Help with our escape artist

Good afternoon everyone,

I am hoping that you all can help my wife and I. Here is our situation.

A couple of months ago, we rescued a 1 year old Shepard/Bulldog mix from our local SPCA. She was doing really well for about a week. Over the past few weeks however, she has been a terror. The main issue we are struggling with is she has SEVERE seperation anexity. We will put her in her crate in the morning when we leave for work. She is in there for 7-8 hours. When we get home from work, she is usually out.

She figuered out how to open the crate, so we put locks on the latches so she couldn't get them open. She managed to bend the metal of the crate and escape through the openings she makes. She has damaged the crate so much we can no longer use it. We got her one of those very large metal crates from Petsmart.

When she escapes, she chews things up. She has gotten hold of TV Remotes, Loaves of Bread and in one case, she pulled a steak knife out of our sink. We have talked to our vet about the problem and he put her on Kloacalm. (I know that is not how you spell it). The medicine has no effect on her. We tried buying one of those comfort zone things that work kind of like a Glade Plug In and that has no effect either.

She gets approx one hour of excersise a day.

We are coming to the end of our paitence with her. We really do not want to get rid of her but it is looking that way.

I guess here are the questions I have:

1. How can we get her to stay calm while we are gone?

2. How do we teach her to chew on her own toys? She has lots of them.

3. I was thinking about getting her one of those large plastic crates with the door on it. I would put her in there in the morning, come home for lunch and take her outside to use the bathroom. Than I would just let her roam while I go back to work. Would that work?

If anyone can help us, I would be very thankful.

Sorry this is so long.

Well hm..7-8 hours in crate is kind of a long time..I would get bored to and try to escape lol . Maybe give her more things to do, like chew toys (not the edible ones) the rubber ones. That keeps my dog occupied. Maybe put some of the little things around your house, like your tv remote, or whatever really high up or in a room she cannot get to until she is trained not to chew. If you catch her chewing on something, redirect her attention towards something else or something she should be chewing on. I wouldn't let her roam around until she is trained more. She could swallow something very bad. Is there a room in your home where she could stay, if you shut the door? You could doggy proof the room and give her toys in there and that may give her a little more room to hang out. Good luck with you doggy.

I also agree that 7-8 hours in a crate is exceptionally long. I can't imagine not being able to go to the bathroom for that long!!!! Is there someone who could come home mid way through the day to let the dog out? That might help with some of the dogs boredom and frustration.

It sounds to me like your puppy (one year old is still a puppy) needs more training and exercise.

One hour of exercise per day is not enough for an active and intelligent puppy like a shepherd mix. I'd double it at least. Increase her training, too. Your dog needs mental stimulation as well as physical, and working her brain will often do wonders. Get her into a good obedience class. Agility would be even better.

I know it seems like chaos now, but things do have the potential to get better. Your girl is going through the height of canine adolescence, which is the most trying time in a dog's life. I think if you take some steps to work with her, things will turn out fine.

:hail: :hail: She is very very right about that.....if she is anything like my shepherd mix, she will need A LOT of exercise and mental stimulation...such as fetch, a ball, a rope toy, anything to keep her mind off of destruction....(of your stuff)...

To me it sounds like classic separation anxiety. There are a ton of sites out there to help with this relatively common problem, expecially with rescues.

Exercise is huge, a tired dog is a happy dog, but it will come down to retraining her behavior.

I have Weimaraners, a breed which is pretty much always at low level separation anxiety, even in the best of dogs.

Here are some sites to check out that I agree with. I have highlighted some info I especially agree with.

http://www.wagntrain.com/SeparationAnx.htm
Try to make your arrivals and departures very boring and low-key. Don't make a big fuss over saying hello and goodbye. Be very casual and up-beat.

Get your dog used to your getting-ready-to-leave cues, like picking up keys and jacket. Go through these actions repeatedly during the time when you're staying home, without actually leaving. If your dog has already learned to associate his fears with your depature cues, it will take a lot of repetitions before the dog will get it.

Give your dog more exercise. A tired dog is a good dog! A dog can sleep most of the day if he's tired enough. Most young dogs could use 20-100 minutes of full-speed running per day. Increase your dog's exercise. Don't forget mental exercise, like training, exploring new places, encountering new smells, and social interaction with other dogs. Taking your dog to a park where he can run and play with others may be crucial. (Find dog parks around San Jose here.)

Give your dog something to do while you're gone! What does your dog do all day? Wait around for you to come home? Give your dog an hobby. Jean Donaldson calls the solution to a lot of dog problems "work-to-eat" programs. Stuff a Kong or a hollow prepared bone, fill up a Buster Cube or Roll-A-Treat, scatter the dog's food in the grass or hide several chew treats around the house (see the Merchandise page for a description of some of these items). A dog that is working for goodies is not barking or chewing, and a dog that is eating is not very stressed!

Humane Society
Leave your dog with an article of clothing that smells like you—such as an old t-shirt that you've slept in recently.
Establish a "safety cue"—a word or action that you use every time you leave that tells your dog you'll be back. Dogs usually learn to associate certain cues with short absences by their owners. For example, when you take out the garbage, your dog knows you come right back and doesn't become anxious. Therefore, it's helpful to associate a safety cue with your short-duration absences.


http://www.paw-rescue.org/PAW/PETTIPS/DogTip_SeparationAnx.html
* Feed the dog her meals in her crate. Give her yummy toys only when in her crate (at least during the retraining period). Convey the idea that "all good things happen in the crate." Cin says you can leave the crate door open for the first few weeks while she's eating if that helps her acclimate to the new routine.

* Don't let an anxious dog drape himself on you when you're watching TV, on the computer, etc. "Remember, it's all about confidence," says Cin.

* Ignore the dog at least 10 to 15 minutes before leaving and after returning home. Avoid emotional greetings and departures. You want to teach her that your leaving is not a major event.

* Practice using the crate when you're home. Give the dog a toy that contains something edible, such as a Kong stuffed with kibble and/or peanut butter, while you're reading or watching TV. Let the dog out when she's calm and quiet. Resist the urge to let a dog out of a crate when she's barking or displaying other anxiety symptoms, because that rewards the behavior you're trying to reverse.


**google "Dog Separation Anxiety" for a ton more links

These are similar to what we're going through with our Border Collie. We've had luck til recently penning of the kitchen. Despite the warehouse of toys (anything from squeaky toys to pull ropes to treat filled kongs, the dog will tear up anything he can get ahold of. Fortunately he hasn't jumped up on either of our restored antique coke machines. This afternoon, it was back in the crate.

Great post Novel, you said exactly what I was going to recommend.

I was also going to suggest crating the dog for a few minutes or an hour here and there on days when you can be home, that way the dog doesn't associate the crate with you leaving for a long time.