[osva]

Hi everyone

We have 2 Cavoodles in the family. One is 5 years old and the other is 2 years old.
Unfortunately, my partner and I are separating and are trying to work out a solution that would suit everyone. There are no kids involved.

The first dog is extremely attached to her and therefore we have decided that she will keep him with her.
It is not an option for me to visit the dogs on weekends and/or for them to have any contact with me otherwise.

So the only real option is for me to take the younger dog as he was more attached to me than her. In saying that, he really looks up to the older one - to the point where he doesnt even like to go on walks on his own. Always looking at where the older one is. He can chill and play on his own at home, and likes his own space (they dont sleep together in one bed) but outside the house he is quite shy on his own.

So the question is, should we try and separate the dogs, even though they will not have any contact with each other? Has anyone gone through this? My family are saying that he is simply too attached and it will cause way too many problems for him.

I have read some articles saying a gradual separation and some contact post relieves that anxiety for the dogs, but that is not an option at this point.

One part of me is thinking that I should just let her keep both dogs for the sake of the dogs. But I do miss them too!

Thank you in advance!

 

[3GSD4IPO]

Take the two year old with you and start now separating the dogs. You walk one and your soon to be ex partner walk the other. At two this dog has become dependent on the other dog.. and it is sort of like Littermate Syndrome. Lots of people bring home a second dog and they don't keep them separate which is a mistake. The result is this dog to dog bond outweighing the human and dog bond.

When the young dog was first brought home, he should have been kept and handled separately and trained separately for awhile. This creates a bond with the handler and not so much with the other dog. Well, now you will get to do this and it will be fine. You simply must train the dog and build the bond and I would start now. The two dogs do not need to be together. Use crates, gates, whatever you have and start the process.

 

[Lillith]

Agree with 3GSD, you should start training, walking, feeding, etc. the younger dog separate from the older dog now to get him used to existing without the other. It will be stressful, but the dog will be fine.

 

[Tater33]

I'm not qualified enough to offer advise, but sorry to hear about this whole situation osva.