# 5 YO rescued lab with separation anxiety



## Ninasuazo (Nov 8, 2016)

Hello my dear community, 

I have a 50 lb lab with separation anxiety. My husband and I rescued her from a family that did not want her, and had stopped feeding her. She spent her life chained in a small space but, in spite of her difficult situation, she grew used to having people around most of the time. In our house, even though she is well taken care of ( we love her, she receives training and exercise in the morning and night, is well fed and we constantly take her to the vet) we have to work all day, and she stays home alone for 10 hours (i know it´s alot but this cannot be helped). 

How can I start to reduce her separation anxiety. Please take into consideration that I can only achieve that on mornings and nights or weekends. Is crating a solution? Can you suggest a daily routine? And remember that I love her, I dont want to loose her. 

Thank you for your help.


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## Hiraeth (Aug 4, 2015)

When you say she has SA, what do you mean exactly? Just that she likes being close to you? Or does she become destructive or anxious when you leave? 

It's maybe not an option financially, but could you afford daycare a few days a week? Or a dog walker who could come over halfway through the day and let her out and give her a bit of exercise?


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## Kathyy (Jun 15, 2008)

All my dogs came with some sort of separation anxiety. They all came here as rescues so were displaced somehow, came into the shelter system for a few days to weeks then again upset by going into another home. I know my first dog Sassy was a puppy stray so birth home then possibly adopted home, strayed then to the shelter, rescue, adopted out then given away to another home, strayed then to the shelter, back to the rescue and finally and forever HOME. That's at least 7 'residences' in her first 11 months of life. Crazy. She was discombobulated for months. 

I think it's quite normal for dogs to show this sort of anxiety in a new home. You do what you can to keep the dog safe and noise muffled so the police don't come to your door! I walked my first dog well before I left, left the radio on for her and got her a crate. She was kept in an area away from the street and the windows were shut so she wasn't upset by sounds outside and any wailing was somewhat muffled. I worked on having her comfortable in the crate as part of her training. It's a poor idea leaving a dog loose in the house when you don't know them. I haven't had a dog that ate my house but many dogs will. Rehomed dogs also need a refresher course in potty training, dangerous to leave a brand new dog loose if you haven't had a chance to work on that.

I have dog on slip lead and lead them to the crate and pop dog in then immediately let them out over and over again with cookies for going in and for coming out. I work until I can stand up and move out of sight. If dog balks at going in then keep pressure on and wait. Praise moving in and silence when dog balks. That's part of the training you do daily, a couple minutes at a time a couple times a day. Do not count on being able to close the crate door or stand up and walk away each session, that's not necessary for this daily training. I work it as a game once dog readily goes in. Crate up, dog runs in, ready/set/go, toss treat out of crate and do the reverse as well. I do crate when leaving home as well, ignore the screaming that will happen. 

When I return home new dog is likely screaming and scratching at the crate all excited that I'm home. I move so dog can see me and wait. When dog is quiet and not scratching I move forward and when dog is noisy I freeze. It works wonders from day one doing this. At first dog gets away with scratching and mumbling as I approach the crate but later I only move when paw is off the door and I can barely hear any mumbling. Tail thumping is always okay!

10 hours is a long time. You would need somebody that understands stressed out dogs to handle her. She might not need a walk at all, just a chance to potty in the middle of the day. Bucky and Max are [were] fearful dogs and do not enjoy walks as much as one thinks dogs enjoy walks. Frantic charging doesn't mean the dog is enjoying himself, it can also mean panic.

Do not feel guilty for leaving her and that she is wailing when you leave. It's like brushing your teeth and wearing a seatbelt, just something that has to happen. You will all figure it out in the end. It's always a bit of a rollercoaster adopting a new dog.


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## sandgrubber (May 21, 2014)

good on you for taking on a dog that was being starved and neglected.

I basically agree with Kathy. It's going to take some time. If she is used to being chained, she might be happier outside . . . even if you need to use a cable run (google to get descriptions), but you need to be sensitive to neighbors. It might be good to talk to them and explain the situation. Most people will tolerate with some noise if they understand that it's coming from someone managing a distress situation and willing to listen.

If she's used to and missing people sounds, leaving a radio on to a talk station may help (dogs are lucky . .. .they tune out politics).


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## Ninasuazo (Nov 8, 2016)

Thank you all so much for your much needed advice. It´s been hard for me and my husband. We have already become person non gratta to our neighbors. 

Kathyy, Sassy´s story is heartbreaking and I am so glad that you are her FOREVER home. It looks like you have a lot of experiences with strays and adopting adult dogs, I find that the hardest thing is to reeducate them, since no one took the time to set boundaries and teach them good behavior, they come with a series of bad habits. For example my dog has no self-restrain, it´s something we have been working on a lot. I taught her to "sit", but stay until she can´t see me is still a challenge, we work on "leave it", but when it comes to the trash can, it´s mission impossible haha. 

When I say Separation Anxiety means that when we are not home she will cry her lungs out. She is fine when she is outside, and knows that we are inside the house but once we leave she becomes highly stressed. I will try leaving the radio on to see if that makes a change, but I’m pretty sure she will catch on that there is no one home. 

I am still investigating if I can find a doggy daycare for her, I think it would be great. The problem is that I live in a country where there are not many of these types of services, but I’m still looking. 

I have never contemplated crate training for two reasons, the first is that I didn´t think an adult dog would ever get used to it, and second, how long can a dog be in a crate? 10 hours is too long I think. Is 5 hours ok? Do you recommend that I start crate training? If you do, this will help me leave her inside the house, away from the neighbor’s ears, which will give my husband and me a little peace. But, on the other hand, I´m scared that this will psychologically harm her. 

Thank you again for all your great advice and valuable support.


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## Kathyy (Jun 15, 2008)

Sassy's story isn't unusual. Not all dogs are cherished by families. She likely was a victim of the 1994 earthquake then left in the back yard and strayed from there. Other than a 'pierced' ear likely from a scuffle with another dog she never appeared abused in any way. Dogs live in the moment and it takes a lot to damage a sound dog permanently.

Separation anxiety gets better as the dog feels more secure. Bucky and Max used to howl, both stopped in time. Ginger didn't have much trouble but she's practically perfect! Work on your relationship with gentle training, enjoy her company and slowly it will improve. 

Ginger was 5 years old and is just fine crated. I don't crate my dogs when we leave usually and we don't leave them for 10 hours a day anyway but it's good that it is possible to do so. Workmen coming and going, vet visits, kenneling, car travel are all reasons I'm glad my dogs accept the crate.

You might work on Karen Overall's Relaxation Protocol. It looks like sit stay training with distractions written out for you. Bucky zipped through the 15 day program with only a couple days where he just couldn't manage the new distraction first time it was introduced. I use some of it during walks when he's upset and he clearly calms down. Google for how tos, it's a free program. 

Prevention is best when a dog knows how to get into food. Sassy stole chicken bones from right next to me when she was 16 years old! A lab sized dog can reach anything on the counter or in the sink, push open any door and some even know how to get into the refrigerator and open latched doors. Lessons learned from Sassy are helping with food obsessed Bucky who lucky for us is only 12" tall! Dirty dishes in latched dishwasher, food in upper cabinets and refrigerator, dirty napkins and paper in trash or behind latched doors, trash can behind latched door, clothes that had treats in the pocket in washing machine or behind latched doors.


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