doggie doldrums

Question

sad dog   QUESTION: I have a 2 year old golden and a 9 month old riley the 2 yr and emma the 9 mon Riley has been  less active and not as playful as he used to be just in the last 6 weeks or so nothing earth shattering .riley has on accasion  eats grass or dirt and will get an upset belly and vomit but about 3 weeks ago he vomited 3 times in one week and had some loose stools.hes fine now he was to the vet 2 months ago for heart worm and lyme tested neg.he eats and drinks fine but he lays around most of the time.Emma used to keep him moving and he liked it at first but sometimes he looks sad.I dont know how to read him ive checked his tummy by rubbing,and his legs ,hips,by gently moving them he doesnt seem to have any pain.also he is mounting emma and hes nuetered at 3 1/2 mon and emma is spayed and she mounts him .whats with that do my dog have gender issues.lol emma is so happy all the time and riley seems like a serious old soul.what could it be it hurts me so much to see him so sad at times.Im with them 24/7 and give equal attention to both .my husband say they are my babies and they are .my life is all about them so lack of attention isnt the problem they have 3/4 acre yard ,to run and play Riley goes out and pee then sits or lays inthe grass,but now again he will just out of the blue get up start running around the yard like hes in a race sprinting til he drops.im lost.let me know what you think.Ill be waiting to hear,thanks    Linda   riley left & emma

ANSWER: I apologize for making you wait such a long time before I could answer.

This week has been extremely hectic, and I wasn't able to give this question enough thought to provide the right answer.

However, I have been over it several times now. A very interesting situation!

Concerning the dogs mounting one another, this is as often a display of dominance as it is sexual. Male dogs will mount other males, and females to females. In these cases, it's not sexual behavior at all, it's a way of trying to enforce their "alpha" status.
In any case, you need to be alpha at all times.
There may be some kind of "pack role" confusion.
When your pets understand that you are the leader, their general behavior will improve and their attitudes toward eachother as well.
To define that you ARE the alpha, you should practice it everyday.
Don't let your dogs go through doors until you are through. If they are lying on the floor and you're walking past, you should make them move--instead of walking around them. Don't feed them until you're finished eating--the pack never eats before the leader.
If your dogs don't respect your space, or if they're constantly in your face and leaning on you, it probably means they think they're highest pack member. In the animal kingdom space is respect, and if they are not giving you space they're not showing respect. In a wolf pack, if a lower member were to do that to a leader, they would get bit.

Concerning Riley eating grass, I would suggest, that you take him in for a examination. Any kind of sudden behavior change can be a sign of some underlying medical problem, and usually dogs eat grass because they have a upset stomach, and grass induces vomiting. What dogs don't understand is that 75% of the time, the problem isn't from their stomach, so that never really takes the pain away. A vet trip is always a good idea, to rule out the possibility of a ailment.

A new pup can be stressful on any dog of any age..Riley sounds like he needs a little break.
Emma, being a pup, is probably active and full of energy to burn! And if Riley isn't feeling so well he doesn't feel like being constantly pushed and nagged.

I don't know what your financial status is, but if you can afford it, it may also be beneficial to give Riley a short break.. by putting Emma at a pet "daycare" or boarding her somewhere, you could give Riley some one-on-one time and see if he doesn't cheer up.
If his behavior does change significantly, it could mean he's not dealing very well with the new addition to the family, and Emma is just generally stressing him out.

I hope you can spot the problem! It would be great if you could write a followup once Riley has a checkup/or has had a break.
SC

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------


puppylove   QUESTION: hi it linda, again I had Riley to the vet last month soon as I became aware that something didnt seem right with Riley,he had bloodwork and the vet gave him physical,she said he was a ok.Every morn I get up at 5 am feed the dogs first only because thats the scheduale they were on when I was working I had to be in work at 7 am so things had to be done around my time frame but now after the eat, got out to do their buisness i go with and play ball for 5 minets then the come in play togher inthe family room which I can see from my kitchen,get my husband out to work then it 730 am and they go for a second potty run by 8am emma goes in her crate for 1 to 2 hours so I do spend time with just riley either we play in the yard ,go for a walk ,or I brush him and give him belly rubs.he usualy has two breaks a day from her in the am and late afternoon while im preparing dinner.emma has been in our family now since oct of last year he loves to play with her ,he look fpr her soon as he gets up where one goes the other goes .they sleep together why after all this time is he bothered by her,he was always a sad looking dog even as a pup I always said he a very old soul.but may 28 riley will be 2 that is one reason I wanted to get emma I thought he wanted a playmate and she all that and more to him I realy think he would be lost without her.I wouldnt put Emma in day care even if I could afford it ,It would make her feel left out ,or like I was sending her away.silly as this sounds if my 2 children were have issues I wouldnt send one of them to day care and keep one home it would break my heart.you may be right Riley may feel a little jealous but it doesnt seem that way ,and I guess I could understand,but they both get an exubarant amount of affection ,love play time.I love them both so much they will have to adapt some how.you can see they are always togetherif emma doesnt go to him ,he goes to her.

Answer
All things considered... Riley is in good health. He does prefer the company of Emma(?). He gets "playtime" alone..
It's very possible that Riley is just hitting his calm stage.
Every golden does it, along with all the labs and border collies, even. I would assume that a calm patch would be around 4 years old or so.. but if Riley is hitting his "calmer" age, meaning he begins to experience maturity and calms down, forgetting his puppy-like stage, you will probably notice\have noticed;
- Not acting clumsy or bumping into anything in the house
- Not being excited over every little thing, or
- Not chasing all the birds or bunnies in the yard
etc etc!

If you don't think this is the case, you might consider that Riley is experiencing mild depression.
To educate yourself on canine depression, I suggest you read these articles...as well as searching the web for more info about depression.

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art58372.asp

and

http://www.ehow.com/how_2034691_treat-dogs-depression.html