Maggie is sleep way more then usual

[cdnrn26]

We moved into our new house about three weeks ago. In our old house we were in the basement at my in-laws house where Maggie had her good friend Willow to play with. We got them 2 days apart when they were puppies and they have been together for about a year and a half. Since the move we are noticing that Maggie is sleeping way more then she used to. She can sleep all night when I am at work and then when I come home from work I can take her for a 7km walk and she is sleeps the rest of the day till dinner... She eats dinner and then is quite happy to climb on the couch and sleep till bedtime... She occasionally gets bursts of energy where she wants to play but not near as much as in the old house. At the other house she wanted to play fetch non-stop if you were in the room with her. She is eating all her food and her coat looks the same. When we are out on our walks she is off leash and having a great time. She is taking a really long time to adjust to the new house and runs and hides each time she hears a new sound. Any advice from people who have moved with a Sheltie would be great...
Thanks

 

[danisgoat]

I have not moved with a Sheltie before, but I am so sorry to hear that she is having trouble. Hopefully someone with some experience will hop on soon!

 

[SheltieChe]

sounds like your Maggie misses her previous life dearly, dogs same as people love their routine and love their friends and could miss them for months... am not sure what you could do about it- bring her back for playdates, find her new friends, sign her up for daycare, some classes...

 

[corbinam]

I agree with Sheltieche. She is not sure what the routine is now, so she just sleeps. Try adding positive things to her routine that she can look forward to. Sign her up for an obedience class, take a time (5-5:30 pm, for example) and work on teaching her a trick every day. Find some friends in your neighborhood for her to play with. Give her a reason to come out of her shell again.

 

[Silaria]

I agree with SheltieChe and Ashley but she may also be mourning her lost play mate. They've been together all their lives, until three weeks ago, and she misses her.

Why am I making this assumption? Because what you are describing is exactly how my Edan behaved after we lost our Finnish Spitz; he was about 1.5 at the time and they'd been together since he was 7 months old. Prior to that he had his small pack at the breeders. He didn't know how to handle being alone and was miserable. The only time I really saw my 'happy Edan' during the past 2 years was at Agility classes and trials.

Its only since Thanksgiving 2010 that Edan has really started to play again - almost 2 years later - and I have our CJ to thank for that. (We added CJ to our house in April, 2010.)

She may just need to learn the new routine and hopefully that is all that it is. But after 3 weeks its possible that its something a little deeper.

 

[Calliesmom]

I agree with SheltieChe and Ashley but she may also be mourning her lost play mate. They've been together all their lives, until three weeks ago, and she misses her.

Why am I making this assumption? Because what you are describing is exactly how my Edan behaved after we lost our Finnish Spitz; he was about 1.5 at the time and they'd been together since he was 7 months old. Prior to that he had his small pack at the breeders. He didn't know how to handle being alone and was miserable. The only time I really saw my 'happy Edan' during the past 2 years was at Agility classes and trials.

Its only since Thanksgiving 2010 that Edan has really started to play again - almost 2 years later - and I have our CJ to thank for that. (We added CJ to our house in April, 2010.)

She may just need to learn the new routine and hopefully that is all that it is. But after 3 weeks its possible that its something a little deeper.

I agree with Silaria- she may be missing Willow. we didn't move but we did lose Happy last summer and while Callie and Cranberry weren't that extreme in behavior change- there was a noticeable change. Bringing Dixie home helped Cranberry and Cranberry won't leave Callie to lay around. Even when he's been playing with Dixie- he'll still try to get Callie to play with him and gets her out of her bed.
Maybe you can get some playdates with Willow for her

 

[cdnrn26]

Thanks for the advice... I have really worked hard at getting her out for a walk everyday around the new neighbourhood (we have lots of walking trails to explore) and my fiance and I are making a point of playing with her every night. Tonight she went back to my in laws house and had a 3 hour play date with Willow... She has come back a very happy and playful puppy. Also for the first time tonight she walked out of her crate in the back of the car when we got home. Sounds kind of odd but she refuses to come out of the crate and has to be pulled out if she doesn't like where she is. The only place she willingly comes out of the crate is at my in-laws house and the dyke where we walk. Tonight she actually banged the crate door and walked out when we got home!!! Funny how such a small thing can feel like such a victory. Also we are planning on bringing Willow over to our new house for sleepovers and play dates.

p.s. I attached a photo of Maggie out on a walk and also a picture of the view from one of the walking trails near my house

 

[Calliesmom]

so glad to hear that a visit with Willow perked up Maggie
hope you can have regular playdates