Seperation Anxiety in Rescue Dog

diddlybit

Hey all, just wondering if I could get the opinions of some folks in here and/or advice. Apologies for the very long post.

We got a dog (lurcher) last week from a pound who is an absolute sweetheart, really placid and would do anything for a rub. She had been found wandering and brought in. The vet reckons she is about three.
She seems to be displaying signs of separation anxiety and though it’s early days, any advice would be much appreciated. (Don’t want to be inadvertently doing anything that is going aggravate the anxiety.) It’s horrible to think that she’s anxious when we’re not there, but a couple of occasions I’ve arrived home and she’s been happy asleep on the couch so at least that’s something.


So far it has manifested itself in whining and general destruction.



At night she’ll charge up and down the stairs, pace up and down and chew things. It varies in length, some nights are better than others (think it might depend on what she’s eaten, one bad night she pulled the bathroom bin apart and a Heroes box-set. No big loss.)


In the morning she’s brought for a long walk before we go to work. When we leave, there is some whining, but when we arrive at lunch to check up on her, she usually asleep on the sofa. (She's never left for more than four hours.)



Between lunchtime and evening, is when the fun happens. She destroyed the blinds on Monday (trying to look at my partner leaving) and has been counter-surfing eating all manners of things that she shouldn’t even though she had been left with treat toys and chews which she didn’t touch. (Not sure if this is anxiety or opportunism!)



When she puts her mind to it, she can get to anything and yesterday we discovered that she could open the kitchen door.



She seems to be developing a very strong attachment to my partner. When she leaves the room she’ll immediately follow her and whine if she can’t get to her. This morning she (partner not dog) went back to bed and Sadie has been in the kitchen with me. Lots of whining and pacing, settling for a bit, and then getting distracted and starting again. This is worse than usual, but she hasn’t been walked today. (As of now, she asleep thankfully)


So far we have done the following:
- Vary how we leave the house and ignore her before we leave.
- Left radio on.

- Never make a big deal when we arrive back.
- No responding to the whining until she’s calm and sitting.
- Doggy-proofing the house (an ongoing process, I am incredulous at what she will eat at this stage. Eggs yesterday.)
- Toys, chews, treat puzzle toys and studd is hidden for her.

- Practiced my partner leaving the room for lengths of time (will extend this to both of us leaving and coming back.)
- Exercised her as much as possible so that she’s knackered. Gets long walk in morning and evening, at the moment two hours a day.



It’s a little difficult to figure out if her food is ok for her, as she’s eaten non-doggy food, but in general, she’s seems low energy and all she wants to do is sleep (if we're there.)





Are we doing the right things? Can we be doing more? It appears to be getting worse. Last night a shoe (first personal belonging destroyed) and a ball thrower bit the dust.

sillysmiles

Is it possible to crate train her/contain her - maybe give her somewhere that she feels secure?

diddlybit

sillysmiles wrote: »

Is it possible to crate train her/contain her - maybe give her somewhere that she feels secure?

We're working at that at the moment, getting her to walk in and out of it at the moment and praising her when she sits or lies down in it. I did read somewhere that crate training with dogs with separation anxiety has to be taken slowly as not to distress the dog. We would like her to be comfortable in it and not have any negative associations with the crate.

In good news, no whining for the last two nights.

In bad news, she's still eating and chewing everything in sight. She was bouncing off the walls when I left this morning, so I have no idea what I am going to encounter when I get home at lunchtime. Turned my back for ten minutes and she massacred her favourite cuddly toy.

deadwood85

you seem to be doing all the right stuff.

If she is only left max 4hours you should crate train her,less destruction and no roaming around at night time.

Also i used to leave large paper bags,or cardboard boxes for my dog to destroy.

diddlybit

deadwood85 wrote: »

Also i used to leave large paper bags,or cardboard boxes for my dog to destroy.

Will start on the crate training in earnest this weekend. The boxes are a good idea, will give those a go.

DBB

I'm going to rain on this parade op.... I would not crate any dog for 4 hours, and particularly not a dog with separation issues, though I suspect she may not have real separation anxiety as such dogs are never relaxed and asleep when their owners return!
There is a "condition" called separation fun, where the dog uses the absence of the owner to have a right old ball, as the presence of the owner inhibits them otherwise.
But, to be sure I'd suggest setting up a camera to film her... Or Skype her so you can see what she's really at.
Instead of a crate, I'd suggest a playpen, as they can move around in it and you can leave multiple toys/stuffed kongs/stuffed tetra pack cartons with her... Let her get stuck into these things before you leave. And do the other stuff you're already doing (you have done really well to try what you've tried so far... Well done!) But just remember that if you switch the radio on and give her toys just before you go, then these actions quickly become cues that you're leaving.... That's why these things need to happen also whilst you're home, and a fair few minutes before you leave.

Vel

Just to mention that lurchers are notorious thiefs. The word lurcher means thief in Romany! We, 10 years down the line still have to clear away anything that our guy might decide to rob while we are out. Just something to be aware of even if you do get the separation anxiety under control!

eezipc

I agree with setting up a camera before you start crate training. I had a similar problem with a rescue dog but the camera showed she slept most of the day. She only started to break/chew things when somebody came to the door.

diddlybit

DBB wrote: »

I would not crate any dog for 4 hours, and particularly not a dog with separation issues, though I suspect she may not have real separation anxiety as such dogs are never relaxed and asleep when their owners return!

We probably wouldn't crate her while at work, she's more than welcome to the couches while we're away.:) Would still like her to get used to one for the future as a "safe" space and for when we travel.

DBB wrote: »

There is a "condition" called separation fun, where the dog uses the absence of the owner to have a right old ball, as the presence of the owner inhibits them otherwise.

There is probable a degree of this...the whining has decreased last couple of days but the chewing hasn't. She's not too bright about her escapades, she'll leave the sofa to have check if we've left the doors open while we are sitting in the living room. If we have, she'll mooch around the bedrooms and the kitchen counters, but we can hear her claws on the wooden floors. She wouldn't dare if we were there. I caught her licking a chopping board in the dishwasher yesterday in the split second when my back was turned .

Vel wrote: »

Just to mention that lurchers are notorious thiefs.

They are unbelievable! I still can't believe what the dog will steal...tin of shortbread, cereal boxes, empty steak containers (right from under nose), sneakers, packets of dried noodles, a carton of eggs, DVD box sets, a book, toilet roll, poop bags... just when I think everything is safe she'll take something else.

She also ate our venetian blinds which was a little scary as they were metal. She can open the kitchen door (now locked always) and this morning she managed to get the door to the spare room open.

Thanks for all the advice folks, very much appreciated. We'll keep at it. Setting up a camera is a good idea though I'd be a little afraid of what I would see!