behavior question
 

I have just lost my wonderful, beloved almost 10 year old rottweiler. I
have had him since he was weeks old.
When he was 3, I got a german shepherd, female, she was 3 months old
when I got her.

They have been together constantly since.
My question is about my now 7 year old german shepherd. How does it
affect her to lose a companion that has been in her life for almost 7 years?
I have been devastated by the loss, but I stopped expressing my feelings
in front of her, because I thought it might upset her.

I have noticed that she is carrying a squeaky toy with her constantly,
and she did have loose stools right after the death of my rottie.
She also, sometimes whines, very quietly, at bedtime. She never has
whined before.
My rottie was put down here at home.
She saw her friend "afterwards" but totally ignored his body.
I took to the crematorium the day after.

We are suppose to go overseas, where I am from, but I feel it would be
too hard for her right now. I am considering taking her along, in fact.

How do dogs deal with loss??

Liselotte

"LL" wrote in message
news:6H8fb.673301$uu5.110403@sccrnsc04...

I have noticed that she is carrying a squeaky toy with her constantly,
and she did have loose stools right after the death of my rottie.
She also, sometimes whines, very quietly, at bedtime. She never has
whined before.
(snip)

We are suppose to go overseas, where I am from, but I feel it would be
too hard for her right now. I am considering taking her along, in fact.

How do dogs deal with loss??

I can't really answer your question - I have not had a dog lose a canine
companion before. I do know that if I leave the home for a few days, my
dogs look for me. When we've had a foster for a while that the boys like,
they mope for a few days when that foster goes to a forever home. Dogs are
extremely affectionate and loyal, and though it is perhaps incorrect to
attribute human emotion to them, I perceive their actions as those of a
feeling being experiencing loss. The scientific explanation could be that
dogs have a more highly tuned sense of structure, and the loss of a pack
member disrupts the structure they depend on for survival. Either way, your
girl is clearly having some difficulty adjusting to the loss of her friend.

8 hours in the cold belly of a plane is a terrible ordeal for any dog, are
you sure you want to subject her to it? Also, I would check into quarantine
rules for taking your dog wherever you are planning on traveling. It would
be a miserable trip if she had to spend weeks in quarantine. You would
probably be better off getting a reputable pet-sitter to come stay in your
home with your dog and keep her normal schedule in place. This would be
much less stressful for her than overseas travel.

So sorry about the loss of your rottie. It is devastating to lose a dog, I
have been there and I know what it feels like.

Take care
Mary

"LL" wrote in message
news:6H8fb.673301$uu5.110403@sccrnsc04...

I have noticed that she is carrying a squeaky toy with her constantly,
and she did have loose stools right after the death of my rottie.
She also, sometimes whines, very quietly, at bedtime. She never has
whined before.
(snip)

We are suppose to go overseas, where I am from, but I feel it would be
too hard for her right now. I am considering taking her along, in fact.

How do dogs deal with loss??

I can't really answer your question - I have not had a dog lose a canine
companion before. I do know that if I leave the home for a few days, my
dogs look for me. When we've had a foster for a while that the boys like,
they mope for a few days when that foster goes to a forever home. Dogs are
extremely affectionate and loyal, and though it is perhaps incorrect to
attribute human emotion to them, I perceive their actions as those of a
feeling being experiencing loss. The scientific explanation could be that
dogs have a more highly tuned sense of structure, and the loss of a pack
member disrupts the structure they depend on for survival. Either way, your
girl is clearly having some difficulty adjusting to the loss of her friend.

8 hours in the cold belly of a plane is a terrible ordeal for any dog, are
you sure you want to subject her to it? Also, I would check into quarantine
rules for taking your dog wherever you are planning on traveling. It would
be a miserable trip if she had to spend weeks in quarantine. You would
probably be better off getting a reputable pet-sitter to come stay in your
home with your dog and keep her normal schedule in place. This would be
much less stressful for her than overseas travel.

So sorry about the loss of your rottie. It is devastating to lose a dog, I
have been there and I know what it feels like.

Take care
Mary

"LL" wrote in message
news:6H8fb.673301$uu5.110403@sccrnsc04...

I have noticed that she is carrying a squeaky toy with her constantly,
and she did have loose stools right after the death of my rottie.
She also, sometimes whines, very quietly, at bedtime. She never has
whined before.
(snip)

We are suppose to go overseas, where I am from, but I feel it would be
too hard for her right now. I am considering taking her along, in fact.

How do dogs deal with loss??

I can't really answer your question - I have not had a dog lose a canine
companion before. I do know that if I leave the home for a few days, my
dogs look for me. When we've had a foster for a while that the boys like,
they mope for a few days when that foster goes to a forever home. Dogs are
extremely affectionate and loyal, and though it is perhaps incorrect to
attribute human emotion to them, I perceive their actions as those of a
feeling being experiencing loss. The scientific explanation could be that
dogs have a more highly tuned sense of structure, and the loss of a pack
member disrupts the structure they depend on for survival. Either way, your
girl is clearly having some difficulty adjusting to the loss of her friend.

8 hours in the cold belly of a plane is a terrible ordeal for any dog, are
you sure you want to subject her to it? Also, I would check into quarantine
rules for taking your dog wherever you are planning on traveling. It would
be a miserable trip if she had to spend weeks in quarantine. You would
probably be better off getting a reputable pet-sitter to come stay in your
home with your dog and keep her normal schedule in place. This would be
much less stressful for her than overseas travel.

