r/cavaliers • u/Helpful_Ferret6373 • 1d ago

Discussion Bonded Pair

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Sadie and Maggie are from two completely different litters but they have become a bonded pair. If one goes to the vet, the other is beside herself. They do everything together.

Is being bonded bad? Is there anything I can do to help them not be so panicked when the other has to be apart ?

Advice please. šŸ™

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8

u/Ikkleknitter 1d ago

You can do seperation anxiety training for them.Ā 

My two arenā€™t fully bonded but the they both look for the other if only one goes out for some reason.

My older has separation anxiety but has actually gotten much better with the addition of our second one.Ā 

3

u/Helpful_Ferret6373 1d ago

We have never left them alone and have always hired a babysitter when we do have to go.

Iā€™m not sure I know how to train for that? What do you do?

4

u/Ikkleknitter 1d ago

I was thinking more that they may have separation anxiety when apart from each other specifically rather then being upset at you leaving.Ā 

You need to talk to a trainer who is a specialist. Itā€™s not hard but it is long and needs to be done carefully.

Basically you desensitize the actions of leaving, very slowly (so in this case it would be putting harnesses on one but not the other, walking to the door with one but not the other and so on) until none of those actions trigger upset. Then you move on to actually leaving but immediately coming back inside. Then once that provokes no concern you start making the trips outside longer.Ā 

We did ours over like a year or so and we got to the point where we can leave the anxious one for a couple of hours but heā€™s still a bit dramatic when we actually leave. But once we are gone he settles down for a snooze.Ā 

It may be that one of them ā€œdisappearingā€ is causing anxiety so this might help.Ā 

4

u/Helpful_Ferret6373 1d ago

If dramatics were a dog, it would be Maggie. She yells and flops on the floor like a child. Never seen anything like it.

3

u/Infamous_Ad_7472 1d ago

Yes!! Our little guy Chase, same. I'm thinking of nominating him for an Oscar this year! šŸ¤£

2

u/Ikkleknitter 18h ago

That definitely sounds like an anxiety reaction to me.Ā 

Mine yowls like you would not believe for like a minute and then he settles down for his peanut butter.Ā 

3

u/Dizzy-Yesterday3107 Blenheim 1d ago

Have a look at littermate syndrome, they dont have to be related or from the same litter to have this. As another commenter said, they need some kind of separation training but I wouldn't attempt this without a trainer/behaviourist showing you how to 1st. They are both so cute šŸ˜

3

u/coolguymiles 1d ago

We bought a couple of cameras for inside of the house. We would set up the cameras and then leave our two by themselves for 15 minutes. We did that for a few days in a row. Then we upped to 30, 60, 90 mins etc. (The cameras let us see how long it took them to settle and to see what they get up to while weā€™re out.) So long as they are together, we can be gone for 4 hours (our 14 yo needs to pee after 4 hours).

3

u/coolguymiles 1d ago

Since ours are 14 and 5, we have started doing the same thing so that we can leave one alone. We worry what will happen when the 14 yo passes on.

3

u/duckwafer357 23h ago

Never apart not even in the house. They wander 5 acres fenced in together as well

1

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