Though different species manifest grief differently, the concept of grief and emotions is present in every species. If you have seen the death of your four-footed animal, then you surely know how devastating it is to see your baby lying lifeless in front of you. But have you ever thought, is it wise to let dogs see their dead friend?
Although viewing the dead friend is not likely to help the dog to understand the death of their companion, it surely helps them to understand that something has happened. So, it is wise to allow the dogs to see their dead friends, but you should also supervise this meeting. But if there is a chance of spread of the disease then you should avoid the last meeting
If you have a group of dogs of different ages, then we highly recommend you to read this article. In this article, we are gonna tell you, why it is important for you to show the dead body of a dog to another dog, and in which circumstances you should avoid this meeting?
How does a Dog React after the Death of a Mate Dog?

The thought of the death of your four-footed friend is a nightmare, and the actual death of a dog is just a time of devastation for the owners. We would say that seeing a dog dead that you have raised is one of the most painful feelings in the world. But, what about other dogs, how do they feel about the death of their companion?
The dog is one of the most loving animals, they develop an association with humans and with the mate dogs very soon. The concept of association and companionship in dogs is the same as in humans. If you have a group of dogs, you might have observed that they prefer to stay together and play together. But the concept of death is not as comprehendible in dogs as in humans. Dogs did not fully understand that their fellow dog is dead, but they certainly miss their company.
Dogs can’t speak like a human, to tell how devastating they are feeling on the death of their friend, but we can evaluate the sadness or uneasiness by the behavior they show. They show the different signs that make sense that they are missing their companion. We cannot say with certainty that; how a dog feels after the death of the companion dog, but after seeing the posture and moaning of the dog, we could say that the dog is having a bad time. There are different signs that dogs frequently show after the death of their companion.
Search for the Dead Companion
Apparently, the realization of death is not as obvious in dogs as in humans. They don’t instantly understand that their friend is no more with them, that’s why they often search for their friend, in the places they used to play or eat.
Loss of Appetite
Like in humans, loss of appetite is also one of the most common gestures to show grief in dogs. It is often seen that; after the death of a dog, the other dogs of the family refuse to eat for a few days.
Moaning
In the movement of grief, the dogs don’t cry as humans do, or we could say that we couldn’t understand properly either they are crying or not, but they mourn, and they mourn hard on the death of their mate. When they mourn they change their behavior. They look exhausted, tired, sad, depressed, and lazy.
Disturbed Sleep Schedule
Along with the appetite, the sleep schedule is the second thing that suffers the most when the dogs are under trauma. Some dogs sleep more than usual, and some even refrain from sleep and stay awake for several days, remembering their friends. This type of behavior is very common in the pair of dogs.
Change in Behavior
A general change in behavior is observed in dogs after the death of the companion dog. The change varies with species, some very active and aggressive dogs become lazy and tame. In contrast, some docile dogs start to show aggressive behavior toward the owner. Dogs also use different signs to show aggressiveness towards the owner like; some start to eliminate inappropriately in the home, some start to disturb or harm the things they usually don’t.
Isolation
Many dogs isolate themselves after the demise of a friend. The isolation period varies, some dogs return to a normal routine after a short period, and some stay alone for a slightly longer duration.
Vocalization and Shouting
Vocalization and shouting are similar in humans and dogs. Dogs do mourning over the dead in the form of vocalization and shouting, but this type of behavior is infrequent.
Now you know how a dog might react after the death of a companion dog, the question that might come to your mind is should you allow my dog to see the dead dog? Well, it is one of the toughest decisions to make. Continue reading to find out what you should do in this situation.
Should I Allow my Dogs to see my Dead Dog?
If a Healthy Dog Died:
There are different conditions for this, for example, if your healthy dog died suddenly due to any trauma or any other cause, then it is not only wise but necessary for you to show the dead body of your deceased dog to all your dogs.
Although the concept of the dead is not as clear in dogs as it is in humans, somehow when dogs see the dead body of their mate, it makes sense to them that something has happened with their mate. But keep in mind that the dead body of the dead dog smells different, so make sure that the contact between the dead and live dog didn’t extend any longer. And also, after you allowed your dogs to attend to the dead body of your deceased dog, be prepared to handle the instant reaction of leftover dogs (this type of reaction is not present in all dogs).
