All new suggestions, greatfully received..

Ok.. So.. This is going to be a bit of an essay but my head is in a pickle and i feel like i need some help.

I shall start at the beginning. We got our Thomas on the 23rd March.. He was found as a stray in October 2011, approx 6 months old. He spent a couple of months in Kennels and had a bit of a meltdown, couldnt cope with the stress and started to get snappy. One of the dog-walkers fostered him for 3 months and in that time he lived with their other dog, a staffXmastiff. She taught him basic obedience, house trained him, socialised him, taught him re-call etc. Basically did an amazing job! She did say that he showed signs of Separation Anxiety and would chew things if they were left lying around but could be left on his own.

We both took the first week off when we got him so we could work on his separation issues.. To start with, we couldnt leave him for 5 mins and he wouldnt sleep downstairs on his own. He didnt just cry, he pulled the curtains down, tipped the bin etc. Was just generally destructive.

We moved his bed to the landing, just outside our bedroom door and he slept through. After the first week it got to the point where we could leave him for a few hours and he was fine. At this point he had the run of the downstairs. But then it started to go downhill.. Boredom perhaps?

I will list the things we tried/still do to help him..
Frozen Kong
Half hour run every morning. Without fail! Hour of playing fetch and general sniffing about every evening. Walk or play with the horses in the afternoon.
Classic FM
TV on
Hidden treats
LOADS of cardboard and different texture toys, rotated frequently
Additive free food
Valerian based calmer
DAP collar

He is only left for a few hours at a time.. 4 max in the morning when i have to go to work. If we both work full days, OH comes home for lunch and my parents will walk him mid afternoon.

In the time we have had him, he has destroyed..
Curtains, curtain pole, blinds, decorative crap left lying around (my fault, not his), books, bookcase, various wires, dvd's x-box games, tv cabinet, games chair, arm chair, sofa.. Carpet.

The foster girl said she had crate trained him but he really didnt like it and could escape and would hurt himself etc, etc.. I also read that crate training wont necessarily help a stressed dog, so we didnt try it until this weekend. After he ate the sofa, he was confined to the hallway. EVERYTHING was Vick'ed and anti-chew sprayed to within an inch of its life and he still ripped up and ate the carpet.

We introduced the crate over the weekend and he was happy to go in and be left for upto an hour and a half.. We built up and left him for 1hr15 to do some food shopping yesterday and he'd managed to break out. Even with it clipped. But he happily slept in it with the door shut for most of the evening. He doesnt seem stressed.. He does in fact, seem very happy and mostly pleased with himself.

Im currently at work and feeling very nervy.. He is currently (hopefully) padlocked into his crate and (hopefully) sleeping. I feel like a monster but he has left us no choice. OH swore that we would have to give him up, after his escape yesterday.. He has calmed down now but is on such thin ice. Am i doing the right thing or would he be better with another family? I dont want to give him up but im seriously runnning out of ideas.. And if he is so stressed that he needs to destroy everything, is it even fair on him????

I love him to bits, he is perfect in every other way.. Im soo confused!

It does indeed sound like seperation anxiety and you are on the right path. Given he is a rescue it's hard to know a complete history and if anything really bad has happened. Given this is his third home it will take some time for a bond and trust to form.

Exercise is a great help. I would try to take him out for an hour before being left alone instead of 30 minutes. A tired dog is a good dog and a little extra exercise can make a big difference.

There are lots of different opinions on crates and I wouldn't leave mine in one alone for very long. There isn't anything wrong with it but I don't want them to associate it with punishement.

Thats how i see it.. He's not massively food orientated though so we cant get him super-excited with special treats. I keep hiding tasty things in there so he thinks its a magical place where treats appear but he's not that bothered!
I dont want him to hate it, which is why we settled him in there last night. When we are home, the door is generally open and he'l happily wander in and out so i dont think he hates it.. He has toys and blankets and pillows and a blanket over the top.

When he escaped yesterday, he had just been out on a HUGE 2 hour hike.. Running, sniffing, fetching.. Loads of hills too. He should have been exhausted, he was flat out in the car on the way home!

