Miss Kitty Posted September 12, 2011 Share Posted September 12, 2011 My dog of 14 years had to be put down. I am very depressed over the loss, but moreso I am worried about my other dog. They were in love and spent every minute of their lives together. They were never apart. Now he's home alone all day while myself and my other family members are at work. I hate to see him so sad. He just lays on the bed with his head on her pillow all day long. He walks around with his tail between his legs and his ears back. He used to be the happiest dog I'd ever seen and now he's so sad. How can I help him? Link to comment
dan10 Posted September 12, 2011 Share Posted September 12, 2011 take him for a walk twice a day. i know it is a lot of work but if you take him for 2 20 minute walks every day one before work and one after work your dog will feel better in no time. but you have to walk him properly. if you want i can give you the link to the dog wisperers tips for mastering the walk. (but i think it might be against the rules to post it publicly) Link to comment
annie24 Posted September 12, 2011 Share Posted September 12, 2011 I think you have to let him grieve too. It could be a month before he's back to sort of normal. I'd talk to him, and tell him it's ok, he led a good life and they were good friends. i think animals can understand us when we are talking. Link to comment
doyathink Posted September 12, 2011 Share Posted September 12, 2011 My dog went through the same thing. They loved each other so much. The day she died I was holding her, and he came up and kissed her twice on the mouth....turned around and walked away, and just layed there and stared at her..Made my heart melt. He laid around for a long time missing her...we all did. It just takes time like it does for you. I bought another yorkie a few months after she died and it's helped him a lot. Link to comment
Saures Posted September 12, 2011 Share Posted September 12, 2011 I had a similar problem. We got a dog after 3 years of no dog in the family due to another death of a pet. She was so timid and shy, even after walks and did the strangest things... she was very.. human like. We brought a 4 month old puppy into the family and every day every minute and every second they'd be together, playing happily. Unfortunately, our first dog was epileptic and allergic to meat, and every so often she'd suffer from fits, which was awful. On christmas eve this dog had another fit, and unfortunately on christmas day she died... Pretty tragic... My dog was just not herself at all, she seemed so lonely and acted how your dog did. We then got another puppy, not for our dog, but a birthday present for my mum. The puppy livened up the place a bit and my dog was back to her old self. Unfortunately, whilst me and my parents were away we left the dogs with my elder sister, and the new puppy got out and ran away and got run over a few days later, which also happened to be 5 days before my birthday.... And she was awful dealing with it, just returned to her miserable self. Unfortunately, she's grown into her lonely self, and we recently got another puppy! after about 5 years of being by herself she now has to be annoyed by this really active puppy... I recommend buying a new puppy, it worked for us, and maybe if you leave it for a long time the dog may detach itself from other dogs My dogs were all poodles, who are very smart and I believe she just got bored of heartache and decided it wasn't worth making friends... Link to comment
abitbroken Posted September 12, 2011 Share Posted September 12, 2011 Do NOT buy a puppy. If your dog is older, they could possibly be upstaged and all the attention on the puppy makes matters worse. and it distracts you from your grieving and healing process. Why not take the dog to doggie day care once in awhile or get a pet sitter? A new routine may help. Also, really observe the dog and their behavior and don't imagine they are feeling worse. A dog loves to be with their pack so make sure your dog gets to be around everyone when they are home. Also, with one dog, you can take them places more than you could take two. Make it a point to find dog bakeries, dog friendly antique and independent stores, and other places you can go. A new activity to keep the mind busy such as ab advanced obedience class or a dog meetup group tailored to your dog's size or breed is a great way. also, your dog may be down because YOU are down. If you do decide to get another dog, don't do it immediately - but if you do, go to a rescue and have the rescue help carefully match up another dog to your dog. It could mean that the new dog is not a puppy but matches your dog in energy level and might be older. They won't be 14 but they won't be a high energy puppy that annoys your dog. If your dog is lets' say 12, it might be a dog between the ages of 3-8, or if you are willing, maybe even up to 10. So not so old as to pass away at the same time as your dog, but not so young where the dogs couldn't relate. And only on the younger end if it was a lower energy dog. maybe the dog would be high energy as far as hiking and activities but wouldn't be a ball of energy in your dog's face when your dog liked to rest. Link to comment
Miss Kitty Posted September 13, 2011 Author Share Posted September 13, 2011 take him for a walk twice a day. i know it is a lot of work but if you take him for 2 20 minute walks every day one before work and one after work your dog will feel better in no time. but you have to walk him properly. if you want i can give you the link to the dog wisperers tips for mastering the walk. (but i think it might be against the rules to post it publicly) Yeah, it might be, but you can pm it to me. Thank you. Link to comment
Miss Kitty Posted September 13, 2011 Author Share Posted September 13, 2011 We tried doggie day care. He was scared of all the other dogs. But we are trying to find some more activities for him. How do you find the dog meet ups? Maybe with us, he'd be fine with other dogs. He's very friendly and loves others dogs. I think he was just upset that we weren't there and that's why he was scared of them. We would eventually like to get another dog. We love shelter dogs (both of ours were) so we probably would get one a little older. My dog loved having an older dog to help guide him, so we'd probably be best getting one older than him like our other dog was. Thank you everyone for your suggestions. Tomorrow, I'm also going to buy him a new toy. Toys always make him happy. Link to comment
hers Posted September 13, 2011 Share Posted September 13, 2011 This is invaluable advice!! Introducing a puppy to a senior-aged dog, especially one who's grieving heavily, could shorten the life span of the older dog. Dogs have emotions, so to speak, like humans. Let your dog grieve and let it feel its emotions. In time it will be better coped with the loss, just like it is for us. But n the meantime, give the older dog attention and love and a routine to get used to without the other dog. I'm so sorry for your loss. Losing a dog is one of the hardest things i've ever gone through and i hope the best for you and your remaining dog. Link to comment
Miss Kitty Posted September 14, 2011 Author Share Posted September 14, 2011 Thank you all for the great advice. Jake is still very sad, but he's perking up occasionaly. He actually greeted me at the door again today, without his ears back. He was whimpering a lot today, but I gave him some new gifts from the pet store and he was happy for a while playing with and eating them. I gave him a ball that hides a treat inside and he had a good time rolling it and chewing it and squishing it trying to get the treat out, but then he decided his new rawhide treat was an easier taste to reach. Link to comment
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