Posted: Wed Aug 22, 2007 8:07 am Post subject: Worried about Jack - could he have depression?
Since we moved, Jack has not been the same, he mooches about, he very rarely lays in the living room with us at night choosing to lay in the hallway or in the office at the other end of the house.
He adores his walks and brightens up when we go out, get the ball out and he's there!
AS soon as we come home his ears are down and he takes himself off into his corner, and nothing seems to entice him.
He used to sleep upstairs with us, and would come up first thing to waks us up, now we don't even get that anymore and it upsets me.
The other thing is Maia has become more grouchy with him and will not let him walk past her, also she has decided that in the middle of the night she will pee in the kitchen (since we moved in) and then come up and sleep with us!
Last night I managed to encourage him to come upstairs to bed, although he chose to sleep in the spare room, he had a look of 'I shouldn't be here' on his face, I was stroking him and when I went to stroke his chest he growled at me and went to get off, I told him sternly that this wasn't acceptable and stroked him again, he growled again and laid down, not wanting to be stroked as he was cowering head down.
Its awful, I want Jack back, could it be his age, pain related, Maia and her dominance related?
There were dogs in this house previously as the previous owner bred Golden Retrievers.
Can someone help me understand whats going on?
Natalie and a very depressed Jack
____________ Natalie x
LAB LINK RESCUE Co ordinator and Forum Administrator for my sins
Jack, Molly & Maia, watched over by Tara Banana from the Bridge
Poor you Nat, could be that Jack`s still not properly settled in the new house yet and he and Maia are sorting out who`s in charge between them in the new place, its an upheavel for them both specially if they`d been in the other house all their lives (in Jacks case anyway).
I`d leave them for a while to sort themselves out and hopefully Jack will decide he wants to get back on your bed at night.
It might also be worth a trip to the vets just in case Jack has a problem and is in pain.
I do hope he perks up soon, can imagine how upsetting it must be for you, I know I`d feel the same if it was CJ or Cindy doing it to me
Aw massive hugs to you and the woofs Nat. Its horrible when your loved ones change and you dont know what to do - if only they spoke eh? I would definately take a trip up the vets if its been a while, although I would say he is missing his old stomping ground.
awwwww poor Jack.... it doesn't sound as though either of your furbabies have settled in properly. But I agree with the others, maybe a trip to, or at least a conversation with the vet might be in order just to rule out anything else.
Can he still smell the other dogs that used to be there ? Don't laugh, but could it be the house he does not like........ I went on holiday with my parents a few years ago down to Devon, and we stayed in a farm cottage holiday let, and my mum's dogs would not go in the living room, it was as if they were scared of something, and they kept barking at something. They sleep upstairs with my mum and they would run through the living room with their tails between their legs until they were upstairs and then they were fine.
Hope you get it sorted soon Nat. As Sonia said, I really do wish they could speak to us sometimes and tell us what their worries and pains are.
I think that's a lot to do with it Tammy, for the fist month or so he sat looking at the front door!
How do I get him to love the house as much as we do?
____________ Natalie x
LAB LINK RESCUE Co ordinator and Forum Administrator for my sins
Jack, Molly & Maia, watched over by Tara Banana from the Bridge
aw Nat it's really worrying you...could you try playing on the floor with him upstairs, lots of silly fun games hiding tasty nibbles around to make him feel more comfy? Also, spending more time up there with him during the day might help, letting him up on beds, have a good sniff around, etc.? You've probably done all this already, it's just a thought. Good luck, and hope Jack's back to his normal self soon.
Lindsey, Rolo & Kimmy XXX
Last edited by lassie on Wed Aug 22, 2007 9:20 am; edited 1 time in total
Do you let Jack and Maia wander about as they please Nat?, as they are allowed upstairs I`m guessing you do, could be that the scent of the last owners GR`s is still there and if she bred them then Jack may feel there`s a dog about thats superior to him.
I`d try and encourage him to go all over the house with you when your cleaning etc, as Lindsey said use lots of his favourite treats and spread them about for him to find, hopefully he`ll come round to being as happy in the new house as you are
Are the floors carpeting Nat ? It may mean washing all the carpets or even replacing them in the hope it would get rid of all the previous GR smells.
Where are the dogs left when you go to work ? Is Jack ok in this room ? I think as others have said it might mean spending a lot of time with him in one room at a time playing lots of games, feeding him in there, giving him lots of good attention, and hopefully he will come round to loving the house as much as you do.
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum You cannot attach files in this forum You cannot download files in this forum
no idea Nat but hope he is feeling himself soon xxx
