How Long Does It Take To Settle After Major Change?

[Loreley]

My girlfriend and her partner have separated and their 2 dogs have been split up as part of this. They were young adults when they came together but really became best buds. While the separation is amicable, the dogs occasionally see each other for play dates, 'm not sure whether this is a good thing or a bad thing to be honest.

I know every dog is different but generally speaking if you have a major event like losing one of your dogs how long before the remaining one progresses through this process. Particularly keen to hear from people that have nervous/anxious dogs as one of these has always been a bit anxious.

Is it better to totally cut off and say no to play dates? would that help him progress more easily through this? or is the play dates helping.

Any advice would be great as I've only got my own recent experiences to go by and we are still in the middle of that transition I suspect.

[Guest Clover]

How long is a piece of string? No one can answer that, some dogs will bounce back quickly others may never get over their "loss".

[Loreley]

yeah thats what i figured but thought it was worth an ask.

[mita]

Yes, what Clover said.

The vet told me that, in her experience, most dogs 'recovered' from the loss of their dog 'friend' by 3 weeks. But.... who knows, when it comes down to an individual dog's response? We had an elderly dog that never recovered from the loss of her much younger 'sister' (who was her leader).

I know it isn't much help, but I guess you take your cues from how the individual dog behaves.