Dog mourning?

[Night Elf]

My dachshund, Marley, didn't seem to be affected when my beagle died in November. Marley is way attached to me and wasn't really close to Bandit that I ever saw. He stays on me all the time and follows me from room to room. The only behavior that has changed is how he acts outside. The door opens onto the deck and steps lead down to the grass. When Bandit was alive, they'd both go into the grass to wander around and explore, especially on super nice days like today. However, Marley has always preferred doing his business on my deck and not in the yard. Now that Bandit is gone, I can't get him out into the grass at all. I put him out there today and he stood there for about 15 seconds just staring at me and then went back up the steps to the deck. Why won't he go into the grass anymore? If it's mourning, will he ever get over it? I can't talk DH into getting another dog yet. He's just not ready.

[bettyandbob]

You've probably tried this. Do you go out with him. Can you stay out with him.

 

He probably is mourning. He's probably also just lonely because he always had a buddy before.

 

Not what you want to hear: my godmother is kind of dog expert. She believes having 3 dogs of different ages at all times is important. Then mourning and adjustment to new friends is done with a buddy.

 

* I only have one dog and have never had more than one. So mine doesn't know any better. He does mourn my DD presence. When she left for college he would stay by the door and back at night when he thought she should be home. When she comes home for short visits he gets antsy when luggage is piled by the front door-- he knows that's a sign someone is leaving.

[Night Elf]

I do go out with him. He's terrible on the leash so I rarely take him for an actual walk. I have no experience training dogs and I gave up after a while. When it's nice like this I like to sit out on the deck and read while he explores. I'm not feeling well today though so I only walked out into the yard with him. I was going to sit on the steps for a few minutes but he just walked past me to get back up the steps.

[Ausmumof3]

My dachshund, Marley, didn't seem to be affected when my beagle died in November. Marley is way attached to me and wasn't really close to Bandit that I ever saw. He stays on me all the time and follows me from room to room. The only behavior that has changed is how he acts outside. The door opens onto the deck and steps lead down to the grass. When Bandit was alive, they'd both go into the grass to wander around and explore, especially on super nice days like today. However, Marley has always preferred doing his business on my deck and not in the yard. Now that Bandit is gone, I can't get him out into the grass at all. I put him out there today and he stood there for about 15 seconds just staring at me and then went back up the steps to the deck. Why won't he go into the grass anymore? If it's mourning, will he ever get over it? I can't talk DH into getting another dog yet. He's just not ready.

You seriously had a beagle called Bandit? I had a Beagle called Bandit. She was the nicest dog I've ever owned. 😢 I'm sorry for the loss of your lovely dog?

 

I wonder if your dog has somehow associated the grass with the death and developed a fear of it?

[Pawz4me]

I doubt that it's mourning.

 

From your description it sounds like he's a fearful, nervous kind of dog and I suspect that's what's making him not want to go on the grass.

 

How old is he?

 

What I would do (which may not be what you want to do since you say you're not good at training) would be to start teaching him all sorts of things.

 

First thing I'd do is teach him to walk on a leash, and I'd start that by hooking him up and walking around the yard with him. A rather boring yard (from the dog's perspective--he's seen it and smelled it all already) is the perfect place to work on leash training. And in your case it solves two problems -- it gets him out in the grass to do his business and it's a baby step to learning to walk nicely on a leash. If he's food motivated provide ample (tiny) treats when he does his business in the grass.

 

And I'd work on teaching basics like sit, down and stay. And then I'd work on any kind of trick training I could think of (there are books with ideas).

 

You don't have to be perfect. Make it fun for both of you. Keep your sense of humor and he'll enjoy it.

 

Anything he learns will boost his confidence, which is a good thing whether his behavior is due to having a fearful personality or whether it's due to mourning. Learning things boosts a dog's confidence. Keeping his brain active will help if it's mourning. Win win.

 

ETA: Since he's a doxie I'd play some "hide and seek" games with him, hiding items underneath things so he has to "dig" (in some fashion) to find them. Doxies are smart dogs and are bred to dig into burrows hunting small critters. I'd put that instinct to work to get his mind exercised and engaged. You can hide a treat under a plastic container or cardboard box that he has to tip over to get to the treat, under a towel or some dirty clothes, under a rug, just barely underneath a piece of furniture and lots of other places. I'd get his brain and body engaged in as much activity as possible.

