separation anxiety?

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Archived Message

separation anxiety?
by Tabby
ORIGINAL MESSAGE:
separation anxiety? My female maltese is in heat. I also have a stud. This is her first heat therefore we do not want to breed her yet. So we've had to send one of them away for a week or two. Since my brother-in-law likes the stud better, my sister took our boy dog, Buddy. We're a little worried that Buddy feels sad or rejected-any advise?

DISCUSSION:

My suggestion is to bring him home. You can keep them apart in different rooms. I had 2 German Shepherds, and when the female was in heat they were in the same house. They minded well too. I would let them out to go potty or to play separately, and as a deterrent she wore special panties with a pad. I would say to just try it, they are pretty small dogs, so you should be able to make it work.
Robin K.

Did you sit Buddy down and explain to him why he had to go visit his aunt & uncle? And that it would only be temporary? Do you call him? Send him cards & letters? (Sorry, I couldn't resist...) Actually, what other choice did you have? I'm sure Buddy will be fine, especially if you packed a few familiar toys, etc. You'd be surprised at how fast these little guys adjust. If your brother-in-law likes him, I'm sure he's playing with him and keeping him entertained. Baxter was about a year old when I had to go out of town on business for a couple of nights. We had never been separated at night before and we had our little routine at mealtime, bedtime, in the morning and so on and I just didn't know how he would survive without me. When I got a chance to call home the first night, I was prepared for my husband to tell me he wasn't eating and was just moping around. He barely knew I was gone, the little #@&#*!!! Seriously, he did just fine. He ate, he slept, he peed, he pooped, he played, all without what I thought was his life support system...me. You'll find sometimes we are emotionally dependent on these little nutballs more than the other way around. He DID go absolutely gaga when I came home two days later, though, which restored my sense of worth. I'm sure Buddy will be fine, but I wouldn't want to be around when he finds out what he missed...
Marie