So sorry about the loss of your rottie. It is devastating to lose a dog, I
have been there and I know what it feels like.

Take care
Mary

Look at it this way....

Just like people, dogs react in some way to every major, and sometimes
minor, changes in their lives. Sometimes a dog will show mourning in
some way... looking for the companion that disappeared, going off their
feed, restlessness... just obviously upset. Sometimes a dog will react
with pleasure at being rid of the other dog's presence! And sometimes
the dog will not seem to show much concern at all.

What WILL be most important to your dog now is YOU. If you are making a
permanent move, yes, take the dog with you. If you are just going for a
visit, either hire a pet sitter (will come to your house only a couple
of times a day, at most), or take the dog to a good boarding kennel.
Other dog owners can recommend good ones. My dogs happen to enjoy the
kennel I use; they like the owners, they like the time they spend
outside in runs, and are in no major rush to come home with me after a
joyous greeting. The cost of a good boarding kennel will usually be
less than that for a pet sitter for one dog.

Jo Wolf
Martinez, Georgia

Look at it this way....

Just like people, dogs react in some way to every major, and sometimes
minor, changes in their lives. Sometimes a dog will show mourning in
some way... looking for the companion that disappeared, going off their
feed, restlessness... just obviously upset. Sometimes a dog will react
with pleasure at being rid of the other dog's presence! And sometimes
the dog will not seem to show much concern at all.

What WILL be most important to your dog now is YOU. If you are making a
permanent move, yes, take the dog with you. If you are just going for a
visit, either hire a pet sitter (will come to your house only a couple
of times a day, at most), or take the dog to a good boarding kennel.
Other dog owners can recommend good ones. My dogs happen to enjoy the
kennel I use; they like the owners, they like the time they spend
outside in runs, and are in no major rush to come home with me after a
joyous greeting. The cost of a good boarding kennel will usually be
less than that for a pet sitter for one dog.

Jo Wolf
Martinez, Georgia

Look at it this way....

Just like people, dogs react in some way to every major, and sometimes
minor, changes in their lives. Sometimes a dog will show mourning in
some way... looking for the companion that disappeared, going off their
feed, restlessness... just obviously upset. Sometimes a dog will react
with pleasure at being rid of the other dog's presence! And sometimes
the dog will not seem to show much concern at all.

What WILL be most important to your dog now is YOU. If you are making a
permanent move, yes, take the dog with you. If you are just going for a
visit, either hire a pet sitter (will come to your house only a couple
of times a day, at most), or take the dog to a good boarding kennel.
Other dog owners can recommend good ones. My dogs happen to enjoy the
kennel I use; they like the owners, they like the time they spend
outside in runs, and are in no major rush to come home with me after a
joyous greeting. The cost of a good boarding kennel will usually be
less than that for a pet sitter for one dog.

Jo Wolf
Martinez, Georgia

LL wrote:

I have just lost my wonderful, beloved almost 10 year old rottweiler. I
have had him since he was weeks old.
When he was 3, I got a german shepherd, female, she was 3 months old
when I got her.

They have been together constantly since.
My question is about my now 7 year old german shepherd. How does it
affect her to lose a companion that has been in her life for almost 7 years?
I have been devastated by the loss, but I stopped expressing my feelings
in front of her, because I thought it might upset her.

Just like you, your German Shepherd will grieve for her lost companion.
The "loose stools" is a definite sign that she is stressed out. She should
be fairly okay in a couple of weeks at most...but it may take two or
three months for her to accept that her buddy is gone...in my experience.


--
+----------------------------------------------------------------+
| Charles and Francis Richmond richmond at plano dot net |
+----------------------------------------------------------------+

LL wrote:

I have just lost my wonderful, beloved almost 10 year old rottweiler. I
have had him since he was weeks old.
When he was 3, I got a german shepherd, female, she was 3 months old
when I got her.

They have been together constantly since.
My question is about my now 7 year old german shepherd. How does it
affect her to lose a companion that has been in her life for almost 7 years?
I have been devastated by the loss, but I stopped expressing my feelings
in front of her, because I thought it might upset her.

Just like you, your German Shepherd will grieve for her lost companion.
The "loose stools" is a definite sign that she is stressed out. She should
be fairly okay in a couple of weeks at most...but it may take two or
three months for her to accept that her buddy is gone...in my experience.


--
+----------------------------------------------------------------+
| Charles and Francis Richmond richmond at plano dot net |
+----------------------------------------------------------------+

LL wrote:

I have just lost my wonderful, beloved almost 10 year old rottweiler. I
have had him since he was weeks old.
When he was 3, I got a german shepherd, female, she was 3 months old
when I got her.

They have been together constantly since.
My question is about my now 7 year old german shepherd. How does it
affect her to lose a companion that has been in her life for almost 7 years?
I have been devastated by the loss, but I stopped expressing my feelings
in front of her, because I thought it might upset her.

Just like you, your German Shepherd will grieve for her lost companion.
The "loose stools" is a definite sign that she is stressed out. She should
be fairly okay in a couple of weeks at most...but it may take two or
three months for her to accept that her buddy is gone...in my experience.


--
+----------------------------------------------------------------+
| Charles and Francis Richmond richmond at plano dot net |
+----------------------------------------------------------------+