Dog seems depressed?

Question

We just got a new puppy and our other dog will not go close to him they have been together for almost a year now My dog is 6 for some reason she seems depressed even thogh we give her a lot of attention how do I make her not depressed anymore? Please help!!!

Answer 1

Listen to Medusa (above). She knows how to depress a dog. After being forced to listen to her depressive rants for hours - charlie dog- her dog, would shoot himself if he had thumbs. You can see the "please, end it for me now" look in his eyes. Sorry charlie dog, if you go we have to listen.

Answer 2

The depression may not end unless you get rid of the other puppy (which i am not recommended). Some dogs are never the same after getting a second dog. For some, they are actually happier and others are happier being a solo dog. Your dog seems to be one that is happier being a solo dog.

One thing you could do that might help would be to get her involved in something fun or different than usual. I do not know what her temperment is, but if she likes being active, try taking an agility class or get her involved in flyball. The benefit of alone time but also learning something new may brighten her spirits.

I do not know if you are doing this, but another option is to make sure she gets special alone time. Take her for walks by herself or some other activity she enjoyed pre-puppy. This way she gets to bond with just you and gets your individual attention without the other dog trying to get in on the fun.

Hope this helps a little. Best of luck

Answer 3

Maybe he is not depressed, I do not know, but maybe he is jealous of the new puppy. Even if you give the 6 year old dog a lot of attention, you still cannot cancel out any of them because the 6 year old dog will still think you are not paying any attention to her. To answer you question, he may be depressed. If he poops in you house or urinates on the carpet, then that is a sign of jealously from her. For a 6 year old dog to adjust to a new puppy may be harder because your dog is already accustomed to being pampered by you until she sees that there is another dog living in the house. I might think you should of got another puppy earlier because that is a big age difference between the two dogs. I would suggest you to balance your relationship between the dog and the puppy because dogs tend to act like children. The reason is because children also seek attention to the parent by causing trouble or whatever children can do to attract attention. You do not have to get rid of the puppy or the dog but give it some time to let the relationship of the two dog go in a natural state. If things do get out of hand, try to control the situation by separating the two dogs so they it would not result to a physical fight, but let both of them know that both of them are loved equally. Dog act no different than if you are raising children. You feed then and you take care of them which is part of the responsibility of taking care of a pet. Another reason may depend on the likability of other dogs. Some dogs like to be alone with no dogs present which is not a great choice for a pet because the type of dogs with a high temperament may be aggressive or grow jealous of another dog if you have another dog. It depends on what kind of dog you have. The AKC has a plentiful information on the temper-mentality of certain dog breeds. Best wishes to both of your dogs.

Answer 4

I am confused. Did you just get a puppy or have you had the pup for a year, because first you said that you just got a puppy then before you finish your sentence you said that you've had him for almost a year; that is not just having got him. If you had literally just gotten the puppy I would think that she was worried that you were planning on getting rid of her but when you said that the 2 dogs had been together for almost a year, I don't have the foggiest idea what is the matter with your dog. Ask you vet about a pet shrink, maybe they can figure out what is the matter with your dog.

Answer 5

You might take your dog to the vet for a checkup. Sudden changes in behavior can be due to medical issues.

Has your dog been depressed since you got the puppy? If the vet says your dog is healthy, and the depression came with the puppy, then look at how you treat them. Let's face it, not every two dogs get along perfectly, any more than every two humans. If your puppy is allowed to pester your older dog constantly, what fun is that for your dog? You might try separating them for a bit every day, for example, one person takes the older dog into a room and cuddles on the bed while reading for an hour while someone else plays with the puppy until the puppy is tired.

We had trouble introducing our puppy (now almost 2) to our older dog (who just turned 7). We lost our senior dog just when the puppy arrived, and our other dog wanted nothing to do with this hopping, energetic stranger.

We found separating them helped. My husband took the puppy with him on drives while I spent time with our other dog (or the reverse). Soon, we found our older dog looking around for the puppy - she didn't want him underfoot, but wanted to know where he was.

We make our dogs sit and wait while putting down food dishes, and made sure the puppy didn't pester the older dog while she ate. If the puppy was too rambunctious with the older dog, we took him into another room (or outside) for play-and-obedience-training, tired him out a bit, then brought him back in. In time, our older dog started doing the same for us - she'd play with the puppy and tire him out while we were sick, then let him come in with her.

We also started training sessions (obedience, tricks) so both dogs interacted with each other, and us, in a controlled way, and got treats for good behavior - the older dog loves her treats, so by having training sessions at the same time as the puppy, she started associating having him around with getting treats.

If your older dog is healthy, then look at how you manage the intereaction between the two dogs. If puppy is allowed to pester your older dog mercilessly, then no wonder the older dog isn't too psyched up about the puppy!

Answer 6

You must give the older dog more attention because if you were it may not be depressed. l add a new dog to my life and l never had that problem with the dogs that were here. l really let the other dogs train it to go out side and they play together after awhile. l just paid all my attention to my pets that were here. then the new one try to get attention from the other dogs

Answer 7

Try spending some time alone with her, such as taking the older dog for a walk without the new puppy. You may also want to re-enforce the older dog's status by making sure she gets fed first, given a treat first, the first pat when you come home, etc.

Answer 8

Try taking them out to a dog park or the beach with one another. Maybe that interaction will help her mood a little, and she'll also develop a better relationship with the puppy. She'll also realize that the puppy is there to be her friend, not to take you away from her.

If all else fails, you could always try a dog whisperer.

Answer 9

The best thing to do would be to take your dog to a veterinarian, there are a whole host of reasons your dog could seem depressed, and illness is a very distinct possibility, get her checked out by a vet who will be able to give you more advice if it is not something they can sort out themselves.

Answer 10

Dogs can be depressed just like people. Your vet can assess your dog and prescribe antidepressant medication, offer suggestions for adapting his routine or refer you to a pet psychologist. There also may a physical problem that you're not aware of. You can't go wrong with tons of love & attention....

Answer 11

You might not be able to get her out of her depression unless you get rid of the other dog. It sounds like you had her for quite a while before introducing her to sharing you with another and she just may be a one pet dog.