How's Willow Adjusting? (+ Tips For Bringing A Dog into a New Home)

This post is sponsored by BISSELL®.

BISSELL is taking its love for pets to the next level with the introduction of the ICONpet High-Powered Cordless Vacuum™. Not only is it thoughtfully engineered with powerful features to tackle pet hair and messes throughout the house, but for each ICONpet purchased, BISSELL will help BISSEL Pet Foundation cover the adoption fee of a shelter pet in an effort to end pet homelessness--an effort we hold dear to our hearts. Several years ago we adopted a large Saint Pyrenees, Charly, and more recently, we adopted our current Bernese Mountain Dog, Willow. Two of the best dogs we have ever known.

We've received so many questions about how Willow has adjusted since our move 4 months ago. It took time for all of us to adjust and in ways we still are, but it was the most difficult for Willow to feel settled. From accidents in the house, which never happened previously. To not eating. And not resting at night. It felt very similar to how she acted when we first brought her home two years ago, so we knew more than anything she just needed extra love and assurance.

As part of the BISSELL's ICONpet High-Powered Cordless Vacuum launch, and the important cause associated with it: finding loving forever homes for pets in need, we thought it would be the perfect time to share a few tips that have helped Willow get adjusted after adoption and in our new home.

When we brought Willow home 2 years ago, she had a lot of anxiety and would sometimes just sit and look at us and bark, as almost to say, "Take me home! Take me home!" Those first few weeks were an adjustment and required a lot of patience on both of our parts. When we moved--we experienced some of the same things. To help her, we took a LOT of walks - multiple times a day. It helped her get some energy out and recognize where home was. It was the best feeling when she would start turning into home automatically. When we moved here, we walked her around the large 3.5 acre property so she could become familiar with it.

We invited her into our room to sleep every night. Willow wasn't crate trained so it was hard to know how to make her feel safe. She didn't seem to want a bed or anything like that, but did seem to enjoy the comfort of our presence. So before bed, we'd call her into our room and that started signifying it was time to calm down and stop pacing. She gravitated toward the bathroom tile and funny enough she settled onto the tile in our new bathroom, too.

We learned that there were dogs that previously lived here, which could explain the accidents she started having in the house when we moved here. She was marking her territory. We knew more than anything, we wanted her to feel  at home and not threatened. The biggest remedy for that was to clean, clean, clean.

The ICONpet High-Powered Cordless Vacuum is equipped with convenient, pet-focused features that are expertly engineered for homes with pets.

1. A High-Performance Digital Motor turning at 420 MPH, powering up to 40 minutes of cordless cleaning depending on the mode and attachments
2. Versatile options allow this product to clean as a stick vacuum or transform into a hand vacuum, extended reach wand or hand vacuum with motorized TurboBrush tool
3. An innovative Tangle Free Brush Roll on hair 6-8 inches traps pet hair without wrapping around the vacuum
4. A removeable dirt canister for easy, yuck-free emptying
5. A SmartSeal Allergen system helps trap dust and allergens inside the vacuum
6. Specialized pet tools powerfully clean pet hair from all sorts of nooks and crannies
7. Three cleaning modes work across any floor type
8. Swivel steering allows for easy maneuvering around and under furniture

I'm happy to report that with all of these things and time, I can confidently say Willow has never been happier. In our last home, I would open the door and she would bolt every time. Here, she moseys onto the front porch for a morning nap and watches all the comings and goings throughout the day. The extra space has been heaven-sent for her and she really is so calm and happy.

Special thanks to BISSELL for sponsoring this post and starting this movement to connect more pets to their forever home. For every ICONpetHigh-Powered Cordless Vacuum sold, BISSELL is donating $25 to BISSELL Pet Foundation to help end pet homelessness. The $25 donation covers the adoption fee of one shelter pet at a BISSELL Pet Foundation Empty the Shelters event waiting for a forever home. At least $1 million dollars will be donated in 2019 alone!