Is our dog grieving over another?
Last October, we put our sheltie, who we had had for 10 years (he was 11), to sleep because he’d gone blind, deaf, and his arthritis was horrible. Since then, our miniature schnauzer seems to have been affected by it. They played all the time from almost the moment we brought our mini home (about 5 years ago), even though our mini was an inside dog and the sheltie, an outside dog. Since our sheltie has disappeared, our schnauzer seems to have gotten quieter, doesn’t enjoy play as much, and is even shyer with our guests. I know it’s not a medical problem, as she had her check up a few weeks ago and everything was good. She turned 5 years old this month, but that’s no reason for the sudden change, is it? So could she be grieving over our sheltie? If so, what am I supposed to do?
Yes, dogs do grieve and now your Schauzer misses its friend. Get her a new puppy.
Sure, your dog is grieving the loss of his “brother”. It happens.
As for what to do – I can’t answer this. Speak to your vet. (Maybe getting him another friend? I don’t know.)
I would say yes, your other dog misses his playmate! You can either wait it off or buy your dog a new companion =)
Yes, she can be grieving. Your little one misses her friend. I truly believe that dogs need other dogs as it’s in thier nature. Get her a friend : )
She is grievin and pininig ( i know spelt wrong) for her playmate. when my pit died my weimeraner just lay near where we buried harley and didnt real eat much or play much became real withdrawn.
we got another pit pup and now its like blue has a new lease of life. its good for you and your family too. i would definatly suggest another dog.
I agree with others, dogs do grieve. My dog greived itself to death after her best friend was put down. Very sad. Getting a new puppy (or older dogs from shelters are cool) may help, it’ll give your mini a friend to play with and show the ropes.
Of course! Think of the way your dog responds to you…a human, now imagine the bond between two animals who can talk to each other. And now the only doggy friend she had is suddenly gone? Not being able to communicate with your dog vebally, there is no way to explain where her buddy went. It will take her time to adjust to the separation, especially if they have been together since she was a pup. Cater to her and give her extra love and cuddles to help her feel better. I would wait to introduce a new playmate until some of her depression has lifted. You will need to spend extra time with her to make up for the time she would normally spend playing with her lost friend.
Dogs can and do often grieve for the loss of one of their pack members. The dog’s demeanor may improve as time goes on and she may adjust to her new lonely surroundings. The best recomendation is to get her a new playmate. A puppy may be too much for her (since she’s an older dog), but a mature dog from the pound may work. If you want to adopt a new dog, make sure you introduce your schnauzer to them and make sure they get along first before bringing them home. However if getting another pet is out of the question, then your dog just needs more human attention to help her get over her lack of canine attention. Take the schnauzer out for more walks, more playtime, and more quality time. Take her to dog parks and let her play with others, or maybe try doggie daycare when you go to work, that way she can play with other dogs still.
Also, keep comforting things around for your mini – her own bed, a special toy, things that have your shelties scent on it. These are all things to put her mind at ease while she grieves.
Absolutely. I even had a case where one of my dogs grieved over the loss of our ferret. I previously didn’t even think she liked the ferret, but it was about the saddest thing you’ve ever seen. The ferret used to chase Kate (the dog) around the house when Kate squeaked her toys, and after Suzie (the ferret) died, Kate didn’t play with her squeaky toys for months. She was also incredibly distraught when Suzie was ill and when Suzie didn’t come back with us the final time from the vet.
Dogs are especially sensitive since they base so much on their pack relationships. It’s not uncommon for a dog to be much more shy after their buddy is gone, especially if the buddy was the more dominant one. Their “leader” isn’t around to protect them anymore.
your dog is definintly missing her buddy. I’d give her a little time and buy her a new chew toy.