Can Dogs Feel Grief?
By Linda Michaels, M.A., Psychology
Can dogs feel grief?
Today, there is compelling evidence that many animals may feel a full range of emotions, including grief.
Emotional security and well-being may be seriously compromised when our dog loses a beloved pet parent…or a dog partner. As far back as 1872, in his pioneering tome, Expressions in Man and Animals, Darwin recognized that all animals experience pleasure and pain, happiness, fear…and sadness. To support his belief that there is no sharp distinction between the animal mind and the human mind, Darwin used the biological markers of anxiety, such as increased heart-rate, and body language signals, as we do with our dogs today. Darwin believed that animal emotions may differ in degree, but not in kind. The Hierarchy of Dog Needs, adapted from psychology legend, Dr. Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Human Needs, has a level on the pyramid devoted entirely to understanding dog Emotions and how important acknowledging our dogs emotional needs are to psychological health. The companion book, the Do No Harm Dog Training and Behavior Handbook Featuring the Hierarchy of Dog Needs, explores dog Emotions and thriving.
The great thing about dogs is that they’re very honest about their feelings…and they don’t lie about feelings! They’re “talking to us” all the time and telling us how they feel through their body language and behavior.
Do dogs grieve differently than humans?
There is a great deal of variation in the way that humans experience and express grief. We should expect that many factors affect a dog’s grieving process and that the individual variation is as wide as our own. One day soon, fMRI images may show startling similarities between the canine experience of grief and that of humans, providing convincing evidence for those who have argued against the existence of complex animal emotions. fMRI images have recently illustrated many heretofore “secrets” of the animal mind, using the powerful evidence of neuroscience to support dog attachment theory, impulse control parameters and more. Animal emotions expert, Dr. Marc Bekoff, tells us in BioScience, that “current interdisciplinary research provides compelling evidence that many animals experience emotions such as joy, fear, love, despair, and grief — we are not alone.”
What can people do who care for a grieving dog? How can we help?
Dogs, much like humans, will most likely have their own preferences in terms of what is truly helpful to them. Trial and error may be key in figuring out what works best for your grieving dog.
* Whatever your dog enjoyed previously can be now be given most generously. Generally speaking, food and sniffari walks are the biggest favorites. Don’t hold back.
* Provide very special foods to a depressed dog if s/he will eat. Interactive food toys stuffed with cheese or hotdogs may be of interest. Any dog that stops eating for more than two days needs to see a veterinarian.
* Brisk walks in both old and new haunts with lots of novel scents, such as on a hike, will hopefully help to renew your dog’s interest in activities.
* Car rides into the country with the window open often lifts the cloud of darkness.
* Use a lure toy if your dog normally has a high-prey drive.
*Run! Aerobic exercise gets the feel-good brain chemicals flowing for both your dog and yourself.
* If your dog enjoyed other dogs…bring on the playdates! However, bringing another dog into your home may or may not have an effect on depression and grief, so test this out to be sure your emotionally suffering dog is agreeable to sharing space with a “stranger” dog. Your dog may think of the new addition as an unwelcome intruder on his space.
*Don’t forget the benefits of massage!
* And in general, dogs love routines, so find a schedule your dog can look forward to and try to stick to it.
How important is it for a dog to remain in a familiar environment and continue normal routines?
When a dog has lost a pet parent or dog friend and has been removed from the home, the jolt may be doubly damaging. Providing as many of the old items of familiarity is believed to help. Items with the scent of the lost pet parent or dog may be of comfort as it is with dogs suffering with separation anxiety/attachment and abandonment disorders. Dogs who suddenly find themselves in noisy shelters, who may not be stranger-friendly or other-dog-friendly may suffer even more than most. Finding foster care as quickly as possible with a return to the old routines, or establishing new routines, is critical to recovery.
Learn more about dog Emotions in the best-selling Do No Harm Dog Training and Behavior Handbook by Linda Michaels, M.A., Psychology, author and international speaker.