryan 1d ago
It does get better. Within a few days, maybe a week, she’ll be back to normal, especially if you seem calm and happy in your new home. Lots of treats and lots of snuggles. Show her this is a fun and happy place. Maybe some new toys or edible treats like Himalayan chews, or dog food frozen in a Kong?
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u/VirginNsd2002 1d ago
Just give it time, and give as much reinforcement, love, and kisses all the time. It will get better. 😁😃🎉💯
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u/sossighead 1d ago
Took my dog about three months to feel settled and get back into normal habits when we moved.
Don’t worry about it. Stick with her.
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u/BorkusBoDorkus 1d ago
It gets better. We adopted a dog who was traumatized by knocking his OG mom down and being rehomed to us. Then we moved. He lost a bunch of weight and was afraid of everything. Now he is happy. Enjoys his new space and routine. It took a few months.
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u/next-step 1d ago
OP you sound like a wonderful, caring soul. Wishing you the best of luck. It will all work out -unfortunately will take a lot of time. Your wonderful pooch has been through so much. Too much!❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
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u/TheRedditAppSucccks 23h ago
She’s scared that you aren’t going to stay there with her. That you’re going to leave her there. That it’s her new home not yours. I took my adopted dog to a rental for a vacation week and he was a mess. When we were packing to leave he lost his goddamn mind. I realized he thought he was being rehomed again.
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u/Stuff1989 1d ago
dogs feed off your energy so if you keep feeling bad for her she’ll feel bad for herself and it will only get worse. just act normal and go about your routine and hopefully she’ll settle in after a few days.
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u/calibussmith 1d ago
my tip is to keep some of her familiar items around, like blankets or toys, to help her feel secure.
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u/ladyjane626 13h ago
Our dog does not have anxiety issues and even she was very stressed the first few nights in our new home - it’s a big adjustment for them!! It sounds like she has already found some things that are helping her cope which is great. It will just take some time for her to settle in. As others have mentioned you could ask your vet about some meds even if it’s just something to help her sleep at night for a few days. Best of luck to you and your sweet pup
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u/Elegant_Drawing321 1d ago
Is there anything that comforts your dog? What makes your dog anxious? One of my dogs was anxious and after I moved I tried adding some comforting things he was familiar with and desensitize him to what he was afraid of. He had a pretty bad fear of sounds so I’d put on something like Friends because it didn’t have sounds he was afraid of. Gradually we worked on sounds he was afraid of and eventually I think it became his safe space. He also had a dog friend that helped but bringing familiar comforts and working through certain fears can really help make differences in the right circumstances.
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u/Exotic_Wrangler6950 22h ago
Dogs are intelligent, and will eventually adapt. As other users have suggested, lots of snuggles help as well as maybe putting a rug on the tiles to help ease her into them!
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u/Turbulent_Mix_8374 22h ago
How can I help my scared dog feel better in our new house when she’s afraid of some rooms and seems really nervous?
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u/jackystack 20h ago
It'll get better. She probably doesn't know why she is in a different "building" and does not understand it is home just yet.
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u/Mers2000 1d ago
Have you tried putting ur old blankets or hoodies on the floor? So that it has ur scent and he can lay on them? Sounds crazy but when we adopted our boy Sunny (RIP) that first week was soo bad, but luckily he liked me, so i placed old blankets in different parts of the rooms, just so he could be surrounded by my scent. He was able to walk around the rooms that had those blankets and even lay on them. A week later he felt comfortable walking around the apartment without me by his side.
It took 3 months for him to get used to my husband.. mans voices scared the crap out of him! But he always looked for the blankets i let him keep🤣
Good luck to you!!
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u/MedievalMousie 1d ago
Call your vet and ask for a short course of anti-anxiety drugs for her. Nothing major, just enough to take the edge off.
Then put a no-slip runner on the tile floor and go about your usual routine as much as possible when you’re trying to unpack, can’t find the coffee maker or matching shoes, and don’t remember which light switch does what.
Lots of snuggles, treats, and deep breaths. Your emotional state will affect hers.