Its so hard, i really want to start enjoying him but its making me scared to go home! I've got visions of him hurting himself trying to get out. I dont like him being in there but i dont feel like he has left us any other choice..

Is there a small section of the house that you can confine him to that is dog proof so he can't be hurt? Suki also had seperation anxiety issues. We left her in a small area of the house for a brief bit and then increased the area she was allowed into as well as the time left alone.

There were some incidents but with patience she grew out of it and is now fine for 5-6 hours on her own as lng as she is exercised.

We tried that with shutting him in the hallway.. Removed everything we could and used Vick on the rest.
While he was in there, he learnt how to open the door to my treatment room. Add on locks didnt work so we had to change the door mechanism. Once he stopped being able to get in there, he ripped up the carpet!

Going home in a minute so will see what he's been up to.. Im figuring it will just take time but he's showing no signs of stopping yet!

Thanks for your help x

Hope he's been good. The only other thing I can think of is having someone stop by more frequently and increasing the time left alone form there if that is possible for you.

Have patience though because I think we have all been through something similar.

I would hugley sugest a crate.....
A crate is sooo not a punishment its a special safe place that eventually the dog will love. Get a nice big crate, the biggest u can. Put in in a quiet place, mine is under the stairs and cover it with a big old blanket so its like a den. Start off with filling it with a lovely soft place and loads of treats and toys etc and just leave it open when your in the house. After a few days of him growing used to it keep an eye out for when he goes in there and shut the door behind him for a minute then let him out with no fuss or praise just really normal. Gradually biuld up the time u leave the door shut for.....then when u shut him in go in another room etc etc then start by shutting him in then walking out the front door then come in and let him out and gradually build that time up etc. If u introduce the crate slowly like this he wont have any problems getting used to it, and u will have the peace of mind of him being safe when u go out and will have a house to come back to...Please dont see the crate as a punishment , your dog wont if u use in the in right way! The only way he will see it as a punishment is if u start putting him in there when he is being naughty or u are shouting at him.

We had a staffy before that suffered with seperation anxiety. We didn't want to crate him (I had it in my head that it sounded cruel) but when he was left alone, even for 10 mins, he would destroy things so we decided to give it a go. He was loads better after crate training him. He used to howl and cry before, but after he would run in there when he knew we were going out and wait for his treat, and he wouldn't make a sound untill we were back. He did learn to pull the side at one point to get out (think something upset him one day, maybe someone knocking at the door, and once he learnt he could do it he kept getting out) so we cable tied the sides and he stopped. He used to sleep in there at nights with the door open, and he would go in it on his own if he wanted some peace.

If he likes going in there then I don't think he will see it as a punishment, as long as he is never put in there after being told off. Maybe keep some of his favourite treats, or a toy that is just for in his crate so he gets something different to keep him occupied while he's in there, and also try the longer walks before you have to go to work.

It is stressful when you don't know what you are going to come home too, at least with him crated you know that everything will be fine when you get home and then you can enjoy more time together

Hi, have you heard of a thundershirt? They're supposed to help with anxiety, they have some really good reviews..

I don't have any experience, but there's no way I could leave Callie for even 10 minutes uncrated. She would chew everything and swallow any small object she could find And poop in the dining room which is her favorite private restroom...

I think she's fine in her downstairs (kitchen) crate when I go out for short periods. Walks in by herself most of the time, rarely whines, nests in her blanket, usually naps (she's always yawning when I come back). I leave music on for her and make sure she has toys and a treat. She also sleeps in a crate next to my daughter's bed at night. We don't use her crate for punishment, though sometimes I'll put her in for a quick nap if she is tired, biting, irritable.

I know your dog is older. But I don't think Callie minds. I wouldn't presume to tell you how to do it with an older dog, but it sounds like other posters know how.

kate32 wrote:Hi, have you heard of a thundershirt? They're supposed to help with anxiety, they have some really good reviews..

Yes, I was going to sugest that. A couple of people on here have tried them & they really do seem to work. Vanessa, one of the mods uses one for Jethro & it's helped him tremendously.

Thanks so much for all your suggestions!

