Dog Depression: Fact Or Fiction?

Can well-fed, comfortably housed dogs show signs of depression or anxiety? Could these signs actually be indicators of chronic pain, or even chronic boredom?

...For those of us whose morning routine includes head-cradling, nose-kissing and baby-talk, and then that inevitable rock of guilt in the gut as we leave for work. Well, we know there are few loves as profound as a dog's love for his or her human.

And with that love, like many great loves, comes the anguish of perceived betrayal. And retaliation can be vicious.

Read More at ABC News...

Everybody knows, hell hath no wrath like a canine scorned. Aina Hunter, author of the ABC News story, knows first hand:

That first long weekend together, he was a joy. We chased rabbits in the graveyard, explored the urban landscape, lay in bed reading the Sunday paper. He gazed at me while I cooked dinner for two -- chicken and rice -- with enormous, almond-colored eyes. I took a photo when he closed them, long eyelashes fluttering, nostrils flared.

Tuesday morning I left for work. He sat at the door, cocked his head to one side and then the other as I grabbed keys and bag but, to his obvious consternation, not his new leash.

When I returned -- disaster.

My Jamesy had spent the day attempting to dig through the floor in an effort to squeeze beneath the door. The cream-colored carpet was in shreds; my landlady unsympathetic.

So is your dog depressed? Or is he just bored? Some vets recommend "food puzzles", which are:

Rubber dog toys in which you stuff dry food or treats. The simplest versions look like hand grenades, with a hole at the top. Others resemble preschool toys, and will take a smart dog hours to figure out.

Failing that, if your the root of your dog's issues is boredom, why don't you set him up with a blog? Come on, everybody's doing it!

Or, perhaps all your dog needs is a little spiritual guidance. Put him in touch with this little guy, he'll be sure to show your pooch how its done.

Or maybe your dog is just so blissfully happy, so contentedly calm, that he just seems depressed. Read all about the dao of your dog here.

The best answer for all your dog problems (and your waistline) is exercise, exercise, exercise! And if your poor pup is disabled or paralyzed, keep him moving with a doggy wheelchair.

What is your worst dog story? How do you keep your puppy pal happy? Would you ever give your dog anti-depressants? Tell us your thoughts below.

Comments

[nastyvirus]

Your dog is depressed that you are staring at it wondering if it is depressed.

[alguien]

when i first got my german shepherd (i took her in off the street after she had basically shown up on my doorstep) she destroyed my rice paper blinds very early on when i went out for a saturday night with friend. when i got home i was angry and went through this whole routine of not even wanting to look at her-she kept trying to grab my attention in various ways but i just kept turning away from her. i kept this up for about 10 minutes and, so far, she's never again torn up my window blinds in the 5 years i've had her. the kitchen garbage was a different story and it got to the point that she was expecting me to be mad at her when i came home from work because there was trash everywhere. the solution? a larger, heavier kitchen pail that is a lot more difficult to tip over.

since then she's actually lifted the lid a couple of times, taken stuff out & closed it again but no outright tipovers. i was given a second dog about 3 months ago and he actually prefers to be cooped up in the house all day. i have a doggy door so my 2 dogs & 2 cats can run in and out of the house all day long but pucci simply prefers to hang out on the couch the entire time.

[gcallaghan]

How about not leaving the dog alone all day in a cramped apartment? How would you like it if you knew you had to hold your bladder for the next 9+ hours? Some situations don't lend themselves to owning a dog.

[cinemaven]

There are dogs who are happy to be left alone all day.

I have a friend with a Japanese Chin who is alone while she works. The dog is litter box trained and very happy since it sleeps all day anyway. She did a lot of research on breeds before settling on her dog. Chins don`t require much exercise and they do very well in apartments.

I really think that understanding dog breeds and behaviour is the key to successfully having a dog.

Some situations don`t lend themselves to owning a particular breed of dog. It would be cruel to have a Border Collie in an apartment.... or to have it live with a family who doesn`t give it enough exercise and entertainment.

[rikki52b]

When we first rescued our dog from our local shelter he did show some seperation anxiety, chewed a couple of pairs of sneakers etc. But after he realized we were coming home to him at night all has been well. He is a good boy, and what a joy it is to be greated every night with that unconditional love!

[Durango]

We had a dog who benefited greatly from Prozac. Actually Elevil.

He suffered from low self esteem. And could never relax, in the house he was always pacing. He looked like he was totally consumed with worry. We thought it was worry global warming etc but we never really knew.

The drugs worked wonderfully. He could relax. And showed much greater self confidence. Although it was not a cure, it made it possible to live with him. And he had a much better self image and showed much better self esteem.

P.S. Half beagle if you are wondering.

[NicoleAnonymous]

But how did you find someone willing to give you a prescription for it? Did you lie and say it was for youself?

[Durango]

Any veterinarian can prescribe Prozac or Elevil.

If you had tried to live with Bubba pretreatment you would not be so flippant about getting a prescription for yourself. It was either him or us.

[Jane]

I've always had two or three dogs, no problems. I'm not a great dog trainer, but they have been good at showing one another what to do and how to have fun. Jack Russells, especially, are good players, and get the other dogs moving.

