Anxiety Issues

Hi everyone,

Ive had Rex about 6 weeks now and he was rescued by myself and my partner on Freecycle.

The lady we had him off didn't tell us much about him, he had a big dog kennel in the garden so i assume he slept or at least spent most of his time out there.

Rex really has Anxiety and Abandonment issues.  He has got rather obsessed with my partner, He follows him around and doesnt leave him alone. When he aint arround hes then the same with me, He follows me, Ive gone outside and shut the door and hes jumped out the window after me, He was put in a large cage for an hour as i had to pop out to an appointment, He had his water dispenser, his bed, his toys and i left him with a few treats.

When i had returned his plastic dog bed had been chewed and was in 2 peices



His water dispenser had been chewed apart and he spent the entire time barking according to my neighbour.

Has anyone got any suggestions? Im not sure how he was previously treated and if that is a reason to why he is like this. I love him to bits but i cant do anything without him.

Hey! Sounds like quite a bad case of separation anxiety.. I've read a great training booklet recently called "I'll be home soon" by Patricia McConnell. I swear by her methods, that have helped my fear aggressive rescue so much. The booklet lays out a simple to follow, but independent training plan for separation anxiety. Before you call in a behaviourist I would suggest giving it a read, but if all else fails professional help may be the way to go as it can be a very complex behavioural problem.

That was supposed to say "in depth" not independent, sorry, auto correct!

Thanks, where would i be able to find this book?

where would i be able to find this book?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ill-Be-Home-Soon-Separation/dp/1891767054

a look inside
https://www.patriciamcconnell.com/store/files/images/I'll%20Be%20Home%20Soon%20Look%20Inside.pdf

Thank you very much

Suki was like this as well. We started leaving her alone for a few minutes at a time and gradually built up from there. We also made sure she was exercised before we left her alone. She is good now for 8-10 hours by herslf without a problem.

I had a foster dog like this - she tried to jump out of my top floor window once, she was so distressed. She also chewed up the entire window frame. However, we took it one step at a time - one minute on her own, then two minutes. I also found that she was less fearful in different environments - i.e. fine in the car.

Bottom line is that this is a problem that can definitely be resolved. It just takes rather a long time, and lots of patience and confidence from you. Six weeks is not a long time and he is still adjusting to his new home. I can imagine it will take some time for him to trust you will come back at all.

Well done for rescuing - how did you come across Rex and why did you decide to take him in? I love rescue stories. He looks like a happy dog.

Ps. Rupert, my rescue, once trashed my entire bedroom because of separation anxiety. That would never happen now. Things can change.