mournig

Question
My 10 year old Rottwieler Bella died in her sleep a few days ago.My 8 year old male Czar( Bella son )has never been without her. I know the sadness I feel from missing her so much. What can i do for Czar? to help him adjust. today was the first day he ate he looks for her. We are giving lots of love & affection

Answer
I know how sad this is for both of you.  I'm old enough that I've lost several of the best companions anyone could ask for, and I also have a multiple dog household.  One of our dogs died at home, and I know that it helped my other dogs to actually know what happened.  When I've had to opt for euthanasia, the other dogs did "look" for the deceased dog for a few days.  I'm normally very scientific, but I have found that sitting with the dog and "explaining" what happened, and where YOU think the other dog is, seems to help.  I'm not saying that dogs understand English, mind you, except the words they associate with certain occurrences in their daily lives, but I do think they "get" something from the tone of voice that happens as we explain.  I think they are comforted by the sense that we are in charge, too.  So, as weird as it may sound, talk to your remaining dog and continue to provide love and affection.  Most dogs are themselves again in a relatively short time - part of their survival mechanism I suspect.  I'm sorry for your loss and hope Czar is soon enjoying life again.  Once he seems to be coming out of it, you might want to think about providing some training activity.  Take a refresher obedience class, or take up agility training.  That helps him rely more on you - after all, the dog he relied upon is gone, so you taking up the slack in a constructive way might help him a lot.