[gcallaghan]

I took in two brothers from the same litter when they were puppies and worried about them tearing stuff up. On the contrary, the pair was easier to train and kept each other occupied all day every day. Lab collie mixes. No more purbreds or lone dogs for me.

[CarolinaDem]

Dogs are the only animals routinely expressive of joy. Some of them are so full of love they like their Republican owners. Astounding.

[zenx98]

WHO CARES!,...if this recession gets any deeper pets are going to become protein sources as they already are in many other countries. Would you mind passing me the beetles please!

[CSE]

Reminds me of the funny saying, "The more people I meet - the more I love my dog". Thanks for rekindling that.

[MizLiz]

If I had to cage a dog up in a crate (i.e. jail) all day, I wouldn't have one.

[cinemaven]

Crate training is not the same thing as caging a dog up all day.

When our dog was crate trained, we got her used to being in the crate with the door open and then when she was happy to go inside by herself, we began to close the crate when we`d leave the room for 5 to 10 minutes. She very quickly looked on her crate time as quiet time and began going to it when she wanted to nap. We rarely crated her for longer than 4 hours when she was young and by the time she was a year old, she was so well behaved that we didn`t ever find it necessary to close the crate and we decided it wasn`t needed. She didn`t feel the same way and kept pawing the ground where her crate had been. We brought it back and she was happy.

Dogs naturally will seek out caves (under tables or in corners) because it`s in their nature. Crates just give a dog a den with a door that can be closed when needed.

She`s 4 now and at this moment, she`s sleeping at my feet but generally, she`ll go to her crate for her nap between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. and she pushes the door until it closes, only coming out if it smells like I`m making something good for lunch.

[wildflowermaven]

I'll second your comments, and just want to note for those not familiar with the practice, that the crates come in many sizes, and its important that the dog can both stand up and lay full out on its size in a proper size crate.

[MizLiz]

We have two pomeranians...and I think that's the secret. Dogs are "pack" animals...I really feel they don't do well, facing long hours alone every day. Just simple companionship can keep them happy. Once a week, we take them to Doggie Day Care, just so they can really play with a lot of dogs. They come home tired, but happy.

[DrFelch]

I'll second the comment that said to do some reading and research. Most folks are just so ignorant of canine psychology that simply sitting them down for 20 minutes and having them take notes, then spending another short time together with them and their dog to show them a few simple techniques can make a very dramatic change. It's just that we are fed way too much pop psychology drivel, and folks project that onto their pets without understanding that dogs often react in the exact opposite way than humans to certain stimuli. The things that seem intuitive to us are usually the opposite of what a dog needs, psychologically. In other words, we try to please them the same way we would try to please or comfort a fellow human or a child, but they are not humans or children, they are dogs, and need to be respected and treated in a way the works for them.

[dawlishgal]

When my husband was in graduate school in MN (before we were married) , he went back to Phoenix for a long-weekend t visit with his parents, and left his two dogs at home after a friend offered to come in and feed and play with them. When he returned, he saw immediatel­y......how could he miss it?----that the dogs had ripped apart everything with his scent on it, including textbooks and a lot of notes for classes and for his thesis. They had even torn down the venetian blinds and stripped the couch down to its wooden frame. Even though this was not a furnished apartment, hIs landlord forced him to find another place.

[cinemaven]

People with dogs with separation anxiety have the wrong breed or bought a dog without any regard to how much time has to go into training.

When my husband and I worked fulltime, we had a retired racing greyhound... a cat in a dogs body. We spent a few weeks training him and he was a perfect pet right to his last day. Our next dog was a pomeranian. We chose him because I was pining for another child and wanted something to baby. I was home fulltime and could devote the time needed for training. He was just what I needed and it broke my heart 2 years later when he died of a seizure disorder.

Currently, we have a standard poodle - golden retriever mix (doodle). We did a lot of research before getting her because our lifestyle had changed. We crate and obedience trained her. (which was easy because she's smart and eager to please) In the 4 years we've had her, she's never given us a problem. She's so perfect, we'll probably stick with this breed forever.

If everyone did the research to find out what breed or mix matches their lifestyle and put in two weeks of consistent training, pounds would go out of business.

I think every dog should be crate trained. Our dog loves her crate (cave) and chooses to sleep there during the day. She likes the door to be closed so when she gets in, she paws until it closes behind

[EspritDeVoltaire]

We had a problem with separation anxiety in our dog, a Rhodesian Ridgeback. What I found was this. It wasn't us leaving which was the problem, it was that our abrupt departure without her foreknowledge scared her. Now I tell her ahead of time that we're going to be leaving and she has to stay to guard the house. I remind her while we're getting ready that she has to guard the house. I give her a small treat and praise her before we leave. That solved our problem.

[QueenCeleste]

I have never had a dog with depression, but I've read of many, many instances of dogs suffering depression or grief for a variety of reasons. Just recently there was a story of a dog in Japan (an Akita?) whose master died. The dog met the late master's train every day for years. My heart goes out to dog--and all creatures--who suffer depression. May their lives be made brighter by alert and compassionate human companions.