seperation anxiety

right here goes!
We got axel about a month ago now with no regrets.where we got him from was a little quiet village about 20 miles from me.axel was living with his brother.fortunatly he was rehomed/sold/adopted by me,it was through no fault of his own that his previous owner had to rehome him so im not about to s**g the previous owner off..as axel was very well cared for and the previous owner was genuinly gutted..but it was a matter of his tennancy agreement to cut a long story short.
now the problem im having is leaving him which isnt very often.but if i go the school to drop my kids of or collect them axel has to be left alone for a short amount of time.so far iv came back to my kitchen door being removed and ripped to shreads(wasnt a good door anyway),my old oak dinning table looks like its had a battering and doesnt look to good,toys,clothes ect are chewed up.along with the chewing i have about 6 poops and a flooded kithen with pup urine.
he is a fantastic dog so far and have only come across this problem,so,so far so good.i know a cage is an option but i really want to use that as a last resort,i want to be able to leave him and build his confidence.
has anybody elses puppy got this problem or has any body got any ideas or advice i could use
regards
axel and salix

I use a crate, if I didn't Dempsey would have destroyed my house 10 times over by now. It doesn't have to be used as a last resort, as most dogs will get to love their crates as their own private 'den'. Dempsey takes himself off to his crate whenever he's tired and is very comfortable & secure in it. We now leave the door open at night, and during the day if I'm not going to be gone for more than an hour or so. If it's for longer, I still shut the door & he sleeps all the time I'm out, but I'm gradually increasing the time I can go out without shutting the door.

However, if you really don't want to use one, you could try building up the amount of time you can leave him. He's obviously feeling very anxious that you will leave & not come back, so try leaving him for 1 or 2 minutes at a time, and gradually increase it over a few days.

Don't make a fuss when you leave, act as though it's totally normal, and don't make a fuss when you come back in. You'll need to actually go out of the front door, because if you just go into another room your dog will know!

Leave him some toys & perhaps a kong or hollow toy filled with treats that will keep him amused while you're out.

It'll probably be a long job, but it'll work in the end.

I haven't used a crate myself but was very nieve about them until I used this site and saw how people swear by them and that they really are a good thing.

I seperated mine with baby gates. My first, after she destroyed my shoes, and I also woke up to poos over the house was designated to the kitchen, she still used to rip up the floor etc, but with trust, time and effort, and only leaving her for mins at a time she grew out of it. Gradually I moved the gates and she was allowed in the dinning room, then lounge and so on, until she was allowed upstairs. I don't have an answer really, but Salix is just settling so set boundries, trust will come in time. And don't rule out a crate x

thankyou caryll.
at least it gives me an excuse to buy new furniture lol!..that sounds like a good idea regarding the cage and the door unlocked.Its so strange as i have none of it whatsoever when im in..its hard to believe its the same dog thats done it lol..thanks janey..thats another good idea.
xx

salixius wrote:thankyou caryll.
at least it gives me an excuse to buy new furniture lol!..that sounds like a good idea regarding the cage and the door unlocked.Its so strange as i have none of it whatsoever when im in..its hard to believe its the same dog thats done it lol..thanks janey..thats another good idea.
xx

No, he feels safe when you're there. Don't forget that he's only recently been uprooted from his home, and he may well feel that you are going to abandon him as well! A gradual build up of time will also build his trust & reassure him that you will come back every time.

You could try rescue remedy drops.... and leave a radio on playing soft music ( not heavy metal!! haha... ) If you type "Seperation Anxiety " into google you won't believe how many great suggestions there are. I know.. Jethro went through a horror stage himself! Have you had a look at Cesar Millan Dog Whisperer or Victoria Stillwell It's Me Or The Dog web sites. Heaps of info out there...Good luck !!

crates are a godsend, i swear by mine

thanks for all the replies and all the advice given.i have since bought him a crate along with a new matress for it he also got a new kong lol!. At the moment it is placed in the living room and is being used as his bed..he takes all his bits and bobs in it and is lieing in it more each day.i did leave him for twenty minutes on friday with the door closed,when i got back thank gosh all was fine..so very pleased about that.maybe it was the best option for my boy who knows we will see how it goes..
again thanks for the replies
regards
x

Glad it looks like it's going the right way. Very often a crate makes a dog feel much safer & secure - it's their own little den.