Why is my new dog whining?
Hi! I have a feeling I’m just being paranoid and overly worried, but I’d love some advice. My husband and I just adopted Zelda (3 year old Shepherd mix) from our local SPCA on 1/20/19. She joins Tyrion (6 year old French Bulldog mix) and Barkley (10 year old Chihuahua/Pomeranian). Tyrion and Barkley are used to having a third dog in the house as we recently lost Arwen, our beloved 11 year old husky/lab mix, to cancer.
The trio seems to be getting on great! They first met at the SPCA, then in a neutral spot near our house, then we walked everyone around the yard and outside of our house, before walking everyone around the whole inside of the house. There have been a few growls/snarls initiated by Tyrion and returned by Zelda, typically regarding dropped food that they each go for. Otherwise the 3 run around together, lay on the couch together, and sleep on our bed together.
Yesterday, however, it seemed like Zelda’s anxiety seemed to kick in. If everyone (all 3 dogs, plus my husband and me) isn’t all laying in the same room, Zelda whines. She particularly follows Barkley around and gets very concerned when he wants to do his own things. She'll search for him in each room, smelling his booty when she finds him. If one of them jumps off our bed in the middle of the night, Zelda whines until they come back and get settled.
Is this just her herding nature or anxiety from all the recent changes she has endured? Is it normal for her to be primarily fixated on one dog? We want her to be happy, and I just hate seeing her stressed when everyone isn’t together. How can we make her feel more confident that it’s okay if the pack is separated? I know she’s gone through a lot lately, and I’m sure she’s confused and missing her old home, but how do we help her through this? Thanks so much for any advice!
My dog has alot of energy and whines when she's bored. So besides walks we make time for thtowing tennis balls to wear her out. Even with other dogs in the house Zelda may not be getting enough exercise. Good luck, and thank you for rescuing.