OK
About 7 years ago I got a dog and about a month after i got him, a little stray puppy showed up at my aunt's house. The stray was roughly 3-4 months old and my dog was about 6 months. They became fast friends and played and did awesome puppy/dog stuff together for about a year. Bigtime best friends.
My dog was still larger than the younger dog (Amos) and it became obvious that he also took on the role of leader (wouldn't let Amos eat till he had eaten, would muscle in on anyone petting Amos instead of him ect ect) and amos seemed happy to comply most of the time. Other than that they behaved like normal dog-pals. I used to take them to the lake and go swimming and bathe them both. I would play fetch and wrestle with them ect.
Then my dog got hit and killed by a hunter on my property.

Amos hasn't been the same since.

He hides from most men and, although ive given him more milkbones than anyone in the family, regularly brush him and am the only one who trims his toenails, he is legitimately terrified of me. Physically shakes and whimpers when i approach him. Once i give him a chance to decide im not going to kill him (about five minutes) he warms up somewhat, but I still cannot stand or make any fast movements or he just wigs out. He wont even sleep if im around, just looks at me out of the corner of his eye.
He's also gotten really lethargic and fat (although it's usually a struggle to get him to eat at ALL, but i strongly suspect my aunt feeds him table scraps by the boatload) and is now pretty much the most worthless wuss in the world.

I told my aunt that if she would let me get him adjusted to a leash and walk him it would probably help a great deal, but she thinks it would hurt his feelings more or just straight up doesn't want me to help, i can't tell


What is going on and is there a way to get him to return to the bouncy woofy dog he used to be?

12/16/2009 2:39:54 AM

That sucks Sounds like a job for

12/16/2009 6:55:41 AM

12/16/2009 7:30:09 AM

Didn't you have a basset hound or beagle named Lucy?

If you're up for it get a 2nd dog that is cool with you or maybe try getting it to hang around other dogs who would be a positive influence and aren't afraid of men. That's what worked on my mom's dog who had issues like this

12/16/2009 8:47:49 AM

would a dog park be too overwhelming?

12/16/2009 8:59:25 AM

my wife's dog has gotten to the point where I want to kill it. it barked and whimpered all damn night last night in it's crate and I did not get any sleep.

the wife keeps wanting me to let it sleep in the bed, but i've read it is not a good idea to let them do that. (besides, the dog yelps into my wife's ear when it is out of the cage anyway to wake her up all night)

I don't know what to do with this damn animal.

12/16/2009 9:53:49 AM

^ Is it a puppy? or otherwise new to a crate? Can the dog see out a window from the crate?

12/16/2009 10:03:17 AM

^^ There was a girl I was seeing a while back who had a dog that would whine and bark all freaking night. I just got some of those little foam earplugs and couldn't hear a damn thing, it was awesome.

12/16/2009 10:06:59 AM

wow that's terrible...poor thing

12/16/2009 10:14:13 AM

How is Amos around other dogs? Have you tried to socialize him with other pets? Also, was Amos there when your dog was killed?

[Edited on December 16, 2009 at 10:32 AM. Reason : ]

12/16/2009 10:32:09 AM

i am unsure if amos saw the accident or not. he may have, and the guys who killed my dog were big fellas that amos might could have confused for me from a distance

he does well around other dogs but is still far from sociable with them. mostly just keeps to himself and hides whenever possible

12/16/2009 7:27:32 PM

thats really unfortunate, what/if anything ever came out of someone shooting your dog on your property?

12/16/2009 7:29:41 PM

Dogs can go through depression like any human, but their way of expressing it can vary. Some dogs just won't eat, or will hide in a room separate from any human or animal for most of the day.
It's understandable for Amos to be acting this way. He was probably always a little bit more shy and had your pup as the 'muscle' of the pack. Now that your pup is gone Amos is probably confused and very lonely.

Did he seem suddenly scared of you after your dog passed or has it grown progressively worse? If it's suddenly scared, then Amos probably thinks you (or men in general) had something to do with his buddy's disappearance (basically that big men = bad times). If his 'fear' of you has grown progessively worse it's probably due to doggy depression.

Also, what do you mean by 'wigs out' whenever you stand or move suddenly (does he bark at you or go hide in a corner shaking)? I know it must be tough watching him shake, but it seems like the best thing is going to be to almost force him to stay with you for a while. Give him a bath and take him to the lake for just a walk so he can smell the old times! He's gotta let his guard down sometime. However, please make sure it's not a medical problem (the shaking and all). My dog shakes whenever he's ill. Amos probably is not feeling the greatest due to the added fat, as well.

12/17/2009 8:49:44 AM

^.

Sounds like he looked to the old dog as the alpha and followed his lead and now he's a bit lost.

It sucks how things like that will completely change a dog's personality.

12/17/2009 11:28:28 AM

sadness ITT

12/17/2009 11:47:02 AM

It's a fucking dog. It doesn't have any psychology.

You need to take that bitch hunting or at least let it run some.

12/17/2009 6:27:29 PM

No fucking way Im reading all that but in general dogs need companionship, exercise, and a job. The number one killer of old dogs is boredom. I firmly believe you need to give all dogs a job. Just find a way to make the dog feel like they are protecting the house or something. Anyways. Good luck. Learn to be brief when you write man...seriously.

12/17/2009 10:25:34 PM

Are you crazy? No one is hiring right now.

12/17/2009 10:26:48 PM

12/17/2009 10:47:37 PM

For a job, it can be as simple as watching the house, or more involved like running, learning new tricks, or carrying weight. I definitely second exercise, you're feeding him to become the new alpha dog in his pack, and in general, teaching him that you=food= awesome.

Also, a few more things can cause a dog to become lethargic and fat besides a medical condition: lack of exercise, especially if he played a lot with the old dog, a change in diet (it sounds like in this sense to Milkbones and table scraps, not the most nutritionally complete).
I'd take him to the vet and get him looked over, and the vet will probably put him on a good diet for older dogs and exercise program (no treats, no table scraps).

12/18/2009 10:17:48 AM