separation anxiety - shelter resuce

[mischasmom]

I rescued a shelter dog about 6 weeks ago and she is perfect. . . when I am home. When I am gone, it is another story. I've been through an air kennel and three wire crates at this point. I've tried leaving her out in the house and boy was that a mistake (and I was only gone for ten minutes!)

Though I walk her and she poops before I put her in the kennel, I will often come home to a kennel full of poop (which she has rolled in). At times I will only leave for thirty minutes, but she poops THAT quick. (And no, its not a medical issue, she has had countless fecals).

If she doesn't poop on herself then she sets about destroying the kennel. She has nearly pulled off three metals doors from a "heavy duty" wire crate. At this point I am using master locks to try and ease that problem. Keep in mind, she's only 30 pounds! (Does anyone know the brand of a sturdy crate?? The ones from Petco aren't holding up).

I've already read A LOT online about the issue and tried many recommendations, but maybe there is something that I'm missing.

Here's what I've tried:
- she LOVES a kong filled with peanut butter. She only gets that treat/toy when she is in the kennel
- she goes in the kennel willingly and will lay down (relaxed) with the door closed when I'm at home
- I make multiple short trips outside to try to acclimate her to the experience of "being left" (but honestly, she's fine before I leave and even as I leave she seems relaxed)
- doggy Prozac (for three days) but it caused her to stop eating and to throw up
- a DAP plug-in (emits some sort of pheromone that dogs can smell and is supposed to help calm them)
- a sedative from the vet (but it actually makes her MORE wired)
- music
- we are now trying calming pills from target (a co-worker recommended) and an additive for her water (something from Petco that is supposed to help calm dogs)
- Just today I tried spraying "Bitter Yuck" on the crate door (hoping to keep her from pulling on it) but alas, she completely ignored it and still managed to do some damage on her brand new kennel (thank God for the 30 day return policy at Petco!)



Any more suggestions for us? I LOVE this dog and I am not giving up on her. I am seriously concerned for her safety and well-being and this is controlling MY life. Every time I come home my blood pressure rises with the anticipation of what I might find. I'd love to keep her with me all the time, but that's just not feasible and shes honestly not left alone that much (3-5 hours a day).

Any help would be appreciated!
Mischa's Mom

* Mischa is a 30 lb mix that looks like exactly like a sandy colored Canaan dog. She is full grown and about 1.5 years old.

[_Lisa_]

First let me say that you are doing a really awesome thing, separation anxiety is not something that is easily fixed because every dog is different & responds differently.

My rescue dog, a 50 lbs. boxer mix, had severe separation anxiety when we first brought her home. She tore the door off the wire crates, chewed through the air holes in the airline crates, cracked window panes, lost teeth, pulled up carpet, etc. I have tried just about everything you listed above: DAP, amitriptyline, kongs, music, & so on-but absolutely NONE of them worked as well as getting a second dog. (By the way, turning music on as you leave the house is just signaling to your dog that you're leaving & starting his anxiety sooner than necessary. You should only leave the music/tv on if its on when you are also home.)

I know it seems like a terrible idea at first, because you never know what kinds of problems the second dog will have! But we fostered to adopt & waited until we found the right dog to fit our home. Its been since April & our boxer mix is almost completely cured of her anxiety. Sometimes we still come home & find her wet where she panted & drooled in her cage, but it doesn't happen often.

By the way, this crate below is the only one she could never escape from, and the best part is that you can always just re-order some parts instead of buying the whole crate again (we replaced the door once before we got the second dog, and have a second door on hand but haven't had to use it!)

http://www.petmate.com/Catalog.plx?ID=1546&SizeID=2

Also, there are so many other threads detailing what some of us have been through with our own pets & their anxiety-maybe read up on them to see what we've tried! Check this one out:

http://forums.petlovers.com/vb/showthread.php?t=23361

[dagny82]

You're doing everything right, it sounds like this is a pretty bad case of separation anxiety though, and you might want to think about hiring a professional behavior expert with experience training (both you and Mischa) to deal with this.

[katiem]

I don't know what your $ is like right now, but if you don't feel it's the right time for a second dog you might want to try a doggie daycare for the times when you have to be gone all day.
How is she if she is left out of her crate while you are gone? Maybe you could confine her in the kitchen until you know how she behaves loose in the house?
She is still in a transition period, so with any luck these problems may cure themselves in time. Good luck!

[_Lisa_]

I don't know what your $ is like right now, but if you don't feel it's the right time for a second dog you might want to try a doggie daycare for the times when you have to be gone all day.

Hey Katie, just a note...in my experience, doggie daycare has been exponentially more expensive than just owning another dog. Even with doggie maintenance (heartworm, flea prevention, & extra food) the second dog has cost $350 less per month than putting 1 dog in the local doggie daycare at $20/day (and thats only counting week days & not weekends!)

[mischasmom]

I can't get another dog, unfortunately. I own a condo and we're only supposed to have one pet (and I have two cats, too!).

I cannot leave her out in the house, even for five minutes. I'm amazed at how quickly she will destroy things.

I cannot leave her in the kitchen. I have not found a gate that she will not scale. And she is a wonderful jumper, too. My kitchen has a pass through, so I'm pretty sure that even IF I could find an appropriate gate, she'd find another way out.

I came home today to more poop in the kennel and all over the dog, too.
The vet is going to try another sedative... we'll see.

Thanks for the comments and I will check out that other thread.
Pray for us!

[_Lisa_]

I really don't think sedatives are the way to go unless you are also doing anti-anxiety training at home. Combined you will have a pretty good chance at minimizing the separation anxiety, but without both the meds you are spending money on is useless.

I mentioned this in the thread I linked you to earlier:

Pick up your keys, put down your keys, pick up your keys, put down your keys, etc. Put on your shoes, take off your shoes, put on your shoes, take off your shoes, etc. Leave the house, come in the house, leave the house, come in the house, etc.

What you are doing is trying to disassociate everything that is part of your "leaving routine" so that your pup doesn't think twice about it when you do actually leave.

Continue with the crate training, and consider the petmate like I have, they come in different sizes (and are cheaper the smaller they get!)

[mynameislola]

Have you tried the wire crate that has the pins in the corners that hold it together? I use barrel clips to hold the pins in place.

My favorite site regarding your problem: http://www.hsus.org/pets/pet_care/our_pets_for_life_program/dog_behavior_tip_sheets/separation_anxiety.html

[katiem]

Hey Katie, just a note...in my experience, doggie daycare has been exponentially more expensive than just owning another dog. Even with doggie maintenance (heartworm, flea prevention, & extra food) the second dog has cost $350 less per month than putting 1 dog in the local doggie daycare at $20/day (and thats only counting week days & not weekends!)


I didn't suggest it was cheaper than owning a second dog, I said that if she had the money to do so Doggie Daycare could be an option if she couldn't get a secong dog for whatever reason. Maybe I wasn't clear enough.

[_Lisa_]

I didn't suggest it was cheaper than owning a second dog, I said that if she had the money to do so Doggie Daycare could be an option if she couldn't get a secong dog for whatever reason. Maybe I wasn't clear enough.


You definitely weren't clear in your post. I took it as suggesting that if money was too tight to own a second dog then she should go to doggie daycare instead (which is much more expensive.) Thanks for clearing that up.