Edited February 26, 2017 by Pawz4me

[Night Elf]

He's 8 but hasn't ever acted fearful. What does that look like? He never had a problem going in the grass when Bandit was alive. They'd spend a long time out there wandering around. She died in the winter though, so I don't know if he's cutting his time outside short because he's cold or because he's missing her. His sweater doesn't cover his legs or paws. And he's not refusing to go outside at all, even without me. He just prefers to stay on the deck, do his business, and get back inside.

 

Yesterday I sat outside with him again. I took him into the grass and set him down, then I went back and sat on the steps. He walked around for about 10 minutes I guess which was progress. When the weather is nice, I sit outside and read while the dogs play. Since she died in the winter, I haven't tried that. We'll see how it is in spring. But we may have a second dog by then.

 

He does love to burrow. He spends hours under his blanket every day. He's so cute!

[Pawz4me]

He's 8 but hasn't ever acted fearful. What does that look like? He never had a problem going in the grass when Bandit was alive. They'd spend a long time out there wandering around. She died in the winter though, so I don't know if he's cutting his time outside short because he's cold or because he's missing her. His sweater doesn't cover his legs or paws. And he's not refusing to go outside at all, even without me. He just prefers to stay on the deck, do his business, and get back inside.

 

Yesterday I sat outside with him again. I took him into the grass and set him down, then I went back and sat on the steps. He walked around for about 10 minutes I guess which was progress. When the weather is nice, I sit outside and read while the dogs play. Since she died in the winter, I haven't tried that. We'll see how it is in spring. But we may have a second dog by then.

 

He does love to burrow. He spends hours under his blanket every day. He's so cute!

 

It can look like a lot of things. Like not wanting to go out on the grass w/o a companion and as you said in your first post wanting to stay on you and constantly following you from room to room. Sometimes those latter two are just signs of a velcro dog who really loves his person, but they could also indicate a certain level of fearfulness. They made my radar go up.

 

ETA: And many, many times behavior that seems aggressive is really fear based. Clueless dog owners want to attribute any sign of aggression to wanting to be "alpha" but more often than not it's due to fear. Which is pretty much the total opposite of the confidence an "alpha" dog would have. (I put the word in quotes because I dislike it immensely due to all the myths that surround it and IMO it's almost always used incorrectly.)

Edited February 26, 2017 by Pawz4me

[Night Elf]

It can look like a lot of things. Like not wanting to go out on the grass w/o a companion and as you said in your first post wanting to stay on you and constantly following you from room to room. Sometimes those latter two are just signs of a velcro dog who really loves his person, but they could also indicate a certain level of fearfulness. They made my radar go up.

 

ETA: And many, many times behavior that seems aggressive is really fear based. Clueless dog owners want to attribute any sign of aggression to wanting to be "alpha" but more often than not it's due to fear. Which is pretty much the total opposite of the confidence an "alpha" dog would have. (I put the word in quotes because I dislike it immensely due to all the myths that surround it and IMO it's almost always used incorrectly.)

 

My two cats also stayed with me all the time and followed me around. I just think that's being attached to me, not fearful. My dog was attached to me even when my other dog was alive. It's his personality. My vet said it's totally normal for a dachshund. And to be perfectly honest, it makes sense. I spend a great deal of my day on the sofa. He's just hanging out with me. He does follow me to the back of the house when I go to do laundry or go to the bathroom. If I'm not home, he likes to sit on the sofa with my DH. And when my dd is home, he sits with her. I think he just likes being with people. He's more attached to us than he ever was with our other dog.

 

The grass thing is strange, but now I'm just thinking he's avoiding the cold by wanting to be outside as little as possible. I took him out again today and sat for a while and he stayed in the grass. It's another really nice day today. I may have spoken too soon. He might be fine. As I remember, I don't recall him wanting to stay outside a long time during any other winter either. And forget snow! He looks at me like I'm crazy when he goes outside and there's snow or ice on the deck. But we get snow like once a year for 2-3 days so it's no big deal.