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Dog dealing with grief
Hi, I don't post on TN much anymore, but I need some BTDT advice. We lost one of our pups to a rare heart condition last Wednesday. He was about 7 (we think, he was a rescue) and we'd had him 6 years. Our other pup is about 3 (again, rescue) and we've had him a year. Our older dog was incredibly smart and very much the alpha. Cody, the younger one, just followed Jacko around and did whatever J did. We always joked that he was the dumb dog, but I think a lot of it was that he didn't need to know the things J knew. Now that J is gone, C is having a hard time finding his way in our family. He has difficulty communicating when he needs to go out, and once he's out he doesn't communicate that he wants to come back in at all. He gets very antsy sometimes but can't communicate what he wants, unlike Jacko who could tell you exactly what he wanted.
Additionally he hasn't touched a bone or toy since J died. This is not like him in the least. He was a bone-a-night dog until last week, and he loved to play with the frisbee and the ball.
I guess my question is two-fold - how do we help him learn to communicate with us, and how long should we expect him to show grief in not playing, not chewing on the bone, etc? Is there anything we can be doing to help him through this time?
Thanks.
Re: Dog dealing with grief
I'm so sorry to hear that. Losing a pet is never easy. I think every situation is different, so I can't really give you a timeline on when things will get better. What I would do is just focus on giving lots of love and attention to your pup and be patient. When you let him outside, I would stay with him until he is done then bring him back inside. Also, keep trying to get him to play with his toys with you. You will almost need to take the place of the other dog for a while until he finds his own routine. It's going to require a little more time on your part, but I think it will make the adjustment easier on him. It will take some time, but everything will be okay. So sorry again for your loss!
I am so sorry for your loss!
I agree with PP he needs even more love and attention now, and I would also add some extra exercise. He needs to know now that he is loved
Thank you for your help! He is getting lots of extra love and attention and lots of exercise, more than usual. Playing is hard since he loves to wrestle. We took him to the dog park (not a new experience for him) but he seemed very unsure of himself. It seems like he just isn't sure where he fits anymore. When H and I are both home we'll try to play again - fetch at our house was the person throws it, Jacko goes and gets it, Cody takes it and brings it back. Lather, rinse, repeat. Without Jacko to go get it, Cody doesn't seem to know what to do. Maybe if one of us throws it and the other goes and gets it, he'll be able to get back into the swing of things.