Can Dogs Grieve?
The question of whether dogs grieve is one that owners who have witnessed the aftermath of losing a companion animal rarely need scientists to answer for them. The withdrawn dog who searches the house, refuses food, or sits at the door waiting for a friend who will never return is communicating something unmistakable. But the scientific community has taken decades to formally characterise what owners have long observed.
The short answer, supported by a growing body of evidence, is yes: dogs do appear to experience something functionally equivalent to grief. And when a companion animal — canine or otherwise — dies or leaves permanently, many dogs show a cluster of behavioural changes consistent with what we would recognise as depression.
What Research Tells Us About Canine Grief
A major study published in Scientific Reports in 2022, conducted by researchers at the University of Milan, surveyed over 400 dog owners who had lost one pet while another remained in the household. The results were striking. The vast majority of surviving dogs showed marked behavioural changes following the loss, including reduced playfulness, reduced appetite, increased attention-seeking, increased sleep, reduced activity, and increased vocalisation such as whining or howling.
Crucially, the intensity of grief-like response was correlated with the quality of the relationship between the two animals. Dogs who had shared sleeping spaces, played together frequently, and displayed affiliative behaviours with the deceased pet showed stronger grief responses than those with more distant relationships. This suggests the response is genuinely relational, not simply a reaction to change in the household environment.
Earlier work from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals found similarly that 66 per cent of surviving dogs ate less, 57 per cent played less, and over 60 per cent showed increased neediness toward their owners following a companion's death. These are not subtle or incidental changes.
Distinguishing Grief from Clinical Depression
Veterinary behaviourists distinguish between normal grief responses, which are time-limited and self-resolving, and clinical depression, which persists and significantly impairs functioning.
Normal grief in dogs typically involves an acute phase of searching behaviour, restlessness, and vocalisation, followed by a period of withdrawal and reduced engagement that gradually resolves over weeks to a few months. This trajectory, while distressing to observe, is a natural process of adjustment.
Clinical depression is characterised by persistent anhedonia — an apparent inability to experience pleasure in activities that previously produced positive responses — combined with significant changes in sleep, appetite, and social engagement lasting beyond several months. Dogs in this state may stop responding to favourite toys, decline walks they previously enjoyed, or become socially avoidant even with trusted humans.
If these signs persist beyond six to eight weeks without meaningful improvement, veterinary consultation is warranted. A veterinary behaviourist can assess whether behavioural intervention, environmental modification, or pharmacological support — such as short-term use of fluoxetine, which is licensed for use in dogs — might be appropriate.
Factors That Influence the Severity of Grief
- The nature and closeness of the bond between the surviving and deceased animal
- The surviving dog's age — older dogs may find adjustment more difficult
- Whether the death was sudden or preceded by a period of illness that altered the companion's behaviour
- The surviving dog's existing anxiety levels and temperament
- The human family's own grief, which dogs appear to detect and respond to
- How much of the dog's daily routine revolved around the companion animal
This last point is frequently overlooked. Dogs who relied on their companion for cues about when to eat, sleep, exercise, or engage in social behaviour may experience something closer to disorientation than simple sadness. Their daily structure has been disrupted at multiple levels simultaneously.
How Owners Can Support a Grieving Dog
The instinct to immediately introduce a new companion animal is understandable, but it is not always the right move in the acute grief phase. Bringing a new, strange animal into a household where the surviving dog is already stressed and disoriented can compound distress rather than relieve it. Most behaviourists recommend waiting until the surviving dog has moved through the acute phase before making that decision.
In the immediate period following a loss, consistency and routine are among the most powerful tools available. Maintaining regular feeding times, walk schedules, and social routines provides the predictability that helps dogs recalibrate. This does not mean smothering the dog with attention — flooding an anxious animal with forced interaction can increase rather than reduce stress — but it does mean showing up reliably.
Gentle reintroduction of enjoyable activities, even if the dog's initial response is muted, can help. Short play sessions, familiar routes on walks, and calm, engaged owner presence all signal that life continues and that positive experiences are still available.
It is also important for owners to manage their own emotional responses in the dog's presence as much as possible. Dogs are highly attuned to human emotional states and can absorb the grief of a household in ways that compound their own distress. This does not mean suppressing legitimate human grief, but it does mean being mindful of sustained emotional intensity around a vulnerable dog.
When to Seek Professional Help
Veterinary attention should be sought promptly if the dog stops eating entirely for more than 24 to 48 hours, shows signs of physical deterioration, displays uncharacteristic aggression, or appears to be in significant distress that does not fluctuate over time.
A veterinary behaviourist, or a veterinarian experienced in behaviour, can offer structured protocols for supporting dogs through grief and assess whether underlying anxiety disorders are complicating the recovery. Grief in dogs is real, its health implications are real, and the support available is genuinely effective when the need is recognised and addressed in time.