seperation anxiety

[DutchGirl]

At my wits end alnost! Its 2am and ive been up three times to a dog who has been trying to escape scratching barking, tearing up things, defacating all over the room!
She started off the night in her crate. She managed to escape tgis some how. Now shes just started again with the constant scratching of the door. She is confined to a small area at night.
Ive tried everything that i can thibk of. she will not go outside to toilet.
Really angry at the guy who sold hee to us he lied like hell! No wonder he rehomed her!
Not sure what to do.

[LyonsFamily]

She's new to you, so you need to give her time to adjust.

First off, I would try a Thundershirt. It's done wonders for my rescue and he would have never gotten to earning free rein of the house without starting with it on in a cage.

Second off, you need to find a good trainer and/or behavioralist to work with you. Dutch Shepherds can be very high maintenance. They require a lot of exercise and a job, or they can get destructive and anxious. Nosework has helped us tremendously. I got Odin for agility work, but I live in a city, with a city lot, so we can only train for that once or twice I week. We practice nosework run-throughs every night in the house so he doesn't get bored.

[DutchGirl]

What's a thundershirt? Don't think I can get that here in UK.
Have to reinforce the crate tonight somehow to stop her escaping.

[LyonsFamily]

A thundershirt is a tight fitting shirt designed for dogs (they have one for cats too) that helps relieve anxiety by providing a swaddling effect on the dogs. It has a special wrapping system to apply pressure in the right spaces. Amazon UK offers the shirt with free delivery. It's really amazing how well it works for a lot of dogs, including my own. http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B002 ... t-supplies

Your girl would probably be a large, but I'd double check the size chart.

Your husband is going to have to help out, especially if it was his idea to get her. Dutch Shepherds aren't an easy dog for the average owner, especially one with an unknown past. They can be great once settled, but they need constant work and attention.

[katm4110]

Hang in there! We adopted a 3 year old DS a month ago and while we are extremely lucky that she is house broke and doesn't destroy things her unknown past is frustrating. She has some quirky behaviors that bother me but I can't tell you how much better I feel now that we are working (private lessons) with a good trainer. He's familiar with the breed and instead of him telling us what she needs to work on he asked us what we want from her and we focus on those things. I'm a stay at home mom of 5 little kids so I rely on my husband a lot to help with Stella. It makes all the difference!

Do you have a kennel for her? We bought one (about $80) and it closes securely. She goes in there anytime I leave the house and used to at night but is allowed to stay out now that we know she doesn't bother anything.

[Dutchringgirl]

Do you have zip ties or anything like that? You could reenforce the crate with them and then let her learn to stay in. The more she escapes the harder it will be to keep her in, she will know she can get out and just keep trying. Her pooping all over the room is out of anger or frustration. How is her down/stay? you could work on that to help her with some separation. Put her in a down/ stay and walk a foot away, come back and reward, slowly walk farther away, do it slow and show her that its okay for her to be away from you. DS are high energy/drive dogs, as cute as they are, they are not for everyone.

[Christie M]

If its true anxiety and is this bad, I would recommend a clinical behaviorist who is skilled in pharmaceutical intervention. She is suffering, thus acting the way that she is. Medications may sound extreme, but it will make her mentally and physically more comfortable while you go about behavior modification. I would be happy to private message you the dosage protocols that I preferred when I was practicing behavior at a referral veterinary hospital.

Unfortunately, extra efforts at keeping her confined will likely result in self injury.

Exhaustion helps. Mental and physical stimulation will help a great deal. But in the end, you need a quick fix and behavior mod takes time. Simple sedation is not OK (like benedryl or acepromazine). She still will experience the anxiety, but not be able to react to it physically. It can make things worse. Anxiety specific medications are the key.

[k9katet]

Where is the crate? Where is she confined? Is she in your bedroom with you or in a room alone?