Have Your Dogs Become Upset

[LaFlaca]

We gave my MIL an adorable little terrier-mix for Mother's Day. Of course, little Linda is now part of the family and comes along with MIL when she visits. Linda (terrier-mix) and Wendy (my grey) get along well, not the best of friends yet, but they respect each other. Wendy, however, seems to become sad and and withdrawn for a couple of days after Linda visits even skipping a meal. Am I anthropomorphizing? Have any of you experienced this type of houndie poopie-face behavior after adding a new pack member?

 

 

[Guest sheila]

I'm sure you know what the answer is going to be. Sounds like Wendy wants another canine companion that lives with her. Is that a possibility?

[GeorgeofNE]

I don't think a dog that doesn't even live with you counts as a "pack member."

 

My bet is your greyhound misses the little dog when it leaves! So the "poopie-faced" behavior may actually be a touch of sadness! Is she an only hound?

[LaFlaca]

She is an only hound. But, I really did not express myself correctly... the poopie-face begins when Linda arrives and can last a day or so after she leaves. It's as if Wendy is jealous or sad that she's no longer the only dog.

[Guest june]

Is she still getting the attention she is used to when the other dog visits? Maybe make a big fuss over her when the other dog visits and extra treats. Make it a good experience for her. Other than that I don't know what else you should do.

[JJNg]

Some dogs are particularly sensitive to changes in their routine, and having another dog around may be stressful, especially since she's used to being an only dog. Stress can cause withdrawn behavior and decreased appetite. If she gets along ok with Linda, its probably not that Wendy dislikes or is jealous of her. Hopefully with time, she'll become more accustomed to Linda's visits and it won't affect her as much.

 

Linda's behavior reminds me of one of my friend's greyhounds - a sensitive little girl named Addie. My friend sometimes watches my dogs when I'm out of town, and when my guys are at their house, Addie enjoys playing with them, but after a couple days, she gets a little stressed by the extra dogs and activity. She becomes withdrawn and will spend a lot of time hiding in the walk-in closet which is her safe place. It usually takes her a couple days to recover after things get back to normal.

[LaFlaca]

Is she still getting the attention she is used to when the other dog visits? Maybe make a big fuss over her when the other dog visits and extra treats. Make it a good experience for her. Other than that I don't know what else you should do.

 

Yes, as soon as we noticed the withdrawn behavior we have made it a point to give the girls equal attention and not to fuss too much over Linda. We give them both treats and play with both together.

[LaFlaca]

"Some dogs are particularly sensitive to changes in their routine, and having another dog around may be stressful, especially since she's used to being an only dog. Stress can cause withdrawn behavior and decreased appetite. If she gets along ok with Linda, its probably not that Wendy dislikes or is jealous of her. Hopefully with time, she'll become more accustomed to Linda's visits and it won't affect her as much". This is what I'm hoping.

 

'Linda's behavior reminds me of one of my friend's greyhounds - a sensitive little girl named Addie. My friend sometimes watches my dogs when I'm out of town, and when my guys are at their house, Addie enjoys playing with them, but after a couple days, she gets a little stressed by the extra dogs and activity. She becomes withdrawn and will spend a lot of time hiding in the walk-in closet which is her safe place. It usually takes her a couple days to recover after things get back to normal'. This sounds exactly like what's going on with Wendy. I wonder (and fear, a bit) that if/when we decide to "chip" she may not be very happy about the new addition. Having said that, Linda (MIL's dog) is not a Greyhound and perhaps Wendy would feel more at ease with another grey.

 

[Hubcitypam]

I'm no help. My dogs have become so bulletproof over the years they just yawn and say "another one?"

...except for the Terrorist.and he's always glad when any other doggle leaves.

 

 

[LaFlaca]

I'm no help. My dogs have become so bulletproof over the years they just yawn and say "another one?"

...except for the Terrorist.and he's always glad when any other doggle leaves.

 

 

 

 

 

:lol

[Guest FastDogsOwnMe]

Mine barely get up and greet new dogs, they're so used to it, but every dog/pack is different.

[Guest tinams8]

We had a rather rambunctious standard poodle stay with us for a week and my dogs were clearly annoyed after a few days. Or maybe I was annoyed and I'm anthropomorphizing.

