P3LH
Well-Known Member
Six months ago I would never have imagined posting a thread like this about the football hooligan, pint swilling lout of a young Pembroke corgi. If anything she was too active.
Since unexpectedly losing Cooper, one of our rough collies, a few months ago - she has seemingly lost all motivation for, well - life. As a result she has gained quite a bit of weight (diet rations now!), is what I would deem quite slovenly and inactive, and isn’t at all her usual zesty character.
Disclaimer: I have had her a MOT with the vet. She’s in good health, but has gotten a tad stout. This is more of a ‘head’ thing than health I think.
She would usually spend all of her day flaffing around with Cooper, whether at home or on walks. We still have our eldest rough but he just likes to sleep a lot and potter. As a result I find the corgi Sherman tank spending most of her time lying about the house.
She isn’t that bothered about toys anymore - before she’d play them from morning till night, either by herself, with the others or with people. She doesn’t seem to enjoy walks either - and I have noticed a fitness decline in her from being less active at home, and spending walks pottering now rather than charging about.
I would have previously said she was a very fit little dog. Now she is done after a thirty minute steady walk. No excess energy, before she’d still have been bouncing off the walls.
She was always rather self sufficient and liked toys she could play with alone, or activities - now, not interested. Playing with a human - difficult to motivate for more than a couple of minutes. And I would say she actively looks ‘glum’ (without anthropomorphising too much!) in day to day life.
We have tried lots of different things, ranging from scattering her meals around the garden or in boxes and things so she has to use her brain a bit more, more 1:1 time with playing and training sessions, a mix of walks with the old boy and longer ones alone, new toys, new food, giving her more space, taking her out and about with us more, ‘dog play dates’ (for want of a less cringe term) with friends/relatives dogs of a similar age - and generally none of it seems to make a difference.
We have ensured we are not giving an excess of attention etc to this change of character, thus to ensure we are not reinforcing it. Barring taking her out with us pottering more, we haven’t changed how we are with her.
She remains unmotivated and out of sorts. Does anyone else have any ideas we could try or any ‘proven methods’ as such?
She still waits for Cooper at meal times, to come in from the garden, for me to put collar and lead on for walks etc - again, not anthropomorphising but we go through the winey, eyes darting around scouting out situation through most things that featured the three of them together. I have never quite had a dog not bounce back like this before, even after a few months as it has been now.
Any ideas or suggestions well received. I have bought a few bits of agility equipment (tunnels and weaves) that will come at the end of the week - at this point we’ll try anything.
I’m aware there are probably quite subtle changes as she is now two thus more grown up and less hectic, and I take all this into account but she - she remains simply ‘not right’ and everyone that knows her, comments on it frequently.
Since unexpectedly losing Cooper, one of our rough collies, a few months ago - she has seemingly lost all motivation for, well - life. As a result she has gained quite a bit of weight (diet rations now!), is what I would deem quite slovenly and inactive, and isn’t at all her usual zesty character.
Disclaimer: I have had her a MOT with the vet. She’s in good health, but has gotten a tad stout. This is more of a ‘head’ thing than health I think.
She would usually spend all of her day flaffing around with Cooper, whether at home or on walks. We still have our eldest rough but he just likes to sleep a lot and potter. As a result I find the corgi Sherman tank spending most of her time lying about the house.
She isn’t that bothered about toys anymore - before she’d play them from morning till night, either by herself, with the others or with people. She doesn’t seem to enjoy walks either - and I have noticed a fitness decline in her from being less active at home, and spending walks pottering now rather than charging about.
I would have previously said she was a very fit little dog. Now she is done after a thirty minute steady walk. No excess energy, before she’d still have been bouncing off the walls.
She was always rather self sufficient and liked toys she could play with alone, or activities - now, not interested. Playing with a human - difficult to motivate for more than a couple of minutes. And I would say she actively looks ‘glum’ (without anthropomorphising too much!) in day to day life.
We have tried lots of different things, ranging from scattering her meals around the garden or in boxes and things so she has to use her brain a bit more, more 1:1 time with playing and training sessions, a mix of walks with the old boy and longer ones alone, new toys, new food, giving her more space, taking her out and about with us more, ‘dog play dates’ (for want of a less cringe term) with friends/relatives dogs of a similar age - and generally none of it seems to make a difference.
We have ensured we are not giving an excess of attention etc to this change of character, thus to ensure we are not reinforcing it. Barring taking her out with us pottering more, we haven’t changed how we are with her.
She remains unmotivated and out of sorts. Does anyone else have any ideas we could try or any ‘proven methods’ as such?
She still waits for Cooper at meal times, to come in from the garden, for me to put collar and lead on for walks etc - again, not anthropomorphising but we go through the winey, eyes darting around scouting out situation through most things that featured the three of them together. I have never quite had a dog not bounce back like this before, even after a few months as it has been now.
Any ideas or suggestions well received. I have bought a few bits of agility equipment (tunnels and weaves) that will come at the end of the week - at this point we’ll try anything.
I’m aware there are probably quite subtle changes as she is now two thus more grown up and less hectic, and I take all this into account but she - she remains simply ‘not right’ and everyone that knows her, comments on it frequently.
