Anxiety In A Rescue Dog

[Michelleva]

Hi Guys,

We took in our first foster in December, she was stressed out and shut down when we got her, as she'd come from a puppy farm. But she improved quickly here. She did get adopted a couple of weeks ago and when she was adopted, she was great. She was starting to play and getting more and more confident. Unfortunately, her new home didn't work out and they returned her after 10 days. She has come back with some seperation anxiety. So far, I think I've managed it ok. I'm just ignoring the barking, whining etc and just not engaging with her when she's having a meltdown.

I was out this morning and her and my dog were both crated. My dog always barks in excitement when I get home, and once she's quiet I let her out. However, today the rescue had a meltdown in the crate, she barked, whined, circled etc for at least 10 mins. Should I let my dog out if she's calm and keep the rescue crated until she calms down?

Can anyone advise if I'm on the right track. I don't believe she is severe, because she can be in another room and is fine, she is even ok outside the majority of the time. Its usually just the first 5 mins where she freaks out and then she calms down. Yesterday she had random times where she would just freak out and start barking for no apparant reason.

She's a sheltie, and they have a tendancy to be a bit on the nervous side anyway. She's only been back since Sunday, so its going to take some time to get her right again.

[Leah82]

Poor Bonnie, I imagine it's extremely frustrating to have her take so many steps backwards after all the work you've put in and how well she was doing.

I'm afraid I don't have much advise for this issue, both ours get pretty loud and excited when we get home from work but they are outside so we often wait until they have quietened down a bit and then let them inside, Collie is the main issue so he's straight on a leash and has to do a bit of work before we put him on his bed or in his crate for a bit of quiet time, this helps him release his excited energy.

I wonder if a DAP collar could help Bonnie while she's settling back in your home.

[schnauzer]

A couple of months for an ex puppy farm dog is very, very early days. Most take years to rehab.

I own two ex pf dogs and have rescued many. When I rescue them and bring them home, I just let them be and allow them to follow the other dogs. I don't make any fuss of them, just quietly speak to them "good boy" or whatever. They should IMO always be placed with a very stable dog, so that they can follow. I also don't crate them if they have been rescued from a cage/kennel situation. I give them a "safe place" basket/area they can retreat to in the house. I toilet train them the same as an eight week old pup including getting up and taking out during the night. This way they are very easily toilet trained. My male "paced" all night initially but settled after a week or so. Two years on, he can still be frightened of certain things - such as skateboards/bikes etc. You will find she progresses and regresses - it is part of rehab. Some great advice I got from a behaviourist was not to treat them as a "rescue" or feel sorry form them. Just work gently and quietly and they improve. I have found my two the most rewarding rescues I have ever done.

If rehoming Bonnie make sure she goes to a home with a stable dog - I also never rehome ex pf dogs to families with children.

Edited February 12, 2014 by schnauzer

[Michelleva]

A couple of months for an ex puppy farm dog is very, very early days. Most take years to rehab.

I own two ex pf dogs and have rescued many. When I rescue them and bring them home, I just let them be and allow them to follow the other dogs. I don't make any fuss of them, just quietly speak to them "good boy" or whatever. They should IMO always be placed with a very stable dog, so that they can follow. I also don't crate them if they have been rescued from a cage/kennel situation. I give them a "safe place" basket/area they can retreat to in the house. I toilet train them the same as an eight week old pup including getting up and taking out during the night. This way they are very easily toilet trained. My male "paced" all night initially but settled after a week or so. Two years on, he can still be frightened of certain things - such as skateboards/bikes etc. You will find she progresses and regresses - it is part of rehab. Some great advice I got from a behaviourist was not to treat them as a "rescue" or feel sorry form them. Just work gently and quietly and they improve. I have found my two the most rewarding rescues I have ever done.

If rehoming Bonnie make sure she goes to a home with a stable dog - I also never rehome ex pf dogs to families with children.

Thanks for the great advice. Bonnie loves her crate, its her safe place she goes to if she gets overwhelmed at any stage. They told me that she wasn't a really difficult case, she came around really quickly but has had quite a set back. I just want to get her back to how she was before she left. She was starting to play and interact with everyone, it was fantastic to see. I have to believe she's been at that point before, she can get there again.

