In the past five years I have rescued 4 small dogs. The thing I found most helpful was to put the dogs in bed with me at night and let them sleep cuddled against me. I let this go on from 2 to 5 nights, depending on how sad the dog seems. This seems to calm the dog and give him/her something to cling to in a very stressful time.
Be prepared for symptoms of separation anxiety. One of my dogs had been raised with a sibling...six years they were together and then they were separated. Nobody told us, so we couldn't figure out why this sweet little dog howled for the entire time we were gone. After a year of futile attempts to solve the problem, my husband got another dog and shortly thereafter he stopped howling. A year later we got his sister and he was her shadow until she passed about a year ago. He was SO excited when he saw her again after a 3 year separation, I actually cried, his reaction was so touching!
So if she starts behaving badly...crying, tearing things up, forgetting her house training, suspect she is mourning the loss of her companion and/or family. Don't punish her, just correct her, and consider getting her a friend. I've heard Yorkies are even better in pairs...and when Puddin' gets a little bigger, I aim to find out! |