if you have more than one dog,and one of them dies,should you let the other dogs see him?

Answer 1

That's tough, but I think you should, because if you don't let them see it - they will continue to look for that dog.

Why I say that is that when my child died from leukemia while in the hospital - when we came home - our little dog kept looking for
Matthew. The dog kept going to the door waiting for him to come in, looking in his bedroom, lying on his bed, and whining in his room. We finally had to close the bedroom door. Anyway - it took the dog about a half a year to kind of "forget" that we used to have another family member, and to stop looking for Matthew.

I would think it would be the same thing for dogs that had lived together for awhile. Maybe if they saw that the dog was dead - maybe they would understand on some level - you think?!?!?!

Answer 2

There are different theories on this....some say yes, and others say no. You know your dog better than anyone, so you should know if it will do him good to see the other one, or perhaps you should not let him see the other, and go about business as usual. If you do the latter, I would make sure you give him lots of love and keep him busy. If you see that he is depressed, then take him to the vet to see if there is something they can give him. I'm not sure what it will do to let him see the dog that passed.....it could upset him, but then again, he may not understand what has happened to his companion. I'm not sure if they fully understand the finality of death. When my 18 year old cat died, her companion for 9 years sat by her urn and cried for days. So, who knows....it's a very interesting question.

Answer 3

One of the previous answers was right about the living dogs not caring about the dead body...I think it's because they know that the spirit of their sibling is no longer there and the body was just a vessel for the soul of the friend they lost. The dogs will mourn in their own ways...perhaps they will curl up on the dead dog's old pillow, or they will start to eat where the dead dog used to, or they will even show signs of depression like not eating or lots of vocalizing when outside. The dogs knew probably before you ever did, that the essence of their dog friend was leaving this earth...they know what happened. You have my sympathies:(

Answer 4

Absolutely! I had my 15 y/o lab put to sleep last year at home with my 2 cats in the room. Animals are smart and have a much better grip on death than almost humans. The vet told me that on several house calls to euthanize she has witnessed animals in the house "walking over the body of euthanized animal like it wasn't even there anymore". Her feeling is that the body is just a shell and once the animals soul is gone, the other pets really no longer acknowledge the physical body. I know that's a little heavy but after working in shelters for years, I also believe this is true. Your other pets do deserve to know what happened to their friend or they will keep looking and the stress of that is avoidable.

Answer 5

yes you can. you will discover that they dont care that the other dog is dead. they are not sad. they might go up and sniff the dead dog.

**edit** true story-- one time one of my dogs died. my wife said let's have a funeral. we got the children outside and the other dogs out there too. i was digging a grave and the dead dog was lying on the ground beside the hole. one of my other dogs , the one that was her "best friend", came up there and hiked his leg up and peed onto the dead dog.

**another edit** i know that i am in the minority here, but i still say dogs dont care. dogs will sense the masters emotions and behave in a way appropriately for a dog heirarchy. the dog considers the master to be the leader, just like in a pack. if the master is in a happy mood, the dog behaves accordingly. if the master is upset or mad, the dog slinks away and acts subdued. if everybody is sad at the funeral, the dog will act that way too, but not because he has sorrow for the deceased, like a human does.

Answer 6

No. Definately not. Dogs are very social and are highly emotional. They could be deeply affected by the loss of a companion, whether it be human or otherwise. Keep the death low-key and don't elaborate on it w/ the other dogs. Make sure to keep an eye on the dogs for signs of depression. They are the classics: lethargy, lack of appetite, etc. Just like humans.

Answer 7

Definitely. It helps in the grieving process the other dog will go through. Dogs understand death better than we think, and seeing the other dog will make him realize what has happened. Very sad, but it works.

Answer 8

Yes, it helps them understand what happened to them. I asked my vet when my dog died. The Dog went up and smelled the dead dog and then walked away. The dog grieved for awhile but he was fine after that.

Answer 9

I think so...I don't think the other dogs will truly understand but I don't think it would hurt. It reminds me of a time when a cat of mine died and it broke my heart. When I took her out to bury her, several other cats in the area came around. I was the only human there but it made me feel a little more reassured. Like we were giving the cat her own special funeral.

Answer 10

Good question. You really got me on this one, I have four dogs. I would say yes, just to let them know what happen to their friend. But take them away just in case instincts come into roll. Like doing something to the body. But I'll have to cross this bridge when I come to it.....Thanks for the piece of mind.