New rescue with separation anxiety

[robert2032]

My boyfriend and I adopted a 2 year old golden/collie mix a few days ago. He's showed no major problems, except he seems to suffer from separation anxiety. He gets anxious and starts pacing if I leave the room, and will start whining/barking if he can't get to us, e.g. if we're in another room, if we leave the apartment.

We had originally set up a confinement area for him in the kitchen to get him used to being alone and as a place to keep him when we work/can't supervise, but I don't know if it's just escalating the anxiety (sometimes he'll whine and bark inside for a few minutes, then go to sleep, sometimes it lasts for hours). Luckily he doesn't appear to be destructive and only had anxiety-related accidents on his first day here.

We've tried giving him toys (plush, stuffed Kongs) to keep him distracted in his confinement area, but he hasn't been showing a lot of interest in them/quickly loses interest. We've also been trying to exercise him more to tire him out before confinement, but he has knee problems in his hind legs so we don't want to overdo it.

I'm also bringing him to the vet next week and will ask him for recommendations, but is there anything I should be doing in the meantime? I'm not sure if I should be putting him in his confinement area anymore or just letting him explore the apartment to get him more comfortable with his surroundings. I realize it's just been a few days and he's probably still stressed out from being in a new home, but I don't want to unknowingly exacerbate the problem either.

Let me know if there's other details I can provide too.

Edit: Oh good, I think he's relaxed a bit and is enjoying his toys more. Bad news is that he apparently has a toy guarding issue. Another thing to work on I guess

 

[inhissight]

@robert2032 I really like this list of tips for teaching dogs to be cool with separation. This is more or less what I do. http://dogmantics.com/2013/08/01/separation-training-tips/

In particular, use the confinement area when you're home, not only when you're leaving. Stick him in the kitchen with something to chew on as you come and go. You cook, you run into another room to grab something, you come back...all very normal. He'll get used to being comfortable in there because kitchens =\= prolonged separation. The kitchen is just where he hangs out and chews on stuff.

One of my dogs wouldn't touch kongs for the longest time because they were associated with me leaving for work...I had to start over and give her really easy, really high-value stuffed kongs while I was home. Like, chicken and wet dog food in a kong. That got her interested in them. Once she was getting excited about kongs, I could make them harder (e.g. freezing them) and they were actually useful when I left for work. In the beginning though, I just had to get her interested in them at all, even if they weren't long-lasting.

If exercise is limited, I would really focus on tiring him out mentally. For example, give him all his food in puzzle toys instead of dishes. Buster Cube and Kong Wobbler are the two well known options that are geared toward kibble, but there are a bunch of newer options as well. You can also make your own puzzles, e.g. put kibble in a muffin tin, put tennis balls in the muffin spots, and let him figure out how to get the food. If he has to work for the food, solve the puzzles to earn food, he'll get tired mentally and be able to relax and sleep better.

Spending time outside will also help tire him out mentally. Even if he can't run and jump, he can sniff and watch things.

A lot of what you're saying sounds like a typical rescue. Following a strict schedule will help. If he knows exactly what to expect at exactly what time every day (weekends included), he'll destress way more quickly. It took my last rescue a couple of weeks to settle into our routine and stop panicking when I left. It took another couple of weeks before she stopped barking altogether. So...you're in good company. A lot of this will probably resolve with time.

 

[robert2032]

@inhissight Thanks for the advice! I actually work from home but leave him in his confinement area during the day (with breaks/exercise in between), but it's not the most high-traffic area during that time so he does get anxious. I'll start to have him in there with me when I'm cooking/start coming and going around him more when I'm at home though.

The mental exercise suggestions and the advice in the link sounds promising, I'll try those out too Thanks again!

 

[johmars]

@robert2032 My rescue would bark non-stop any time he was alone when I first got him. The only thing that works is confining him in a crate when I am gone. I feel bad that he has so little space, but after trying everything, including meds, I feel I have no other choice and it is what works for him.

 

[robert2032]

@johmars Oh wow, that must have been tough. At least the crate works though. Hoping my dog gets less anxious once he settles more into his new home.

 

[johmars]

@robert2032 Ya, my neighbors complained, which was frustrating because I was working so hard to fix the situation and nothing was working. I'm glad we finally found something that works. I hope you find a way to calm your dog's anxiety. Keep looking online for resources and keep trying things until you find something that works for your pup. Hopefully when he realizes he is safe and isn't going to be abandoned again, he will settle down.