[schnauzer]

A couple of months for an ex puppy farm dog is very, very early days. Most take years to rehab.

I own two ex pf dogs and have rescued many. When I rescue them and bring them home, I just let them be and allow them to follow the other dogs. I don't make any fuss of them, just quietly speak to them "good boy" or whatever. They should IMO always be placed with a very stable dog, so that they can follow. I also don't crate them if they have been rescued from a cage/kennel situation. I give them a "safe place" basket/area they can retreat to in the house. I toilet train them the same as an eight week old pup including getting up and taking out during the night. This way they are very easily toilet trained. My male "paced" all night initially but settled after a week or so. Two years on, he can still be frightened of certain things - such as skateboards/bikes etc. You will find she progresses and regresses - it is part of rehab. Some great advice I got from a behaviourist was not to treat them as a "rescue" or feel sorry form them. Just work gently and quietly and they improve. I have found my two the most rewarding rescues I have ever done.

If rehoming Bonnie make sure she goes to a home with a stable dog - I also never rehome ex pf dogs to families with children.

Thanks for the great advice. Bonnie loves her crate, its her safe place she goes to if she gets overwhelmed at any stage. They told me that she wasn't a really difficult case, she came around really quickly but has had quite a set back. I just want to get her back to how she was before she left. She was starting to play and interact with everyone, it was fantastic to see. I have to believe she's been at that point before, she can get there again.

Of course she can. Who was her new home with and did they have a dog for company? I would highly recommend to the group rehoming her. 1. She is placed in a quite home with no children/visiting children. 2. With a very stable dog. 3. With people who will train her and are prepared to work with an ex pf dog - they are not like placing a "rescue" dog.

Edited February 12, 2014 by schnauzer

[Michelleva]

No she was an only dog and that was probably part of the problem, but I also think they expected too much from her, too soon. Thats in the past now, I'm not dwelling on it, we're just moving forward. I've taken your advice and am giving her less attention, just letting her float around wherever she wants to. And I've told the rest of the family to do the same.

Before she was rehomed, I could take her to the park and she would wander around and walk up to people she didn't know for a pat, even kids. I'm eager to see that little dog return. :)

She was easy to toilet train too, we only ever had two accidents. I treated her as a puppy too and just took her outside regularly.

There is a good chance she may be a foster failure... yep that would make me the worst foster carer ever. :laugh:

ETA - she just picked up a toy and started playing with it.. there is hope.

Edited February 12, 2014 by Michelleva

[Kajtek]

There is a good chance she may be a foster failure... yep that would make me the worst foster carer ever. :laugh:

+ 1.

My first foster dog became my FF. I am worse than you - I never even attempted to find him a home. He was mine after a few days.

[schnauzer]

The mistake the rescue made was rehoming her as an only dog. PF dogs have had company their entire lives and to go to being an only dog makes them even more insecure.

I hope she is a foster failure - I have three :)

[Michelleva]

There is a good chance she may be a foster failure... yep that would make me the worst foster carer ever. :laugh:

+ 1.

My first foster dog became my FF. I am worse than you - I never even attempted to find him a home. He was mine after a few days.

That makes me feel so much better. :D

[VizslaMomma]

There is a good chance she may be a foster failure... yep that would make me the worst foster carer ever. :laugh:

I know you are making a joke. But this is not true. You have the dog and are doing your best to help. Does not make you the worst foster carer ever.

Change the mind set.... I am the best foster carer ever. Repeat until you believe it.

Big undertaking to foster any dog and there you are trying. Thank you.

Bonnie will thank you one day too

[Michelleva]

There is a good chance she may be a foster failure... yep that would make me the worst foster carer ever. :laugh:

I know you are making a joke. But this is not true. You have the dog and are doing your best to help. Does not make you the worst foster carer ever.

Change the mind set.... I am the best foster carer ever. Repeat until you believe it.

Big undertaking to foster any dog and there you are trying. Thank you.

Bonnie will thank you one day too

My plan was to help more than one dog, but if thats not to be and Bonnie is meant to stay with us, so be it. Either way I'm super proud of myself and my family. :) Fostering is not easy and I admire those that have helped a lot of dogs.

