She was a problem pup, she had extreme seperation anxiety and had to be medicated with clomicalm for the first 6 months. Behavior training helped but didn't cure her.
What helped her the most was Solitare.
Jackie is roaming the house looking for Solly. You can't say Solly's name in the house without her jumping up. She won't play. She steps off the walk to potty but won't explore the yard. When she comes back in, it's to look for Solly.
I gave her a rawhide chew and she carried it around looking for Solly. It's no good to have it unless her sister knew it too. Jackie is definitely a beta.
So , I'm considering a puppy. I would have preferred to wait a couple of months but if I do I will be losing my other dog to grief.
I've raised puppies before but I've never raised one with an unstable older dog before. Can you raise a good puppy with a crazy older sister?
I need some input from dog lovers.
You might consider getting an calm older dog and a puppy. That might even out her temperament by giving her someone to follow and someone to love on.
Oh boy that is a tough one. Our lab Tasha would have had her feelings hurt if we had gotten one while she was alive. I know I watched her get her feelings hurt when our neighbor (who used to care for her before we moved here) got a new puppy when their dog died.
She sat in the bed of my pick up for months ignoring the new puppy every time I went to visit. She sorta got over it. Yet I didn’t have to train her. Or a new puppy around her.
Sorry about your loss. Best of luck to you. Prayers.
How old is Jackie? Is she intact, or altered?
You might check with a local animal shelter.
Some of them have ‘trial’ periods. That way, you might see how your dog reacts to a ‘new’ dog.
I’m very sorry for your loss. We’ve lost two of our own in the past few years, and it still is very painful.
I think the puppy will help. It certainly won’t hurt. Jackie will probably still miss Solly, but it will help.
I do know many shelters will let you take a dog on trial. Perhaps that would be a good way to find out before you commit.
You don’t live in Washington, DC, do you?
I’ve heard that if you want a dog outside of DC, you should get a friend.
Get another dog of about equal size as. Jackie. Should be male and Alpha, 3 years old or so. The shelters are full of the type dog you need.
ping to your expertise, friend.
I would not get a puppy with a chow mix that was use to your alpha being in charge.
Maybe an older rescue but make sure you can keep them both leashed in the house to make sure your chow is compatible. My gut tells me it will be tough to find her a companion dog. Then again dogs are always impressing me.
Good luck.
The thing I'd worry about is if Jackie would want a replacement while still grieving.
Giving Jackie play time with other dogs on a regular basis will help you see when Jackie's ready for a new companion. He's older now and might be content to be alone.
FWIW, my Chaucer is an orphan who knows how to charm the socks off people and other pups, and loves his one play date a week at the kennel. But in the house, he doesn't want it to be anyone but him and me. Also, if Jackie gets a companion dog he should be part of choosing that new sibling.
I'm sorry for your loss. I've always had rescues, and it's such a special kind of love they give us pet parents.
Most older dogs will accept a puppy of any sex.
However, if you get an older dog, make sure it is a male. You could have some major problems with an older female. Plus, males dogs will almost always back down to the female.
yes! I would get a dog between 6-12 months so it’s past the teething and other terrible stuff :) I would also get a male since your older dog is female.
Go to the shelter and start looking. You can always bring them back if it doesn’t work out but I highly recommend you give it a solid 30 days for them to adjust which I’m certain they will. Especially if they know YOU are the alpha.
God bless you as you go through this; it is always terrible to lose our furbabies.
So sorry for your loss. I had one dog die and my other one grieved herself to death. She died within 6 months of the other. It was so sad the for the remaining dog. She looked all over the yard for her buddy, would not sit in the back seat because that is where Brandy would sit.
I would go to a shelter and get a very calm older dog. Maybe a male and a female pup. Make sure both are altered.
While it’s remotely possible that the older dog will be satisfied with a new puppy as a distraction, it can also go wrong.
In my view, you need to give her more time to adjust before you try that....just sayin..
Dog’s memories are somewhat shorter than humans (actually a lot shorter) so don’t try to associate your grieving process with a dogs adjustment to a change in it’s environment..
The toy idea is good, and you might try changing the dogs routine. Take them out for a walk at a different time to a different place, or anything you can think of to divert attention from old routine.
Maybe try fostering an older dog? See how that goes. I think you can foster with the intent to keep. Not sure though.
Not the same situation, but some similar elements: My rescue Keeshond always HATED other dogs; even at 16, she was a total grouch, went crazy if any dog approached while walking on the leash. CRAZY!
Finally, my friend brought his very mellow old Golden Retriever over. Within an hour, my Kees calmed down with the Golden. The two of them curled up together whenever they got together, like very old friends. AND we could walk on the leash in the park with zero problems even when the Golden wasn’t there. The last year of her life, my Keesie girl became known as the “friendliest dog in the park.”
Soooo, I’m thinking your Jackie girl might benefit from a new older friend. Maybe you know one in your neighborhood/circle of friends who could come over and console her for awhile, maybe an hour a day until her heart mends. Then, get a puppy. I wonder whether a Chow-ish puppy might work.
Blessings to you and Jackie
First, I’m very sorry for your loss.
Similar thing happened with my beloved Kali last summer and our other dog who is a little persnickety. We ended up getting a new puppy within a couple of weeks, both for me and our other dog. It took a couple of months for Chance to accept the new one, but now they’re wonderful together. Chance is a female, i think they have the motherly instincts that take over.
We got a border collie pup and she probably extended the life of our old arthritic German shepherd by a couple of years
Picked a pup with a submissive personality so she is very mellow