The saga continued yesterday, i got in from work and he'd managed to pull the blanket from the top of his crate, inside.. But in the process got it caught on one of the clips and jammed it. Took me 15 mins and 2 pairs of pliers to free him!! Then i had to leave him for an hour, so i added another caribiner. When i got back he had escaped again! He had also managed to get some raw turkey out of the bin and eat it. It was tied in a carrier bag and he didnt even knock the bin over! Its like a really bad sit-com.. All we could do was laugh!!

Is raw turkey bad for them??? He is off his food today. Bit of a smelly bum but nothing too unusual for him!

I did think about a thundershirt.. Its a definate possibility if he cant settle in his crate. Some people are saying just leave him, once he realises he cant get out, he will have no choice but to settle. Is that right or will he just get worse? He has 15 cable ties, 3 caribiners and 2 padlocks today, dont think he'l be getting out..!

Also, with regard to exercise in the morning, we used to try and knacker him out playing fetch but stopped incase chasing stuff was making him too hyper before being left.. So now he goes for a jog instead. Any thoughts on this?

Thanks again.

A good long walk is best for him to settle down, not a fun romp with a ball! If you want him to have off lead exercise, do it during the middle of his walk, and them clip his lead on for the last 10 minutes to calm him down before you bring him home.

Then get a routine sorted out. Maybe put him in his crate & then do a couple of bits & pieces around the house before just walking straight out. Don't say good bye or fuss him - he needs to feel that it's simply part of an everyday occurance & that you'll be back soon.

Have you thought about getting him a stag bar to chew on?

Hello, If he does need more rigorous exercise, you could try riding a bike with him trotting alongside.

Ha!! Thats what we figured Caryll.. Will try a longer walk with some sniff time in the middle tomorrow.
We're pretty set in the routine, he has his morning exercise at 6.30 am every day (even weekends and horrible rainy days!), has his breakfast, potters around and then goes in his crate for a bit. We started putting him in with his Kong 10 mins before we leave..

I read about stag bars this morning, they seem like a really good idea. Was gonna look on Amazon this evening.. Do they go mad for them? At the moment he doesnt go crazy for any one particular toy or chew, would be good if we can find something to bribe him with!!!

Dempsey has two stag bars & they are the only chew things he hasn't been able to destroy! He loves them.

Suki doesn't seem to have a favorite but the stag bar has lasted a very long time

In that case, my shopping list for today is a Thundershirt and a stag bar..

Off home in a mo to assess the damage!!

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Thunder-Shirt-Dog-Anxiety-Size-M-/110879720979?pt=UK_Pet_Supplies_Dogs&hash=item19d0f24613

http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/Dogs-/20742/i.html?_nkw=stag+bar&_catref=1&_sc=1&_sop=15&_trksid=p3286.c0.m1538

With the stag bar, get the large one - they don't come very big!

Ooh, just found one for £12 with 3 hours left.. Will keep an eye on it. And get a large bar.. The pupper does have rather a large mouth to keep occupied!!

Thanks!

Well im sure everyone here knows i don't agree with crating at all, esp when you are out of the house for a long time. Would it be possible for you to get a pen in your yard that he would be secure in during the day then can come in at night? This would stop the inside destruction and with plenty of toys a big walk in the morning and well fed before you go to work, he should hopefully settle into the routine. Its all about routine and being firm, if you give in when he cries he will knwo that it gets him places and do it.

In the long run a pen would cost less than a neww sofa every month lol

I dont trust him to be left in a pen! We did chat about it but he loves a dig and would destroy the garden and probably find his way out.. Plus, i know it sounds horrid, but there has been a thing fairly locally about a couple of staffies being stolen.. As much as he's a pain in the bum and im prob being paranoid, i dont want someone to burgalarise him!!! He's never left in there all day, 4-4.5 hours max. Even if we both have to work full days(which isnt often because i work from home), he gets regular visits and a walk mid afternoon. I dont like them either but he hasnt left us much choice!

The thundershirt is on its way though.. And he didnt manage to escape yesterday! Altho, he was a poorly boy because of the turkey, didnt eat until tea and then sicked up what he did eat. Poor man.

Seems brighter today, so hopefully he is better. Will keep an eye.. Will find out what fun and games he's had this morning shortly too!