 

Some dogs are more sensitive than others. It seems a little odd that it would go on after the dog has left, but maybe it is the change in routine in general.

[JJNg]

This sounds exactly like what's going on with Wendy. I wonder (and fear, a bit) that if/when we decide to "chip" she may not be very happy about the new addition. Having said that, Linda (MIL's dog) is not a Greyhound and perhaps Wendy would feel more at ease with another grey.

My friend's grey Addie does the same thing even with other greyhounds. They've considered fostering for our group but have been hesitating for this reason. But each dog is an individual, so Wendy may be different. When you're ready for an addition, maybe you could try fostering first and see how she reacts?

 

It seems a little odd that it would go on after the dog has left, but maybe it is the change in routine in general.

This is actually one of the reasons I suspect it may be stress-related, rather than a direct response to the presence of the other dog. Stress causes physiologic and hormonal changes that take some time to return to normal even after the source of the stress is gone.

[Guest RichardUK]

It can depend on the dogs.

 

This was brought home to me very clearly when I went to chose a new addition to the pack when Ben sadly died. As usual I selected six likely candidates to introduce one at a time to Bambi and Beauty in a paddock. Three were rejected out of hand - barking at them to go away. Two were treated with complete indifference simply moving away even when the dogs approached properly.

 

The last an older large brindle dog(not really my choice at all - I wanted a young large black dog) was greeted as an old friend with wagging tails sniffs, play-bows and invitations to chase. He - now named Brian - came home and settled down happily with the pair as though he had shared a home with them forever - sleeping in a pile of three.

 

He wasn't house-trained but that is another story....

Edited May 23, 2011 by RichardUK

[kudzu]

My story is much like Richard's. Had a dog who reacted differently to different dogs, especially those visiting. She was clearly stressed to some degree, greater or lesser depending on the dog. Too many dogs or ones who stayed too long stressed her to the pointing of causing lick granulomas on her toes. She once made one so large the swelling from it looked like an extra toe. Then I found a dog she seemed glad to meet. They were not immediate best friends or playmates but got along off the bat. She showed a bit of stress at the beginning but it was surprisingly minimal. Most of all she seemed curious & a little unsure how to interact with this giant, bouncy, beast. He had a confident, happy nature though. This appeared to greatly reduce her overall stress. That was quite the opposite of her reaction to most other dogs. Funny thing is that I adopted this dog for myself, only after her approval of course. but in the long run he turned out to be the best gift I ever gave her.

 

I have another dog now who stresses over other dogs. We still have fosters & visitors over. My attitude is that she just has to deal with it. May sound cruel or uncaring but we all have things in life, like visitors, that stress us even if it is just a change in routine. I do what I can to minimize that, using these times to help her learn to think of it in a more positive way. However, I cannot remove all stress from her life. In fact, I think doing so would be detrimental in the long run. At some point we will face something very stressful. Better to have learned some coping mechanisms.

 

This little dog is now part of the family. Sounds like you are working on finding ways to make her visits easier for your girl to handle & hopefully even enjoy. Continue working on that & you may someday find her eager & happy to have Linda come visit. Best of luck. Please do not rule out the possibility of adding another hound. Many of us have found good matches for our, um, quirkier resident hounds.

Edited May 23, 2011 by kudzu

[vsrenard]

My sister has a little dog (dachsund/terrier mix) and my two greys are always put out when they have to interact. He is a humper so that never goes well with my girls. Zola growls and snaps outright, and Brin just hides. It has not gotten better over the years. In fact, I don't think my dogs have so much fun at my sister's anymore, they look sad when they are there, and relieved when it's time to go.

 

But, I figure they can deal so long as there is no violence. Family visits are frequent for us and the dogs are part of the family.

[LaFlaca]

But, I figure they can deal so long as there is no violence. Family visits are

frequent for us and the dogs are part of the family.

 

 

Yes, I've arrived at this decision as well. Linda (MIL's dog) was with us all day Saturday. Wendy had a boo-boo face all day Saturday and most of Sunday. By late afternoon on Sunday, she was back to her bouncy, happy self. I guess she'll have to learn to deal, 'cause little Linda is here to stay and MIL visits frequently and Linda always comes with.