Alot of DOLers know about the cat I took in to foster about 18 months ago too.. :D

[tdierikx]

Remember how you handled Bonnie when she first came to you? I'd be doing exactly the same now, as it's already been proven to be effective for Bonnie in the past...

T.

[Rosetta]

I would be careful about letting her get too distressed in the crate - she may come to associate it with stress. Maybe just let her out and then ignore her?

[Leah82]

Hopefully Bonnie gets back to her old self soon and I hope the rescue org has learned that no matter the circumstances puppy farm dogs need a doggy friend.

I commend you for wanting to continue to foster but it looks like Bonnie has found her forever home :)

I personally would love to foster but I have one dog that's nearly blind as well as my own puppy farm dog so I think that's a long way off in the future

And I think the effort you have put in and the strides you previously made with Bonnie says to me that you are a damn good foster carer, regardless of whether she goes to a new home or stays with you

[Loving my Oldies]

The mistake the rescue made was rehoming her as an only dog. PF dogs have had company their entire lives and to go to being an only dog makes them even more insecure.

I hope she is a foster failure - I have three :)

Only three ?? :laugh: :laugh:

Remember how you handled Bonnie when she first came to you? I'd be doing exactly the same now, as it's already been proven to be effective for Bonnie in the past...

I came back into this thread to suggest this and found T had already done it . Yep, just go back to the beginning and this time everything will fall very quickly back into place.

I would be careful about letting her get too distressed in the crate - she may come to associate it with stress. Maybe just let her out and then ignore her?

I think this sounds the right way to go.

[Michelleva]

Remember how you handled Bonnie when she first came to you? I'd be doing exactly the same now, as it's already been proven to be effective for Bonnie in the past...

T.

The difference is she's more anxious than she was when she got here the first time. Before she was shut down and wouldn't look at you, but just wanted to be near me. She's not shut down like that, but she's panicking more than she did previously. I think she needs time to find her feet again. I'm just paranoid about making her worse by my actions.

This morning my hubby took her for an 8km walk, and she just loved it. My theory is she'll be too tired to be stressed today, and so far its proving successful. She's sound asleep now.

[Michelleva]

And I think the effort you have put in and the strides you previously made with Bonnie says to me that you are a damn good foster carer, regardless of whether she goes to a new home or stays with you

Thank you

I have never considered myself an expert with dogs at all, I've made my fair share of mistakes in the past but I have learnt from them and thats whats important. I'm not afraid to ask for help, and will listen to those with more experience than me. Even if I sometimes ask dumb questions, its the only way to learn. :)

[Loving my Oldies]

This morning my hubby took her for an 8km walk, and she just loved it. My theory is she'll be too tired to be stressed today, and so far its proving successful. She's sound asleep now.

Not just too tired from the exercise, but also satisfied and tired from all the sensory experiences she would have had, making for one happy dog.

You say she is different from when she came to you, so look at it this way. She came into your life shut down and afraid. Because you loved and cared for her so much she very quickly came to trust you and to allow herself to be her natural self. Suddenly, all that is gone and she is with new people and although she'd met them and seemed fine with them, she wasn't to understand that she was going to be left with them. For whatever reason, these new people were not able to understand her needs and, in their ignorance, have made her fearful and stressed. She is now back with you and she is probably worried sick that she is suddenly going to be sent off somewhere new again.

You will have to provide her with a great deal of reassurance without exacerbating the separation anxiety - not an easy task, but not impossible. When she comes up to you talk to her, tell her how beautiful and special she is while still going about whatever you are doing. She needs to be reassured that she is still part of the family and the families activities without a great fuss being made of her.

You succeeded brilliantly the first time and I know you will do so again.

[Michelleva]

My husband just told me he's going to take her for a long walk every morning, just the two of them, so she can bond with him. She's only now just starting to trust him. He's a wonderful man, I'm lucky to have him. I haven't seen her act stressed once today, so perhaps this is just what she needed.

Thanks for your confidence in me DD.

[Rosetta]

Isn't 8K a long walk for a sheltie? Interested in what others think? I think it is great your OH is so supportive ad helpful in rehabilitating Bonnie.