My Mum says my dog is 'depressed' and 'needs a friend' ... what do you think?

[Indecisivelurcher]

My mum reckons my dog's 'depressed' and 'needs a friend'. Ddog is 12 year old lurcher, greyhound mix. My mum recently looked after him for a week while I was on holiday. She's got 2 dogs of her own and my dog had a great time playing with hers. She's got a big garden and dog flap into the house, so mine was in and out like a yo yo. When she brought him back home to us, he was dragging behind not wanting to come.

I can see what my Mum means, at home ddog is very quiet. However, it's not feasible for me to get another dog right now. We have primary school aged kids so dogs are less of a focus for me than before. I wouldn't be able to put the time in to training. It also wouldn't be fair on dcat who is 16 and diabetic, so in managed decline really. Are there any other suggestions how I could add some interest to ddogs life?

Ddog gets 1 walk a day, at lunch time. It's not super long, I would say 45 minutes, but we do go to varied locations for a mix of off lead and sniffy streets. I work from home so he's got company all day. He doesn't have chews because he's not got many teeth! He's spends most of the day asleep in his bed.

1 walk a day? No wonder dog’s depressed.

He’d probably like more play dates with your Mum’s dogs but he could be completely different with a dog that comes into your home and ………stays forever.

I personally think ideally yeah, a lot of animals do better with company, like we do! of their own species preferably;y, even chickens do! But failing that then you need to do more playdates, I know it sounds silly but really he needs company every day and more than a 45 minute walk. you have to think about htwese things with a pet, they're not just company for us :)

I would try to add a second walk at least, and maybe some regular visits/play dates with your mums dogs.

One 45 min a day doesn't sound ideal really.

I can walk him twice. That's one thing I was wondering about. He doesn't 'ask' to go or seem bothered, but then he's not used to it so not expecting to go.

I wouldn't get another dog. As you said, its not fair on your cat. And although the dog might enjoy having a pal to play with sometimes, he might not appreciate a new dog being there permanently.

How far away is your mum? Is it feasible to take him over there a couple of days a week for some mad play?

I would agree that your dog needs a friend but not necessarily a housemate.

Could you arrange to meet up regularly with a friend who has a dog, and go to an enclosed park for a big run around?
Would your dog enjoy a day a week in daycare to hang out with other dogs?

I'd agree with PP, one 45-minute walk a day isn't enough. He needs to be out a few times a day.

Can you also perhaps get him a bit more stimulated with some games that he can do instead of just dozing in bed? Some puzzle games? Some games of find-the-treats? A Kong or similar?

If you only have one dog then one walk a day isn’t enough, they need a bit more stimulation . How about an extra walk each day? Or else consider a couple of days a week at doggy daycare.

@ChardonnaysBeastlyCat tell me you don’t know much about sighthounds without telling me you don’t know much about sighthounds! They are usually fine with one walk a day, they are generally pretty lazy.

@Indecisivelurcher I don’t think there’s a massive problem to be solved here, and I certainly don’t think that the answer is another dog. See if you can find people locally who have dogs for yours to mix with from time to time (post on local social media), or if your mum is local enough see if she will have him occasionally for playtime. You could also look at canine enrichment activities to give him something to do - there’s something suitable for every type of dog, just have a google. But on the whole I would say don’t worry about it; I have a greyhound and he’s fine to mix with other dogs when the opportunity presents but also asleep all day at home and very chill otherwise.

He's actually quite stand off ish with other dogs we meet out and about. So I'm not sure about daycare. I'm also at home with him so not really up for the expense. I will speak to my mum to see if I can arrange to meet her more regularly for doggy play dates.

Thanks @theswoot !@theswoot

I used to take him out more. He used to come on runs with me and out on family trips, but we've started leaving him home now as he doesn't seem to enjoy it. He's a typical lurcher, zoomies, then done and sticks himself to my heel. I thought I'd lost him once, every time I turned around, he shuffled round behind me. It was like a comedy sketch.

@Indecisivelurcher this sounds exactly right for a sighthound - and he’s 12 so it’s natural that he slows down a bit more as time goes on. 45 minutes once a day is fine. Mine gets about the same just spread over two walks.

I can easily add a 15 min sniffy walk in to the evening. For enrichment purposes.

At that age my old dog wouldn't have thanked us for adding in a second walk each day. As long as she had enrichment at home she was happy.

Much younger new dog however needs 2 good interesting walks a day. We won't get a second dog, but she has interaction with another dog (or dogs) most weeks. So I would try to take yours for walks with mums dogs or any friends who have dogs. They dog benefit a lot from the interaction. We could never have done that with old dog though as she was highly reactive.

@ChardonnaysBeastlyCat tell me you don’t know much about sighthounds without telling me you don’t know much about sighthounds! They are usually fine with one walk a day, they are generally pretty lazy.

OP says there might be something off. The dog needs more stimulation, lazy or not.

tell me you don’t know much about sighthounds without telling me you don’t know much about sighthounds! They are usually fine with one walk a day, they are generally pretty lazy.

This. We used to foster a rescue greyhound. 45 minutes would have been a marathon for her, and she was only thought to be about 5 years old. She was usually done after 20 minutes and got quite huffy if she wasn't allowed back in the car as soon as she deigned to come back (recall wasn't really her thing) 😀

A second walk might provide some stimulation, but it isn't needed from an exercise point of view for a 12 year old sighthound.

I actually wouldn't get another dog when yours is 12 and getting on in years.

Your dog may have enjoyed the company but that's very different to living with another dog on a permanent basis.

So what I would do is arrange more play dates with your mum's dogs so he can socialise without the pressure of having dogs around permanently.

Thanks all! I've spoken to my mum and arranged that I'll meet up with her for a walk on a Monday, and she'll also pick ddog up from my house for a play date at hers on a Wednesday. So he will see his friends twice a week. I will also look online for any new enrichment toys and get a Kong, as he can't have chews.

Agree. He’s an elderly sighthound. He’s probably losing his sight and or hearing. One walk a day is fine for the vast majority of dogs as long as they get other mental stimulation and enrichment. The more you walk the more you need to. They need their brains working more than their legs.

Dogs do get quieter as they age. It’s normal. If he can have play dates with dogs he knows and likes that’s all the better.

Have a look at a Toppl - he’ll find it easier than a kong and personally I think they are more versatile.

@ChardonnaysBeastlyCat apologies for being sarky in my original post mentioning you. Obviously I don’t know OP’s dog but knowing the breed and its age it doesn’t really seem that unusual for him to be quite happy to play and hare about with other dogs he’s comfortable with and also quite happy to sleep at home all day. A greyhound/lurcher needing more stimulation will usually show this by vocalising, being destructive, not settling and resting etc., the sleeping is very typical content behaviour. Indeed, sighthounds do tend to give off a “depressed” vibe even when they are perfectly happy!

Well, of course a second walk will provide stimulation and not only exercise.

Twi or three short walks are more beneficial for an older dog than one,

If you don't already have one, a licki mat (with natural yoghurt/cream cheese/dog-friendly peanut butter) would be good enrichment for a dog without many teeth!

I too have a sighthound and agree another walk isn't needed at his age, but maybe a bit of extra time outside each day where he can just bimmble around and sniff things. Measure the time not the distance!