My dog is depressed and fighting with a new dog. What should I do?

Adding a new pet to the house is often stressful for the existing pet. I would make sure you continue to provide her with plenty of love and attention. Do not force her to interact with the new dog, and let her hide from it as that is how she is dealing with the stress. She will adjust to the dog over time, but if she starts shows signs of aggression to you or the dog, some behavioral modifications will have to be done as she isn't adjusting well. Give her treats, play with her, and continue to show the same amount of love and attention you had given her previously so she doesn't feel replaced.

I am sorry things are getting rough, when one dog leaves the house it can take some time to readjust and find a new balance. You may need to separate them all for a bit of time. You could try distracting them with toys in different areas of the house. You could try calming pheromones: https://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=32889&cmpid=sc Make sure they are getting plenty of exercise to wear themselves down during the day.

Dogs have anxiety and stress just like we do. Give her time, lots of attention, and she should adjust just fine. In severe cases of anxiety I use anti-anxiety medications off-label like Lorazepam that you can get from your veterinarian.

Poor Bella Boo! She definitely could be depressed due to the change in the household. Dogs also can feel our stress. You can try to put a calming collar on her like adaptil. If this isn’t working or if she gets worse, I would have your vet look at her to be safe. Your vet will be able to ensure nothing else is wrong like pain or an infection somewhere. If everything checks out normal, your vet can prescribe her an anti-anxiety to help her adjust. I hope this helps!

I'm sorry to hear about the loss of your pup. Depression and mourning are very normal in dogs, especially after the loss of a close companion. It may be that Aysha needs some more time to mourn, and some extra attention, care and loving would help. Sticking to a schedule can also help her return to a more normal routine. If she is still having lots of issues, speaking with a local vet or veterinary behaviorist to see if medication would be helpful may also be beneficial for her.

I'm sorry to hear that things aren't going well with your new dog. Unfortunately, it sounds like this may not be a good match - just like humans, some dogs have very different personalities and may simply not get along. If you want to try keeping both dogs, I would really recommend getting in touch with a veterinary behaviorist who can evaluate the dogs in person to give you a better idea of whether this is a fixable issue - if so, he/she can help you put together a detailed step-by-step plan to work on the problem. You can search for a behaviorist in your area here: www.dacvb.org In the meantime, I would recommend keeping your older dog on a leash or physically separated from the other dog with a baby gate or other barrier. This will allow the younger dog to relax a bit without being harassed. If things go well like this for a few days, you can gradually allow short periods of contact between them. Reward both dogs when they are together, and particularly praise and reward your older dog for calm behavior around the new dog. You may also want to try a DAP pheromone collar on both dogs, along with a natural calming supplement such as Zylkene or Composure for your older dog to see if this helps a bit.

I am so sorry for all that you guys are going through! Such stress is hard on everyone, regardless of 2 legs or 4. However, the difference is, you KNOW why you're stressed and why you're moving and why everything is in upheaval, and all Matel knows is that every thing changed and her people seem upset. The most important thing is to make sure that her needs continue to be reliably met-- food offered at the same time, water always available, maybe a routine daily walk stays intact. Additionally, make time to do things she likes to do... play with her and her toys, try to get her playing, etc. This is good stress relief for everyone; if she sees you and your wife having fun and trying to engage her, that will reassure her that, "oh, its going to be ok. They are ok!" As things settle down, she will likely come around to her old self. There are medications that can be helpful for dogs, though usually dogs don't develop clinical depression the way that people do. These drugs in dogs tend to be more helpful for anxiety. However, if she's not coming around, talk to your vet about trying medication. Massage can also be helpful, soothing, and can promote good feelings and bonding. Here's a great video about canine massage. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tghk42R0QHU&t=9s I'm so glad you guys are safe. Best wishes to you all! Thank you for asking PetCoach!