If your healthy dog has died suddenly, and you haven’t shown the body of the deceased dog to other dogs, especially in the case of a pair, they might react violently, and they search for their mate for several days, and in severe cases, a mild illness is also reported in the leftover dog.
If an Sick Dog Died:
But in case your dog has passed away while dealing with a contagious disease, then you shouldn’t allow your dogs to see the dead dog in any case. The contact with a disease deceased dog could be a potential source of the spread of infection.
After the death of a mate, dogs need a particular time to recover from the trauma. As a pet owner, you need to understand that; but how much time on average should you give to your dog to recover from the trauma? You should certainly consider that time, and shouldn’t demand any physical activity from the dog. Let’s discuss how long dogs grieve over the death of their mate.
How Long does a Dog Grieve after the Death of another dog?

According to a study, the grieving period in dogs varies from two weeks to 6 months. The concept of trauma time in dogs is the same in dogs as in humans, and it largely depends upon the association. In the case of a pair that are living together for a long period. The death of one cause’s severe trauma in the other partner, and in these cases, the grieving period is prolonged.
Once the trauma period is over, dogs return to the normal routine, and they start to perform the normal daily activities.
Can dogs Sense if other Dog is going to Die or Dead?
Many stories are associated with it, that either dog can sense that the other dog is going to die or not, but still, it is a controversial issue. Because dogs cannot speak to tell the reality, so we can not speak with certainty, but there are some researches related to this question.
As we all know that; dogs have strong senses, whether it is a sense of smell, hearing, or sense of emotions. Dogs are good with almost all the senses. So, according to the researches; dogs can sense that their fellow dog is going to die. Dogs sense the sickness of the fellow dog very well that made them realize the prevailing death of their friend. It is commonly seen that the dogs greatly change their behavior when they see their ill mate. Some of them even refuse to eat, and they also show all the different signs of sadness that are described above.
Seeing all these signs of the dog, you can say that due to strong senses, dogs can sense that their mate is soon going to leave them alone. But in case of sudden deaths, no one is obvious about the impending death of a dog.
After the death, if they are allowed to see the dead body, then most of the dogs understand to a level that their friend is no more. But in case of sudden death, if dogs are not allowed to see the dead dog, they rarely understand that their mate is never gonna return home. And they never gonna find a chance to play with their mate again.
How to Help/Support your dog after other Dog is Dead?
The post-death period is difficult for both the owner and the fellow pet. But the most important thing after the death of a dog is to support other dogs to come out of trauma as soon as possible. If you didn’t work to rescue your dog from the trauma, then you might lose your agile and active friend. There are the following things that you can do to support your dog to keep up after a fellow dog is dead.
Let them see the dead body
Do consider that letting a dog see the dead body of the dead dog will help them to understand the death of their friend to a certain level. We have described this before, except in a few cases, you should allow the dog to see the dead body.
Try to be Normal, and maintain Regular Activities
Dogs are very good at sensing the emotions of the owner, so if they see the owner sad, they become sad too. So, the pet parent needs to start acting normal in front of other dogs as soon as possible and start the daily activities with the leftover dogs as soon as possible.
Give some Time
It means that you shouldn’t expect any physical activity like exercise and training immediately after death. Giving a dog sometimes in isolation, usually, 3-5 days or a week is sufficient for this, after this you can start the usual training of the dog.
Try to Divert the Attention
It is very important to divert the attention of the dog as soon as possible, for this, you can bring another mate for them and also you can plan any activity for them.
Monitor the eating habit of the dog after seeing the dead body of their friend, most of the dogs stop eating. Make sure they eat properly. But don’t over-pamper them as it will create trouble for you afterward.
Contact Veterinarian
If you see that your pet is not returning to normal life after some time, or if your furry friend is undergoing depression then consider contacting a veterinarian.
Conclusion
Death is an irreversible undeniable phenomenon for almost every species, so you cannot deny the fact that your four-footed friend is going to die. The death of a dog leaves indubitable effects on other dogs. In most cases, these effects are short-term, while some leave a long-term effect.
In nutshell, if there is a very close relationship between dogs (if they are born or raised together or if they were a pair), you should let the dog see the dead body of the deceased one. But allow the dog to see the dead body of other dogs under strict supervision, because dogs don’t have that sense to respect the dead body as humans have. But if your dead died because of a deadly contagious death then you shouldn’t allow the dog to visit the dead one for the last time you should also take preventive measures.